It's beginning to look a lot like...

Now that we are (mostly) settled into the new Casa de Sweet Home, I am finding myself musing over where to put the tree, what kind of garlands to make or buy, and how much exterior lighting is too much? While I am a holiday decor addict, I try not to be the kind that puts the junk in junkie. C'mon, admit it, you know the type- the ones who obsess over Martha Stewart's every move and collect Christmas tchotchkes year-round. I am really not attempting to make my house look like Santa took a big shadoob on my front lawn, despite my mother-in-law's continual efforts to the contrary. Every year she sends or shows up with a new life-sized holiday character that was just "too cute to pass up." Mind you, this is not limited to Christmastime- it's a year-round fetish for the ol' gal. My basement is currently home to no less than SIX life-size Santas, four elves, and a few reindeer here and there. They all reside in black plastic garbage bags, which I think gives the storage shelves that nice, homey Jeffrey Dahmer-esque feel. Don't get me started on the scarecrows and "harvest" decorations. Boo has one she bought just for him- it's his same height, wearing overalls and has red yarn hair-and when he drags it around the house he tends to leave it in odd places, like standing in the middle of the kitchen. Like Chucky. Creeeeeepy.

Anyhoo,this year I have decided to go with a Kelly-Wearstler/retroglam/Mad Men theme. I'm not quite sure how I am going to make it work yet, but I know it doesn't involve red and green together. My inspiration is from this gorgeous pillow at Crate & Barrel:

So, more like pomegranate and eggplant and maybe a little raisin brown. With some metallics in there too. Don't worry- it looks fabulous in my imagination. And here is my first purchase:

I found it online at JC Penney,and got it on sale for...wait for it...SEVENTY percent off. This little gem will grace the fireplace all year long, but will definitely tie in nicely with the theme. I am making stockings at one of our Mom's League parties in about two weeks, so will post pics as soon as they are done. 

Some of the best holiday themes I have ever seen were so lovely that I wondered why the creators didn't keep it all year round- well, other than the obvious elements, like the tree. In the meantime, darling readers (yes, all six of you lovely people)- I encourage you to think outside the box this year when it comes to decorating. You'd be surprised how many seemingly everyday objects can be incorporated into a lovely- and unique- holiday theme.