Do I Have To?!?!?!

(WARNING—Major photo dump in this post.)

It is January 22nd!!!! Is Christmas REALLY over? I mean after all, we just had a massive “snow-mageddon” here in Deep South Louisiana. To me that still screams Christmas. When I say that I have been praying for a White Christmas….I am not exaggerating in any way. We have taken winter trips to Tennessee for that last 4 years because I wanted to TRULY experience REAL snow. Sure, I’ve experienced a tiny bit of snow both in south and north Louisiana, but nothing to truly write about in the books. We just returned from our Gatlinburg vacation this past Friday, and I was pretty excited because I was finally able to experience real snow on this trip. It was absolutely gorgeous! We ended up not getting as much as the meteorologists predicted, but it was more than I’ve seen in quite some time. It made me feel like all the Christmas feels were finally complete. To my surprise, after we came home, we ended up experiencing a record-breaking snow storm in south Louisiana. I have NEVER experienced snow like this! My Christmas prayer was answered not just once, but twice, and in a very big way!!!! So now I ask…..do I have to?!?! Do I really have to take my Christmas decorations down?

We were stuck in our cabin in Gatlinburg for a day and then ventured out to take in the sights. And then being stuck in our own home for a few days…..having all of the Christmas decorations up just made everything so Christmas-Cozy!

All of this snow just makes me want to leave everything up for that much longer.

I decorate our 957 square foot home entirely in Christmas decor. If I can fit it….I will decorate. This year, as usual, I did more than the previous year. I have been decorating with a Gingerbread theme for a while now, but this was the first year that I emphasized pastel colors over the red, green, and browns. Since we changed our area rugs, it made more sense to concentrate on pastels.

Of course after Christmas, my husband installed some of my Christmas gifts, so here is the after Christmas pictures.

I love our small kitchen, but now that our church Life Group is growing, I am beginning to realize that my small space could be a little larger. Nonetheless, we are making it work as long as we are here.

As I said before, we changed our area rugs, so pastel colors were the emphasis. Our living room went from neutrals to a pastel wonderland. (I secretly want a pink sofa, but we have leather couches since it is easier to clean up spills—we tend to have an overflow of guests every Friday. Accidents happen—leather is easy to clean.)

Our small dining room has taken on a huge transformation as opposed to years past. I ended up throwing in decor ideas I’ve used in previous drama productions. I have more ideas for next year, but this is what it looks like this year. The last picture is the wreath I made for our front door.

Naturally, I also had to decorate our bedroom and the one bathroom we have.

Last year I decided that I wanted to decorate a Grinch themed tree for Christmas this year, and the only place I had to put it was in our spare bedroom. It definitely does not match that bedroom’s decor, but at least I was able to do it. I also had a sudden urge to decorate a Nutcracker Ballet themed tree which I put in my office at work. Next year the Nutcracker Ballet tree will go in my spare room, and the Grinch tree will go up at the office. I wish I had thought of that sooner, but there’s always next year. The next group of pictures are of the trees I decorated this year. (Not just for my home.)

I do believe that my favorite tree this year is the Nutcracker Ballet themed tree. Perhaps it is because I’m partial to pink, but I love the uniqueness of the ornaments and the spinning ballerina tree topper.

I also started making wreaths this year and will continue that endeavor throughout the year. Perhaps that will fill the void of the missing Christmas decorations after I do decide to take them down.

On a side note, in the middle of all of the Christmas decorating, I was able to decorate for my oldest nephew’s rehearsal dinner. It has been a very busy Christmas season, but the blessings have been abundant.

I am looking forward to all that God has planned for me this next year. It is very exciting as He reveals some of the plans He has in store already. But…..the real question is……DO I REALLY HAVE TO?!?! Do I REALLY have to take down all of the Christmas decorations?!?!