My Sister's Christmas...

Hi friends... how are ya?!

We had a wonderful Christmas... and what an exhausting one as well!  Hours of shopping, hours of wrapping, even more hours of baking and gifting - but what a special time of year; my favorite, to be true.  Even though I've been listening to Christmas music since before Thanksgiving (yes, I am one of those people), I was still sad when I tuned in on the 26th to the same old mainstream radio.

*sob*

Now on to the good stuff.  My sister is an amazing chick with the most charming home and decorating taste.  She always goes all out for every holiday, but this Christmas she really outdid herself.  And since she doesn't have a blog (no matter how hard I try to get her to start), I get the fun of sharing her holiday home with you.  Enjoy!

This display is on her front porch.  She and her husband are avid cyclists, so of course, she had to have a tree dedicated to their shared love... the garland on the tree is a deflated tire tube... and the "wreath" is an old wheel.   Combine that with a vintage bike, complete with flat tires and a basket full of gifts, and it's a fantastic entry!

Once you walk through her fabulous yellow door, you're greeted by this, the piece de resistance...

Oh yeah... the kids went wild over the gigantic pile of presents!  In addition to all of this, my sister has Santa Sacks for each child.  Full size Santa Sacks, filled to the gill with gifts.  There is no question who's the favorite auntie in the family.

This is the rest of the tree, adorned in red and green and rustic metal bows.  This girls knows how to decorate a tree, ya'll.  Not a branch goes undecorated in this house.

Now on another tree - in her dining room:

This slender tree is covered in shades of gold and copper.  This picture doesn't do it justice - when the lights reflect off of the ornaments, the tree appears as if gilded in gold. 

Her dining table centerpiece mirrored this tree, with golden ornaments suspended in a vase as if by magic.

If you're feeling like an inadequate Christmas decorator, just wait.  It gets better.  Even her kitchen is decorated!

This antique icebox held a small tree decorated in the theme for this area: Santas.  My sister's kitchen is painted a pale shade of grey with accents of black, white, and yellow, so the red in all of the Santas really popped.  Her kitchen also has this huge window over her sink that lets in the most amazing light, a perfect backdrop for this:

She put this vinyl message on a piece of plexi-glass, suspended by clear fishing line, giving it the illusion that it was simply floating above the sink.  It's so gorgeous, I think she should leave it up all year long... just sayin'.

If you're not jealous yet, you will be after you see these:  her vintage aluminum trees.

I KNOW.  She is a lucky girl to have these gems, right?!  She even has the accompanying color wheel but was worried about the fire hazard... maybe I can get her to take it out next year for at least a little peek, no?

And now, on to my favorite tree in the house, decorated just for the kiddos, in "their" room at Aunt TT's house:

This tree is a little girl's dress-up dream, with a candy-colored pom pom garland and ornaments that are... costumes!

Dress-up high heels, play jewelry, and old dance costumes that once belonged to my sister and I are scattered all over this tree, in a room that is set up for playing.  And here's the tree topper:

That's right... it's TUTUs!!!!  I think even the grown ups wanted to play dress up after seeing this tree!

I love that my sister dives in to Christmas the way she does, decorating every room with the magic of the season and making it so memorable for everyone.  She puts so much time and effort into every detail to make each room tell a different Christmas story.  The presents are just the icing on the cake, as far as I'm concerned.

I hope you enjoyed your little peek into my sister's holiday home... have a safe and wonderful New Year!!