SH Creating Home: December 2012

Well, here we go again! This will be our third move in 5 years! Two of which have been over the holidays...my favorite time of year, mind you. For some reason we always tend to do this, put our house on the market in the fall and then it sells quickly. Now, no home for the holidays!

Right now, we are building and the house will be finished in February, but that doesn't help the decorator in me who waits all year for that quintessential time when we all go into a crafty design frenzy to fill our homes with holiday cheer. No ribbons, balls, and bows - on my! How will I survive? Sigh.

Don't get me wrong, I know that is not what the holidays are all about, but to me making family traditions is a part of the feeling of hope the holidays hold in our minds for years to come. My kids are at that fun age 7 and 10 when they still believe, and the magic of Christmas is still alive and brimming in their little minds. Everything from getting the tree and decorating it along with our favorite Christmas jingles, then ending the day with hot peppermint cocoa, to spending an entire day in the kitchen baking and laughing, then sharing the cookies with our friends!

It amazes me how much importance the home has in our lives and how much we miss it when we don't have one - especially this time of year. It makes me think how lucky I am that I will only be without one for a few months. So many people don't have a home to call there own. Maybe God puts us in these positions sometimes, so that those of us who do have, never forget those who don't. Plus, it helps us focus on those things that really matter...family and friends! It always brings me back to the whole reason I started "Creating Home". Although, I focus on the decorating of a home, home itself means so much more! It holds memories, it's our nest, our safe place. I think after the first of the year I may take a different approach to "Creating Home", and focus on all things that make a home, not just the decorating. There are so many resources out there for that, but the everyday joys and struggles are truly the heart of the home. So, I guess that's what I'm saying - lets get to the heart of the home! Of course, I will still share my savvy decorating tips, as I create my new home, but I will throw in a little "real life" along with it. After all, isn't that my motto - "Real Life by Design"! I hope you will join me in this new venture and share with me your every day joys of home. Aaaaand those not-so-joyous moments, like living in an 700 square foot apartment, while your two kids share a room! Yes, this should be fun!

Blessings and Merry Christmas,

SH

I thought I would at least share some of my favorite Christmas moments from last year! Here you go, enjoy!

The hunt for the perfect Christmas tree...