Wow, it’s genuinely abysmal how little I’ve blogged this past year. Believe me when I say I have so much work I want to show off in the near future. I’ve had the privilege of photographing such amazing clients, as always, and created some stuff I’m really proud of. So FOR REAL, stay tuned for that to come in the New Year. BUT. For now, I cannot pass up one of my favorite traditions – blogging this year’s Christmas decor. It’s definitely for me more than anything else, as a scrapbook to look back on. But I also love shouting out favorite artists and small businesses and hope to help spark ideas for creative decor in your own lives! So, let’s get to it!

I continue the tradition of getting my kids each a new ornament every year – this year they are Nutcracker characters from my dear friend Maryfrances Carter and you can see them pictured below! But I alllllso cannot resist grabbing myself one or two each year, as well. This year I nabbed a gorgeous original swan painting from an artist I only recently discovered via friends, Amy Garside, and this beautiful floral mug from another dear friend, Korie Herold.

I really love this year’s gallery wall. Featuring several of my standard year-round pieces, with the beautiful new additions of “Evergreen on the Sea” (top left) and Nutcracker man also by Amy Garside as well as the snowy cabin print from Wld Wst a few years ago, and the beautiful pop of the October print from Figure Form that I added to the wall this Fall. Plus the moody fruit printable via Vintage Supply go with the gold mat & frame that I already had laying around and the brass matchstick holder that I got via The Sanders Abode a couple years ago, it’s just my favorite browns/creams/golds and it makes me quite happy!

A few other new additions I was thrilled about this year: (finally) splurging on a Gathre advent calendar I’ve been eyeing for years, which pairs well with these awesome Advent Blocks that were gifted to us. It’s made the anticipation of Christmas so easy and exciting for the kids this year, while keeping the focus on Jesus first and activities together after that. AND very very excited about this genuine German Christmas pyramid I sourced on ebay and added to our tabletop. It’s been a beautiful, mesmerizing way to enjoy more candlelight together this season and I hope it will become a cherished heirloom for our family along with the olive wood nativity set and the wooden nativity puzzle that’s already an heirloom passed down from my childhood.

I love growing our Christmas book collection. Maybe next year I’ll get it together enough to do a whole post on the books we love most. There are so many beautiful ones. Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo definitely is near the top of the list, though.

I don’t normally lean toward black for my decor, but I actually love how the mantel developed this year. Black tapers are just fun. But softening it with my browns and vintage arts give it just the needed touch to not be TOO edgy or harsh for my taste. Shoutout to Shelby Goodman who shared a TON of public domain winter artwork which is how I stumbled on this sweet piece! And the lettering was a custom piece done by Katy Dunnavant a few years ago.

Second year having these fun shelves to style. Love these sweet nutcracker soldiers that I got on clearance at Michael’s at the end of last year. They pair so nicely with all my other collected pieces over time. The snowman-building art piece is another addition this year, from Lore Pemberton. It instantly seemed to represent my actual 3 kids building snowmen and I knew it would be (and is!) perfect for this space. I also love Llewyn & Margot’s seasonal artwork additions at their desks. :)

At least one of the cats has to make an appearance in the photos each year, haha…

I’ve spent a lot of this year, and this month is no exception, looking for the light in my everydays. Chasing the glimmers, the flickers, the streams, the warmth. Some days it has been really hard, but the more I look for it, the more I notice it. And some amount is always there. Literally and metaphorically, light chasing has been so good for me this year. And taking these photos a little more creatively to emphasize the sparkle and magic of the light was an additional creative outlet & joy.

Wishing you all the Merriest Christmas – may you never stop looking for the warmth & magic of the light in your life, no matter how small the flicker may be at times.

If you enjoyed this, check out this post for last year’s decor.