Well, hi ya'll!
Welcome to the Ice House!
Come in , come in.
I am so glad you found time to stop by. What a busy day you are having.
Come on into the kitchen. You do know that "backdoor friends" are the best kind of friend, don't you? ;)
You caught me putting together Christmas gifts. 1 pound of pecan halves and 1 bag of Spritz cookies...who wouldn't just love that as a gift?
I know you've been getting lots of offers for hot chocolate, coffee, or eggnog but since you're here in the south, and it's not very cold, I thought you might like a refreshing glass of ice tea! You do know there is a TON of sugar in it, right? It will give you lots of energy while you are out visiting today. Not for you? How about a tall, ice cold glass of milk instead? And please try one of my Spritz cookies, I know you'll love them. Of course I'll share the recipe with you, just click HERE.
Since we are already in the kitchen, let me show you how I decorate it for Christmas. I try to keep it simple in here because too much stuff on the counters will just get in my way, what with all the baking and cooking I'm doing this time of year.
See the little gingerbread cookie ornaments on the curtains? I think they give a such sweet touch all around the room.
And I have this beautiful wreath here on the wall above the counter. So festive, don't you think?
This is my most favorite decoration in the entire house...my egg tree. Each year I get one of these eggs for my hubby and I. We have our names written on it along with the year. This year the egg has a church on it because this is the year we joined our church and also the year I was baptized as a Baptist along with 2 of my children that were baptized with me. A very special memory indeed. You can see a close up of that egg HERE.
I know you want to see the rest of the house so let's step through here into the dining / family room. The dining area is small so I don't do very much in here, just a little table with Santa on it. Sometimes simple is best. I made this Santa back when hubby and I first married. He' s been a part of 14 Christmas celebrations so far. I found a GREAT deal on these luminaries (FREE) and I think they add such a soft glow to this space (and are safe around the kids).
Onto the tree. O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, what special memories can be found on thee. This tree just drips with memories.
Ornaments from when I was a child.
Ones my mother in law made when my husband was a little boy.
This one was made by my mother for my great-grandmother and hung on her tree for years. When she passed away, my parents found this ornament tucked away...the only ornament she had saved...and they gave it to me for a Christmas gift.
This one always goes front and center on the tree. I just LOVE it. Cute, huh?
My children receive a new ornament each year from their Papa and Gram. We don't put it on the tree until the following Christmas. They get so excited when it's time to unpack the ornaments each year. They can't wait to see their ornaments and put the "new" one on the tree. It's a MAJOR big deal around here. This one was given to my daughter, Jessica. Doesn't it look just like her?
One more special ornament. It think it says its all...
We could stay and talk about the tree for hours but there is more to see.
Here we have the mantle decked out and waiting for Santa to fill all those stockings.
Another precious decoration is the nativity. I bought this ages ago and I just adore it. It's very different and very "me". It sits in a special place on the mantle to remind us of the TRUE meaning of Christmas.
Did you see the beautiful angels there on the mantle? Here, let me show you a close up.
This one belongs to Jessica.
This is Kimberly's
This one is Daniel's
Each child has their own angel and we put a different angel on the tree every year. This year it's Andrew's turn to have his angel on the tree. She is already at the top of the tree, so I don't have a close up of her right now.
The other "big" decorating we do are the Christmas houses. The children have given me many of these houses along with my mother in law and my mom and dad. This is a view of the top of our entertainment center. I also have bookcases on each side full of Christmas houses.
And here it is all lit up. Isn't it warm and cozy?
I have way too many to show close ups of each, but you can get an idea of how beautiful they are with these examples.
Yes, I know you have to go. You have many beautiful homes to visit today.I am so glad you stopped by The Ice House. Please come back a visit anytime.
Merry Christmas!
For more beautifully decorated homes visit
Boo Mama , Hooked on Houses, Southern Hospitality and Thrifty Decor Chick
Your home is beautiful. Thanks for the tour : )
I love your Christmas houses! I make a small village under my tree since it's tradition in my home. Thank you for sharing your home with me.
"We could stay and talk about the tree for hours"
Amen, sister! I had to severely limit myself because every ornament on my tree has a story. Sounds like yours does too :) And colored lights!
Lovely! I especially love the tall skinny nativity set. Merry Christmas!
Oh my gosh, we have the exact pink beaded ornament that you have!!! I guess that was a homemade kit that everyone made back in the 60's. I love it!
So fun seeing your home for the holidays!
Those spritz cookies look sooo yummy. Mind if I sit a spell and eat a few? I'll take that glass of iced tea, too, if you don't mind.
Thanks for joining my blog party today and inviting us into your lovely home. It's so cheerful here! And I got a kick out of the winking Santa. Merry Christmas!! -Julia :-)
What a warm and welcoming holiday home! Thanks for visiting!
(Also, I visited South Carolina this fall for the first time and just loved it!)
Your house is very pretty. thanks for sharing!! Merry Christmas!!
Love your home. So festive, and the ornaments on the kitchen curtains is such a sweet touch. Thanks for sharing.
I love your tree full of memories!
Everything is so cozy and pretty! Come and visit me at my house (blog)!
Love everything, especially the significance of the ornament.
Oh your Christmas tree and mantle are beautiful! Thanks for sharing!
Great decorations. I love your pink beaded ornament.
Thank you for the tour! Loved all the ornaments!!
blessings
mary
Your tree is just gorgeous! Love all your decorating goodies! Have a very Merry Christmas!!
Your home looks beautiful! You got me hungry with the pecans! We used to get them fresh from my Uncle's trees in North Florida. I even have an antique squirrel nut cracker! Anyway, thanks for sharing your home with us!
-kim
Lovely, just lovely! I can look at tree and ornaments all day long.
Beautiful decorations on the tree, receiving special ones each year is so lovely.
Merry Christmas
What a beautiful home! Thanks for sharing.
Ah...a girl afer my own heart...you've got the Christmas village going on, too! :) I love it! Your wreath is amazing...did you make it? I have a huge bare wall where a wreath like that would look fantastic...hmmm...
So nice to visit your home...have a very Merry Christmas! And thanks for the delicious iced tea!
Do you see that OTHER Keetha up there? That isn't me - - - I bet that's Kudzu Keetha and I'm Indiana Keetha.
I love lots of things in your pictures, but the long tall things are very special - - - both the nativity AND the carolers with the long tall Pippy Longstocking tights!!!
Merry Christmas
Everything looks wonderful, thank you for sharing your home with us.
That egg tree is such a cute idea! I love your Christmas Houses! Thanks for the tour!
Manuela
Just lovely! Thanks for stopping by and linking with me too!
Everything looks so festive and I'm glad you posted that final picture... I think it sums it all up very well! Merry Christmas!
Fun and festive! Yay, you! Beautiful angels! Thanks for sharing with us.
Merry Christmas from She Lives!
What a neat idea...an egg tree! Love it!
I love to see and admire Christmas displays, but am not very good at coming up with one myself. So thank you for allowing me to enjoy yours!
I was especially interested in The Ice House as my son is an ice sculptor and owns the Indiana Ice Studio. He makes his own ice, but sometimes cannot produce enough for the demand so has to buy more. This has been a very busy season.
Blessings!
Thanks for visiting my blog! Your house is beautiful. I love the Christmas houses! Merry Christmas!
Thanks for sharing your home with us! I love hearing everyone's stories about their ornaments. Have a wonderful Christmas holiday.