A Christmas to Remember

I can't believe that 2010 will be here in just a few days! I'm actually a bit sad that Christmas is already over as it's my favorite time of year. There’s just a magic about Christmas and for me that magic has only gotten better since becoming a mom. It’s all the little elements that when they come together make it magical. For me it’s the lights, the songs, the decorations, the food giving gifts, and most of all being in the company of family and friends. It just seemed to go by so fast this year!

Although it's over, I can say that we had a wonderful Christmas! As always, I hosted Christmas day dinner, this year with 15 guests. I truly enjoy hosting parties of all kinds because it allows me to do all the things I love – going a little overboard with the décor, making all sorts of yummy recipes and just creating the overall atmosphere.

For starters, I had some gorgeous floral arrangements done by the Mendon Greenhouse - White roses and tulips mixed with seasonal greens and finished off with a bow - I loved them! Candles played a huge role in the overall décor as they were on both tables, the mantle, in the fireplace, the kitchen and lastly there was a Yankee Mistletoe Candle spreading it’s aroma throughout the house.

To have enough seating for dinner, we set up another table in the living room which looked so nice by the fireplace with all the candles lit. Since that table was rather narrow, I kept the centerpiece décor simple by using small glass vases with candles floating atop of cranberries. It added a beautiful touch while keeping ample room for the plates and glasses. I used chair covers that matched the other linens on those chairs to create a more formal look to them and it did just that. In the dining room, I used the centerpiece that I created back in November atop a beautiful deep red table runner. I dressed up the dining room chairs by creating a little decoration for the back of them and the ribbon tied in perfectly with the table runner. I really loved how they came out! Since I had 2 different style napkin rings, I chose to do the ivory beaded rings on the dining room table as there was already more color on that table. The other napkin rings added a bit of needed color to the mostly ivory linens in the living room which also complemented the deep green table runner quite nicely.

With the help of my mom I put out quite the feast! We had prime rib, ham, mashed potatoes, squash, carrots, stuffing, dinner rolls and homemade gravy, oh it was fabulous. And that was just the main course! I had been baking all day Wednesday and had cookies and goodies galore! I loooooove baking, especially when it’s for entertaining. I made snickerdoodles, 7 layer bars, chocolate chip cookies, Swedish brownies, coffee cakes, fudge, peanut butter blossoms and sugar cookie cut-outs that my boys helped me decorate. In addition to all that, I also made a chocolate cream pie, an egg nog custard pie and a trifle, so desserts were just as plentiful as dinner. Needless to say, everyone was extremely full by the end of the day!

My favorite gift other than having my family and friends around was a beautiful sapphire and diamond necklace from my love. Most years he asks what I want and I’ll give him ideas but this year I had none. I was so surprised when I opened the box since he put it in a large box with jumbo bags of hand warmers (for when we go skiing) to throw me off. The fact that the sapphire is also my birthstone shows me how much thought he had put into it. It was such a heartfelt gift and I definitely cherish it. It was such an amazing day all around and it’s one that will be sure to be kept close to my heart.

I’ve posted some more Christmas day décor pictures on our Facebook page. Feel free to stop by to check them out and while you’re there become a fan!

Happy Holidays!