Ho-Ho-Ho Your Mantel With Your Favorite Things!

It should look just as pretty, and it's the place for your most treasured objects! If you're young, you may have just started collecting your treasures. If you've been around as long as I have, you may have quite a few! But either way, this is the place where you will see your beloved objects the most frequently so you want them to have this place of honor in your decorating scheme.

If you have kids and pets, your mantel is also probably the safest out-of-reach place for your treasured objects too! Just make sure no cords or garlands dangle down that they can get entangled in, thus pulling down the whole display!

Don't have a mantel over a fireplace? Why not make one by installing a four or five foot wood shelf on a wall in a good out of the way location!

The treasures in this photo are my red mosaic glass hurricane and matching metal angel with red mosaic glass inlays, both purchased at Hobby Lobby years apart.

While We're At It!

Awhile back, I became sold on the idea of pre-lit, battery-operated trees and wreaths with a timer function. At the time I was getting around on a walker and it was nearly impossible for me to get to everything to plug and unplug every night. I invested in two little 2-foot accent trees, a wreath for my door, and two strings of lights - all with batteries and timers. I loaded them up with batteries, set their timers all up the way I wanted them, turned them on Thanksgiving night, and it was magical – I completely forgot about them the rest of the holidays! They just came on like clockwork every evening and sparkled! It was absolutely heaven.

I have a big silk ficus in my living room and I used one of the battery light strings to decorate that. The other one went on an outside decoration.

We have done real trees the last couple of years but are planning to invest in a pre-lit tree with battery timers this holiday. I really recommend you do the same! It's a hassle free alternative, for sure! I've had pre-lit trees in the past but they were not battery operated, nor did they have timers.

I have also in the last couple of years invested in a few flameless candles, and I am really enjoying those also. They also run on timers:)

We had just moved in a few months before, and I was barely walking on a walker waiting for hip replacement surgery, so this Christmas decorating was very minimal. I made one trip out with my husband and picked out a few new stocking holders that we both liked, we got a little tree, and that was that. But I loved it!