Christmas at Kara's
Red and green alone have never really cut it for me at Christmas time.
I believe that the magic of the season is wrapped up in bright colors, textures and patterns. A Christmas tree has the opportunity to tell a story with the ornaments that lay on it, whether it is real or fake. Our ornaments have been collected over the past few years of marriage - like the trolly from our trip to San Francisco, ceramic pretzel from the Auer Dult festival in Munich, or the ceramic bear holding huckleberries from our ski trip to Montana. Don't get me wrong... there are some fillers too. Like the glass gummy bear and taco I found for a few dollars at Michaels, the Christmas cookie cutters I most definitely won't be using this year (hello, 8 months pregnant!) or the Valentine's Day garland from Michaels that I chose to wrap around the tree. My point here is, Christmas decorations don't have to be specific to Christmas, and they don't need to cost you hundreds of dollars a year.
Use different colors and patterns in your wrapping paper as a "free" decoration! My friends and I had a "wrapping party" where we each brought a roll of wrapping paper and presents. It was an easy way to get together, drink wine and remove the dread of taking time out of the day to wrap a bunch of presents!
Once the wrapping party was over, I was the lucky recipient of most of the leftover paper. Instead of stuffing it in a closet until next year, I decided to place the rolls in these large vases that are on display in the living room. After my husband's car almost caught fire this month and way too big of a payment to fix it, I was happy to have a long-term tenant in these vases that don't require replacing! (Yes, fresh flowers... I'm talking about you!) This will definitely be a go-to decoration for the years to come. Pro-tip: find that really cheap wrapping paper (you know the kind, that tears if you even unravel it) but in a cute pattern. Use that as your yearly paper-bouquet!
Would it be Christmas without an ode to Trader Joe's? Want to feel fancy on Christmas morning without lifting a finger? TJ's Frozen Chocolate Croissants ($4.99). A beautiful, real wreath that will last you the entire month without even spritzing it with water once? TJ's Boxwood Wreath ($12). The most addictive and cutest ever gingerbread men that require zero effort at all on your part? TJ's Mini Gingerbread People ($3.99).
Don't let all of your Christmas cards pile up in one spot and never be looked at again. I taped all of our cards to gift ribbon we had laying around to display them around our tree and think about the people we love all season long! My point here is, Christmas decorations don't need to be overwhelming. Collect key items that can be used year after year. I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and has a Happy New Year!