Haven of Home: Decorating

This year's tree

At Christmas time several years ago, I gave in to the "everything has to match" mentality and decorated my tree with matchy-matchy stuff.  It looked pretty, and there's nothing at all wrong with having an elegant tree for Christmas if that's what you like, but . . . it wasn't me.  It wasn't us.

It made me sad to leave all of our memory-filled ornaments packed away.  In fact, if I remember right, I ended up taking them out and putting them up with the matchy-matchy stuff anyway! lol

Who says everything has to match?

Yes, I see that the ribbon has been pulled unevenly, probably by the dog's tail; and that smallish hands clumped ornaments together, leaving big spaces; but who cares?  This look is unique to this year--next year everything will be in a different order.  We will have fun together making it into whatever it turns out to be! lol

Probably my fave ornament

I remember the sweet old gentleman who made this from a gourd and gave it to me when I was a little girl. :)

Again, there's nothing wrong with everything on the tree being color-coordinated.  It would drive some people crazy to have mismatched memories rather than color-coordinating perfection as much as it drove me nuts to not wear my heart on my tree, so to speak.  It's all good!

Top of a bookshelf--weird angle. lol

This is week #4 of the Making Your Home a Haven fall challenge over at Women Living Well.  Decorating, of course, is a perfect focus for this time of year.  I'm not a decorator.  But I know what I like and what makes our family feel at home.

Above a mirror in the living room

You don't have to have a lot of money to "decorate" your home with warmth, whether we're talking Christmas decor or just home decor in general.  Use what you have in creative ways.  If you have more than you need, share with someone who has little.  If you're one who has little, there are lots of websites on how to do a lot with a little.  Every small touch you add makes your home warmer and reflects a little more of you. :)  None of us needs to feel pressured to decorate like someone else nor feel badly if our homes don't look like the pages of a magazine.  That idea is very shallow and a lie. The most important "decorating" comes from loving and welcoming hearts and warm smiles. :)