Christmas recap

Christmas is over, and it's time to pack everything up. But first, I have to mention some Christmas items that really made me smile.

Each year when we decorate for Christmas, I come across these Mr. and Mrs. Claus candle holders in my tote. I always place them on the window sill above the kitchen sink.

My mom tells me that they came from Hallmark. They've been around as long as I can remember. In fact, I was certain I remembered them being on top of the old TV set along with other Christmas decor. I found a picture, but as you can see, they aren't there...

Either way, I absolutely love the Mr. and Mrs. Claus candle holders. I always forget about them, so they make me happy every time I pull them out of the tote. This year, while decorating for Christmas for the first time in our new home, I started thinking about other ornaments and decor from my childhood.

We traveled "home" for Christmas this year, and I found a box of ornaments my mom had made when I was a kid. She is an artist, woodworker and seamstress, and had hand-crafted all of these beautiful ornaments. Here are just a few:

I took the chance to bring them back with me, and I'll be excited to add them to our tree next year!

Even though I now have a box of handmade classic wood and fabric ornaments from my childhood, I want to keep shiny glass bulbs as well. The bulbs I've been using are rose, ivory, and gold (they were hand-me-downs), and I want to update them to match the colors of our current living room.

So while I was at Target today, I noticed that not only did they have 75% off holiday items, but that they also had an aisle of glass bulbs left! I picked up 4 boxes of bulbs for just $6. I used a Target gift card that I got as a Christmas gift, and I ended up with them for free.

I'd like to find some new red and white bulbs as well. Maybe I can find more while everything is on sale!