Oh Rafor, your decorations are beautiful. The angle over the fireplace is so peaceful. Love the Merry Christmas on the piano. The glass ornaments just speak out to you hanging from that red ribbon. The chandies are gorgeous and the butlers pantry with the wreaths are just right.

Well, Let me just say that it is ALL Beautiful!!

Great Job!

Creek

Wow! First of all....you have a lot of fireplaces! And each mantel is beautiful! I love both of your cross stitch pictures too...did you do them? And your Twelve days of Christmas plates are really pretty too! Love the ornaments in the window to your breezeway and the wreaths on your butler's pantry doors too! And the two pine trees in baskets are very interesting...they almost look like real branches of pine! Lots of pretty Santas and I love your big snowflake on the mirror too...heck, I love it all!

Your holiday decor is beautiful. Your home is so festive, and lucky you having more than one mantle to decorate.Would you share how you've hung the garlands on the drapery?

TFS

Very beautiful....love everything. Love the garland on the dining room mantel. So real looking.
thanks for sharing.
Kim

Thanks for the encouragement everyone! I was having a little trouble getting into the Christmas decorating spirit :)

I am lucky to have so many mantels (8!) but I don't decorate all of them. I only do half although last year I did 5 of them.

marlene: yes I did the X stitch pics. Haven't done any in years, but got back into this Christmas and started another large elaborate Santa pic. I also need to make the green angel I have a pattern for that goes with the blue one in the DR pic.

work in progress: the garlands on the windows are the ones I used outside last year on the window sills on the front of the house. The dining room windows have a wooden sort of valance that the previous owners had velcroed a fabric valance to. I removed that when I threw out all their window treatments since when they left the house, the furnace burped and there was a light coating of sooty dust on everything! So the wooden shelf above the window is about 4 inches wide. One garland sits (precariously!) on top of the shelf. Then I took another garland and shoved it above the curtain rod but below the shelf. There's a space about and inch or inch and a half there. It's been up about a week and has stayed in place (fingers crossed ).

Here's a pic of the garland on the outside windows last year. I just took the 8 foot garland and cut each piece in half to fit the window.

I like it better inside since it wasn't very visible outside last year. I'm afraid I'm going to really miss it on the DR windows when I take down the decorations. Then I'll have to get around to building the wooden valance I want up there to hide the curtain rod. It's on the project list!

Well, I was going to ask about the pictures, but that was already asked and answered. Beautiful job on those. Love that you have all those mantels!
Cool clock table and the wreaths on the butlers pantry are wonderful.
Based on the style of your home, are you in the northeast??
I also love the red door.

It all looks very festive and will smell great once you add the real greenery.

Great job on everything.

TFS,
Candy

Lovely decorations. The wreaths on the windows are really pretty. Lovely pictures and what wonderful mantles. That large snowflake on the mirror is really neat too. Like the others, I love seeing it all. You have a wonderful house with so many unique features. Thanks so much for sharing your decor pictures with us. Luvs

Oh my, rafor...I don't know where to begin...because I found something I loved in each single pic!

All those mantles! WOW! & you've decorated them w/such style...I would like to say 'simple' but people sometimes don't like that word...cause all the WORK of decorating in that style is NOT simple!

That 1st pic of DR mantle! Wow! Gorgeous! Candlelight & a bit of pine garland (I have some of the same) & the crystal holders & beautiful ornies...all of it looks elegant! & that very beautiful fireplace w/screen 'thingy' in front...love it!

Then, you piano...love those big silver letters you used...looks great! & all the pretties you've added...that tall finial tree topper & also I see a 'totem!'

Santa's galore...on that kitchen mantle...this one is probably a fav for me...love the color & the wire basket of ornies & it just SHOUTS, "Christmas Time!" Plus all the copper pots hanging there & that awesome 'ornie' clock! Love how you used the repetition of circles ...all the bright colors! Ohhh, everything!

And that mirror w/the snowflake...I can't remember if you've ever shared that before ...is it etched or added on??? Beautiful! The hanging ribbon w/ornies in front of the windows...WOW! Festive! Ok, I'm rattling...I just think you did a great job! & adding your RL tree & garland will make it even more festive! (we got our real tree Sun afternoon & have been gone a couple days so started decorating tonight...will do it up tomorrow). Merry Christmas, rafor! TFS! Jeanne S.

Holy purple cow, Raf, EIGHT mantels. You just gave all of us some serious envy I think! LOL. Mantel Envy is right up there with Hutch Envy! Best decorating places ever!

Like the others, I hardly know where to start with your wonderful decorating and SO MUCH I really, really like. The big silver Merry Christmas letters a definite favorite!
And all the things around it too. The big Santa picture with him holding the bear! Your pretty garlands! The 12 Days plates...WOW...and the cute kitchen Santa display.

I sure enjoyed the tour and can't wait to see the rest.
hugs, Karen

Thanks again ladies!!!

Jeanne: the snowflake on the mirror is one of those sticker decal things. I tried a wreath on it last year because I love the way that looks in other pics I've seen. But my wreath just wasn't cutting it, so I put up the snowflake and like it so much I left it there all year!

As to the 8 fireplaces (I guess that's not enough as someone also built an outdoor one off the patio!): Since this is a house built in 1780, a fireplace in every room was the heat source. I have since learned that to heat your house for the winter you would need a pile of wood the size of your house every year!!! Amazing and explains one reason why the country expanded westward: they ran out of trees to burn.

This is one of the supports in the basement for the fireplaces. There is one of these long arches at either end of the basement. They are really cool.

christmascandy: yes, we are in New England.

Rafor, your home is fabulous! You are right those arch supports for the fireplaces are cool.
I love the way you decorated everything, especially the mantels.
I tried to do mine with garland, etc. but I can't get the look I want, so it's just the Santas again.
TFS
Nana

Okay...I'm late for this..but so glad I didn't miss it.
Rafor, your home is absolutely gorgeous!! Love all your wonderful 'Christmas' touches..8 Fireplaces...(mantel envy here)!! Those basement arches are awesome..showed them to DH..his responce was a big 'WOW'!
I love all the garland and ornaments on your windows - both inside and out.
Love the kitchen FP and mantel...great Santa display and copper. I like how you added your Christmas Cross Stitch with your decor. They're lovely... and I'll 'TAKE' your Butler's Pantry...what a great space and it's so festive looking.
I guess you can say I love everything!! I can see ALL the work 'and love' you put into everything. It's a shame it goes so fast.

jane

WOW! Thanks for that basement arches pic! WOW! What a fantastic home & that you are living in it! I had no idea it was that old! Just wonderful!

I love that Butler's pantry, too...those cupboards...so pretty! & the ribbon hung wreaths. I also didn't mention your cross-stitch framed works...they are so very, very lovely...in that 1st DR mantle pic, I was struck by the beauty & simplicity of the angel. Just GORGEOUS, rafor...everything! Thanks again, for sharing your home! Jeanne S.

When I first saw those brick arches I thought the basement would make a great place for a spooky Halloween party! And you are all invited!

The secret of the butler's pantry "wreaths". They are actually candle rings because I couldn't find any wreaths that were the right proportion since each of the doors is not very wide. Oh well, we are all so crafty (and I mean that in a good way) we can make do with anything :)

OK. I have house envy. Nuf said.