christmas time is HERE.

merry christmas!

i am back in new hampshire and couldn't be happier! i've spent the majority of my christmas break in dallas visiting my boyfriend, and now am home for a little over a week to spend some good christmas time with my family :) being in dallas {in a boy's apartment, non-the-less} i haven't felt like it is christmas quite yet. bryce and josh have no christmas decorations up {not even a twinkle-light in sight} and it has been upwards of 65 degrees every day in the great state of texas. so one i landed in manchester yesterday afternoon and my brother picked me up in his trusty subaru {NO ONE in texas drives a subaru} with ski's in the back, i felt that christmas was just around the corner! the long drive home i mostly slept, but once we pulled into my driveway and came to my brother's parking spot in front of the barn, there were beautiful christmas-wreaths on either barn door, signaling the holiday season. 

pottery barn outdoor wreath
$79

each and every year we spend christmas time with my family from new jersey, which entails my grandma, grandpa, pop-pop, uncle stevey, aunt jill, michael & amy (and this year amy's boyfriend, ryan). this year christmas is at our house, so all 12 of us are under one roof. whenever we have christmas here, my mom goes all out with the decorations. stockings are hung over the fireplace, which is constantly running when the family is here, tree is decorated with every ornament we have (and yes, this includes my flashing cow lights that get strung around the tree and michael's "christmas" plate ornament with his little face in the center he made in 1st grade), all of my mom's snow-globes out over the make-shift bar (an antique roll-top desk from my late-grandfather) with twinkle lights behind them, and glass jars filled with white twinkle lights sprinkled around the house. i love it! i also can't wait for when i get my first big-girl apartment/house and can decorate it myself. dad, i might need some help, financially, on that part......

since i have no camera to take pictures of all these decorations around my house, and nor do i have a working camera phone, i am going to show you pictures of my favorite holiday decorations in other's - and what i might steal once i get old enough to do so. enjoy :) 

while this is beautiful... i'm not quite sure it is realistic.
country living

take an old chandelier, spray-paint white, add the jewels and the greenery and BAM.
itsoverflowing.com

i am obsessed with this. took reclaimed wood and mounted above fireplace. i.love.it.
itsoverflowing.com

simplicity of the red and white and little twinkle lights above table.
trendzone.com

santa's house

ho ho ho! happy holidays :) (a little early but i'm getting way too excited...)

holiday decorations

i love love love the holidays. christmas-time reminds me of family, warmth, love and happiness. with that comes the wonderful decorations!

one of my favorite childhood memories is going and cutting down our christmas tree at our cabin in vermont (i know my parents are thinking... that's your favorite memory? all you did was complain about the cold, the walking, you're hungry, etc). my favorite part was decorating the tree. we have about three giant boxes of ornaments, and every single one goes on the tree. i don't lie. my family and i then turn on alvin and the chipmunks christmas CD and decorate until it's hideously full with lights, ornaments and garland. and mom - you get an award for never ever complaining with the worst job in the world - taking down the tree and alllll the ornaments that come with it (including the teeniest little blue car).

while these pictures are definitely not my house (nor are they my apartment), i love the decorations. there are so many ways to make a house feel warm and cozy for the holidays, and everyone's taste is different, but it still gives off the same message - the holiday's are HERE!