Welcome to the monthly edition of Where Bloggers Live. It’s kind of like HGTV’s “Celebrities at Home,” but…Bloggers! Who doesn’t like to peek behind the scenes and see inside people’s homes? Over the next few months, a group of seven bloggers will be sharing their workspaces, their homes, towns and more!

Make sure you visit everyone to see where the magic happens!

Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Em at Dust and Doghair
Iris at Iris’ Original Ramblings
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style
Julia at When the Girls Rule
Lisa at Midlife in Bloom

This month’s theme: A Very Special Holiday Edition, aka: The One Where All the Things are My Favorites!

I love Christmastime-the lights, the sense of something special in the air. I’m so happy when I have even just a little bit of this in my home.

I’ve always wanted a big collection of miniature Christmas trees, but it’s slow going!

There were some decorating malfunctions this year – as in some stuff is not yet accounted for since the move. I can’t find the little battery-operated twinkle light strands that go along tabletops, brightening the holiday things.

These little vintage Santas are my favorites. They were originally part of a light strand and they’re quite old. I inherited a lot of Christmas things when my mother passed away, some of which she brought home with her after they lived in Japan in the 50s.

Just adding a special thing or two to a tabletop, can make it seem more festive.

Also my favorites, these vintage Japanese lantern bulbs.

Katie gave me this little snowman box many years ago.

I rarely buy new ornaments, preferring the older things with a past and a story.

I got these large cranberry glass balls at the New York Gift Show over 30 years ago. I started with 18…and now have only nine left, what with normal breakage over the years. I’ve searched and searched for them on ebay, with no success. I’ll keep looking.

One of our traditions is me adding a “new” vintage Christmas tree pin to Katie’s stocking every year. This is the 15th year of doing this so there’s quite a collection now.

Several years ago I got a beautiful pearl Christmas tree pin. She found it in my hiding spot and has been asking for that one ever since. Since it’s a special one, I’ve told her she’ll get it for her first married Christmas…or when I die. Whichever comes first 🙂

Now I’ve started doing it for The Boyfriend as well, adding a vintage reindeer pin to his stocking each year. This is the second Christmas, so…two reindeer pins.

Another favorite, that my sister gave to me almost 30 years ago.

My mother had eight of these glittery reindeer lined up in pairs in front of a small wooden sleigh, with a plush Santa stuffed inside. The sleigh and Santa are long gone…and the deer’s ears, legs and antlers have been falling off, but I still like to nestle a few of them into the tree.

I like the old old ornaments, even if chippy or dull. These little bells have real clappers inside, so jingle when something causes them to move.

I didn’t get any of my outside decorating done (yet!) because Amazon screwed up sending me my solar lights.

My view from the computer.

No, there is no tree skirt. Yes, those are plastic garbage bags under the tree. I haven’t had a tree skirt in about 15 years since Madison decided Tree Skirt = Kitty Urinal. Boo. But this is the first year I’ve needed something cuz I’ve never had a tree on carpeting before so wanted the plastic bags under the stand…and now I need something to go over those.

It’s not a lot, but it makes me happy to have just a little sparkle, and some old favorite things around me.

Happy Holidays!

xoxo