Christmas in Florida

Christmas Greetings from Central Florida!

No, we don't have the beautiful snow covered trees or mountains, and it's rare that one smells the wood burning in a fireplace to warm up the tootsies. We light up our palm trees and can usually get away with wearing flip flops and tank tops on Christmas morn, instead of snow boots and turtlenecks.

I began decorating the week before Thanksgiving, and if it were up to me, I'd leave my Christmas decor up year round - I love EVERYTHING about Christmas! I'm sure it comes from watching "Miracle on 34th Street" so many times, and wishing I were the little girl watching the Macy's parade out the window of a Manhattan apartment.

To get me in the mood, I turned on a channel that plays non-stop oldies Christmas music. The memories of getting dressed up in our Sunday clothes to go downtown to look at all the window displays the big department stores put up each year was one of the highlights of the season for me, and these songs quickly took me right back to that special moment in time.

Now I love Prim, but when it comes to decorating for Christmas, I'm more on the traditional side. I love to find things that remind me of my childhood memories, so sit back and let me take you on a little tour of some of my favorite things!

This is a table in my entryway, which I've put all my favorite Vintage Santas on; some were given by those who know my adoration of Santa, and some are treasures that I've found while browsing through our local thrift stores.

Next up - Santa's helpers, my small but growing collection of Vintage elves. I used to have some of these that we would hang on our Christmas tree, and was elated when I came across this larger one on the right that was so similar to the ones from way back when.... My tree is done in reds, golds and whites. It's a mixture of vintage and some newer ornaments, mixed in with some handmade candy canes, cinnamon stars tied with raffia, and these great little reproduction vintage postcards with Santa on them. I can never have enough red anywhere, so I added this red tinsel to give the tree a little more umph.
What's that on top of my tree, you ask? Why it's none other than....................
TINK!

Sitting under and around my tree, I have a wonderful Santa that my sister Kathy made for me a few years back. I tucked in one of my larger stick horses that seemed to fit him well. A Prim Raggedy Ann sits in a vintage wooden tool box beside him. On the other side of my tree, I have one of my Santas perched atop one of the presents Santa brought Bill a few years ago - a candy apple red RC Harley. I couldn't resist - he just fit on there perfectly!
We spend a lot of time out on our screened porch, so I wanted a small tree to put out there this year. My dream was to have an aluminum tree, again, to bring back those cherished memories, but I had to settle on this pretty little white tree instead. It's adorned with vintage blue and green glass ornaments, and at night time, we turn on our vintage colorwheel, and I'm sad that the camera wouldn't capture how pretty it is all lit up.

Nestled up under the tree is a very special Santa I received today in our TDIPT Swap, from Linda of Simple Treasures. He's dressed in a white suit with a quilt jacket - perfect finishing touch for this little tree.

Well that's alllllllll folks! Thanks for letting me share with you, the joy of Christmas from my house to yours...

Janelle