Christmas Decorations. Simple Enough?

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone, and it's now TIME TO DECORATE FOR CHRISTMAS!!!!! I admit, I'm a little bit behind with that, and this post. Lo siento.

So, not to be a downer all of a sudden, but I gotta be honest with you guys. I was a little overwhelmed over this subject because I thought I was gonna be stuck eating off McDonald's dollar menu and drinking unfiltered tap water if I did all of the decorating I really wanted to do. In the classic Patrick Verona way of calculating:

Well, let's think about this... I get a tree, that's 40 bucks. I get ornaments, that's 73. And I'll want some fake snow, alright? So, we're looking at 150 bucks.

This isn't a negotiation. Take it or leave it trailer park.

50 bucks and we got a deal, Fabio.

It gives me anxiety. I like to go big and dramatic most of the time and that means my bank's gonna get broke! I can't help it, I just have these incredible visions of what my home could look like. I'm guilty of getting way too impulsive in places like Michael's and Pier 1, and it's x 20 this time of year. (By the way, Michael's ALWAYS has sales going on. GO THERE. Get a new hobby. I swear, every time I stroll the aisles everything appears to be half off. And then when I buy my half-off tubes of acrylic, fake hydrangeas and friendship bracelet string, I get a coupon with my receipt for another 50% off my next purchase. Every single time. I really really hope they aren't secretly going out of business, because then I wouldn't be able to buy supplies for random crafts that I completely intend on doing but then just leave laying around the house in the plastic bags they were carried out of the store in. Pretty sure my roommates would miss that.)

I tried to go the inexpensive route and just buy stuff at the Dollar Tree, but once I saw their "holiday decor" I couldn't do it. I'm a snob, whatever. Halloween, yes, that's all the house was decorated in ... but Christmas? Sorry, I just can't bring myself to buy a ceramic nativity scene with baby Jesus's eyes painted on a little too far to the left. It's creepy and sacrilegious.

Well, I'm gonna cut to the chase. This problem has been solved by an Apartment Therapy post. (I am completely convinced, this is the best blog ever! Besides 2birds1blog, of course.)

It's just a handful of photos, illustrating "a smattering of subtle little touches of Christmas here and there, in every room of the house." I am SO inspired and SO happy. Why did I think I needed to go so big with decorations? Oh I know - I'm a Texan.

But apparently I am not that connected to my roots, because my mind has been completely changed by this house. It's so simple and looks so good. But - simple is key... for this to work, I'm gonna have to make sure the house is clutter-free. Maybe this means all of those Michael's bags scattered around the house will finally be dealt with.

I'll be posting photos of my own little holiday touches very, very soon.

And here is soon:

A little silver and colorful touches added to the bookshelf (disregard the fact that i barely know how to work the settings on my camera and these photos ended up looking like photocopied newspaper clippings)

and a little more formal on the mantel in the living room...