Christmas Vibes

We all knew it was going to happen.
I could hardly make it past the wedding without thinking about Christmas. It's a wonder that I made it through Halloween! But here we are, November 2nd, and my Christmas decorations are partially hung.
I blame it on the fact that I had a gingerbread chai tea latte at Starbucks (Christmas in a cup), and Christmas music was on the radio this morning.

As per tradition (my mother's tradition, that is), I watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation while dragging all of the Christmas decor out of bags and boxes. So far, I've only decorated the mantle (which took 3 different tries), and I'm starting to put together our 6 ft. tree, but that will go in the kitchen. We're on the hunt for a *perfect* white tree for the living room. I found one at Hobby Lobby that was 7.5' but it just wasn't full enough, you know? I mean, if all else fails, it'll be great - but I'm determined to keep looking!
And I know it sounds crazy to have a 6' Christmas tree in your kitchen, but ours has so much empty space... might as well use it festively, right?! I'm afraid Blake thinks I'm crazy....

 This is literally all that our decor consists of at the moment. I tried using garland on the mantle. Then garland + tinsel. Then just the tinsel. I attempted so many different "looks" and used so many different pieces of decoration. And this is what I ended up with. It'll most definitely change as I collect and add things; who knows what kind of genius Christmas decor Target will come up with this year... so stay tuned! ;)
My favorite part is the tiny wreath in the middle. I bought it last year at a local flower shop and paid way too much for it, but I couldn't leave without it. Also, as I was typing this, it fell down. So...

The finished product! I think we are going to add garland and lights to our windows as well - it just looks pretty at nighttime! Speaking of nighttime, know that it's dark in here, and I only have a few lights on in the house, this set up is SO cozy. I have our fireplace spotlights on and a candle lit. It's so pretty! It'll be even better when a Christmas tree is all lit up at night! Sigh, this holiday season is just the best.