Post Christmas Shopping

Every year I wake up early the day after Christmas and I head to Target. I don't do the whole store hoping, I just go to Target. I grab a few items I had my eye on during the holiday season, and I quickly put them away so I am not tempted to put them out or use them this year.

Then every Christmas I have something "new" to decorate with! It's like a surprise every year! This year I walked away with a few great finds. I only picked two pieces, but I got a great deal on them, and I will be really excited about them next year!

#1. My new cashmere fir tree ...



I am starting a new tradition next year. Since the kids don't really get to help me set up our Christmas tree in the family room [too many breakable ornaments] I got them their own Christmas Tree. Every year I'll let them pick a new ornament or two to add to the tree!

#2. Iced Grapevine Balls ...



I have been eyeing these for a while now, I want to use them on my tablescape for next year. The picture shows a regular grapevine ball, but the ones I purchased are iced ... so pretty!!

Did you all find any great deals? Better yet, what did you all get for Christmas?

Merry Christmas from the Imhoff's

Christmas Traditions

Post from Last Year ... Christmas Traditions ...
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One of my favorite things about Christmas is all the family traditions that have been passed down, and new ones we're creating with our own family. It's something to look forward to the entire year, even the kids are starting to remember them.

For documentation purposes, here are some of our family traditions:

1. In early November, all of the women on my mom's side (really we take our kids too so there are guys there) but we all gather and bring TONS of cookies for our cookie exchange. This year each of us made 4 dozen per person ... yeah, add that one up :) This way we do not have to bake very much during the holidays and we have an assortment of cookies. We also make my Grandma's famous sugar cookies there, so the kids can cut them out and frost them!

2. Every year, a week or two before Christmas, we pack up and head to KC for my mom's side of the family. It's our "Steak Fondue" Christmas celebration. Have you ever had Steak Fondue? It's SO yummy and unique. We all are able to sit around the table, talk and cook our own food. It allows for a longer dinner, which is wonderful when you haven't had a chance to catch up with family for a while.

3. Of course we always take the kids to see Santa sometime between Thanksgiving & Christmas, it's always funny to see how they will react. I love it! Lately, Bass Pro has offered FREE pictures at their locations, so we don't have to go to the mall and pay a ridiculous price for their pictures, which are bad quality too! Plus, who doesn't love to walk around Bass Pro, we all think it's fun!

4. Christmas Eve is a big day for us. You can usually find me in the kitchen baking something for dinner that night. The kids are off playing, and Ryan is usually putting gifts together that need to be assembled before time. We all go to a Christmas Eve service at our church just down the road, and afterwards head to Ryan's Grandma's house for dinner. This is not just any dinner ... this is Surf n' Turf Dinner ... complete with steak and king crab legs. Seriously, my favorite meal of the whole entire year! What's great about this dinner, is it's Ryan's family & my family ... now how many people can say that? It's great to have us all under one roof. After dinner the kids get to open some gifts and we all sit around and relax and the men indulge in some Crown. AND after all of that, we head back to our house, and throw some cookies dough (made that morning) into the oven for Santa. Baths are taken and we all curl up and read The Polar Express. Nothing is better than that!

Christmas morning we all wake up and enjoy our family Christmas with all the Santa gifts as well. Eat a good breakfast and go crazy with excitement! This is one of my favorite times! Once we all clean up and shower, we head over to Ryan's parents for gift giving, lunch and just relax.

Christmas evening we head over to Ryan's Grandma's Sisters, where the whole extended family is for food and games. Usually the women are upstairs playing board games and the men go downstairs and play poker. It's a great way to end the Christmas day. And as you can imagine, we are all EXHAUSTED afterwards!

What are some of your family traditions?

Presents are Wrapped/Table is Set

It's the night before Christmas Eve. Up until today, our lives have been ciaos, but tonight, it's calm! Kids are asleep, presents are wrapped and the table is set. All that's missing is a little snow on the ground!




I have to say, Christmas has really snuck up on me this year. It really doesn't feel like Christmas will be in 2 days, but I am so excited for our family get-togethers. Tomorrow afternoon my Dad is coming down to visit and have our own little Christmas with the kids. Tomorrow night we'll attend our Church's service and then head over to Ryan's Grandmas for our annual Christmas Even surf n' turf. Christmas morning we'll have our own family traditions are our home, head over to Ryan's parents house and wind up at my Mom's house Christmas night. It will be a full 2 days, but I couldn't be more excited.

When you're a kid, you live for Christmas, but as you grow up, it looses a lot of the hype. Until you have kids. The joy on their faces Christmas Morning is the best in the world!

Hope you all have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

As Christmas comes closer, I thought I would show you what our Christmas tree looks like. I am in LOVE with it this year.

So here's the deal, I LOVE me a flocked tree. So before I place any decorations, I flock the absolute CRAP out of the tree. It's pretty much a white tree when I am finished with it, only because I know a lot of it will fall off as I am decorating the tree and as time goes on.

My color scheme is simple, white, silver and glitter. I have everything from glittered pine cones to ostrich feathers. My absolute favorite tree ornament this year are my glittered birds with a white feathered tail ... gorgeous! My tree also only has white clear lights, I'm not a huge fan of colored lights for some reason.

So, this year I did something that was CRAZY and the verdict is still out. After flocking my tree, I took a TON of silver glitter, and while the flock was still wet, I threw glitter all over. Yes ... I am still picking it up and finding it in weird places, but it does make the tree look super cool!







What does your tree look like?