Bits and Pieces of Christmas at Our House

Favorite Christmas stories

A cute piece of Christmas stitchery I found on Ebay a few years ago.

Another piece of stitchery that comes out every year.

A framed vintage gingerbread hankie on the kitchen etagere.

The Advent Calendar, love the space for candy or small surprises.

A snowy bathroom.

Small hand-painted pewter, I love these!

A bit of the Santa tree, only Santa ornaments.

A bit of the Gingerbread and Candy tree.

A bit of the Snowman tree.

The Hallmark Nativity

A Gingerbread with the Elves Tablescape

I had been looking for a gingerbread house cookie jar for a long time and I never could find one that I really liked that was the right size. I finally found this one online several years ago but I can’t remember where I bought it. It was made by Fitz and Floyd and it is called Coleen Christian Burke Reagan White House Christmas Gingerbread Cookie Jar (a long name!). I really love the design on this one. The tablecloth came from Sur la Table online several years ago.

Sorry for the glare! It was late in the day when I was taking the photos and I needed the light. The small gingerbread cookie plates came from Pier 1 several years ago and I have always loved them, such a cute design. The gingham dinner plate was made by At Home with Marieke. I have chargers with a larger gingham pattern and small dessert plates with a smaller gingham pattern by the same maker. It’s a really cute set. I am a sucker for red plates! These chargers were made by Mikasa and the pattern was Color Spectrum, this one in Hunter Green. I have several different colors of this charger and I really love the size, design and shape. They were all discontinued but I bought them all on Ebay a few at a time over the years.

The flatware is made by D & D Inox in Italy and the pattern is called Roma. I bought them at Neiman Marcus or Bloomingdales during a major sale several years ago. There are similar patterns available online now. I really like the marbleized design on the handles. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying flatware here.

Can’t remember where I bought the Vera napkins and the candy cane napkin rings, I have had them for several years. The candy cane designs are perfect for this tablescape. To read about the What, Where and How of napkin rings please click here.

These ornament place card holders came from Pier 1 several years ago. The design works well with lots of different patterns. To read about the what, where, and how of place card holders, please click here.

The green glass goblets come from The Vermont Country Store. They are made by Mosser in the U.S. and the pattern is Georgia. They are really heavy glass and very good quality. I have bought a few at a time over the years. I also have them in cobalt blue. I used my red Waterford Marquis Brookside goblets for this table setting. I bought them at HomeGoods several years ago. Hubby and I were in there and I suddenly saw a few and quickly found twelve and bought them all! I buy dishes in sets of 12 usually, there are 11 of us now when we are all together. If you read the tablescapes section on my blog you have seen this red goblet on several tablescapes. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying goblets for your tablescaping collection including the colors that I use most often here.

I truly love this row of four elves with candy on parade! I have had them for a while and I can’t remember where I bought them. The boots, the hats, the one with his hat over his eyes, I love it all!

I scattered a few garlands around the gingerbread house to add some additional depth and sparkle.

I have seen many gingerbread cookie jars over the years but this one has the best design by far.

Who’s ready for some gingerbread and candy!

To see over 270 different tablescapes that I have created please click here. If you are on Facebook, join my new Tablescape and Table Settings Ideas Facebook group for lots of tablescaping inspiration! Just click on the Facebook Search box at the top of the page and type in Tablescape and Table Settings Ideas or click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2553689988183392

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I put a new tablescape on my blog every week, please check back!

A Felt Stocking Family Tradition

For three generations our family has created felt stockings for new family members to use at Christmas time. Every generation is a different color.

The tradition started over 65 years ago when I was a child. A friend of my parents made stockings for everyone in our family. Mine has been repaired over the years from time to time. It holds such special memories for me.

After my husband and I were married, my mother made him a stocking too and added bits and pieces to show some of his interests at that time. She also added the year that he joined our family. His has a few scars that need attention this year.

After my daughter was born, my mother continued the tradition and made her a stocking as well only hers was red to indicate a new generation. I have added a few things to it over the years as my daughter’s interests have changed. My mother made one for each of our two sons as well.

After my mother passed, as each of our children married, I continued the tradition and made stockings for their spouses too.

With the arrival of the first grandchild, I changed the color of the stocking to green to indicate another new generation. As they grow up, I will add other bits and pieces as their interests develop. I continued to make new stockings for each new grandchild. (This year I plan to reduce the size of the yellow numbers on a few, they got way too big! Some of the dates have been removed in these photos for privacy.)

The stockings stay with us for now and they don’t travel when we travel for the holidays. They are somewhat fragile and every year I need to made repairs of some kind or another. As my mother did before me, eventually they will be given to each family to use or display, as they wish. The whole family loves seeing these stockings appear every year for Santa to fill if the family is here. The stockings are hung even if the family members are not here. It is a very special family Christmas tradition.

Santa's on the Christmas Tablescape

This Santa tablescape is a repeat of one I did several years ago but I changed it a bit. I bought the red tablecloth on Amazon to replace a busier patterned one I used before. It is a true Christmas red and they can be difficult to find. My mother loved red and green at Christmas time and those colors were so much a part of the holiday season when I was growing up. I love continuing that tradition.

I really love this Santa face salad plate. These plates and the centerpiece Santa cookie jar and candlesticks were part of Fitz and Floyd’s Peppermint Santa tableware series several years ago. I have several pieces of this series that I collected over the years online from different retail sites. It is really the cutest Santa face that I have seen so far on a plate.

The red dinner plate is made by Fiesta and the color is scarlet. This pattern and color are actually our every day dishes.

The chargers were made by Mikasa and the pattern was Color Spectrum, this one in Hunter Green. I have several different colors of this charger and I really love the size, design and shape. They were discontinued but I bought them all on Ebay a few at a time over the years.

The Milano Red flatware is Ginkgo International LePrix. I have had this set for years but it is still for sale. Not sure where I bought it. I also have it in black. It’s 18/10 and a really good quality flatware.

The napkins came from HomeGoods several years ago. I love the red and green plaid pattern. I bought the Santa napkin rings on Ebay several years ago too.

I love these Santa place card holders. I have had them for a long time and I can’t remember where I bought them.

These Santa goblets are favorites of mine. I bought them online several years ago but I can’t remember where and I haven’t seen anything like them since. I love the face and the painting on the stem and handle is so much fun. The label on the bottom says burton + BURTON. The green glass goblets come from The Vermont Country Store. They are made by Mosser and the pattern is Georgia. They are really heavy glass and very good quality. I have bought a few at a time over the years.

The Santa cookie jar centerpiece is from Fitz and Floyd’s Peppermint Santa tableware series from 2008. He is sitting on a Fitz and Floyd footed server from their Santa’s Kitchen series in 2005. I bought them both on Ebay several years ago.

The candlesticks were also part of the Peppermint Santa series. I found them on Ebay as well.

It wouldn’t be Christmas without a Santa table setting! For two more Christmas tablescapes with a very different feel, please click on the following link to another tablescape, A Reindeer Sleigh Christmas Table, https://www.whispersoftheheart.com/blog/2019/12/4/a-christmas-reindeer-sleigh-table

And the tablescape from the week before that: A Grinch at the Christmas Table, https://www.whispersoftheheart.com/blog/2019/11/27/a-grinch-at-the-table

Check back later on my blog for other Christmas tablescapes this holiday season, a new one each week!

To see 260+ tablescapes that I have created including 13 other Christmas tablescapes please click here. If you are on Facebook, join my Tablescape Ideas group! Just click on the Facebook Search box at the top of the page and type in Tablescape Ideas. Don’t miss my Tablescaping How-To section at the top of this blog post for more tablescaping tips and tricks.

I put a new tablescape on my blog every week so please check back!