Christmas Photo Dump

Holiday movie watching:

The inspiration for my annual cocktail contest entry (which won, by the way):

Guinness in his element:

Christmas morning Leggo construction:

Christmas morning charcuterie and mimosas:

New Griswold jerseys:

Matching sweaters:

Time with family:

The end.

Holiday Home Tour 2025

 As it is every year, this post will be heavy on the pictures and light on commentary, which, honestly, is the story of my life when it comes to this blog this year. I am nothing if not consistent; let's just hope that next year I suck less consistently.

Anyhoodle, on to the tour!

I leaned heavily on vintage and vintage-inspired decor this year, starting in the dining room, where I displayed some of my reproduction Gurley choir candles and reproduction Shiny Brite ornaments.

The buffet display includes my vintage tinsel tree, adorned with a combination of vintage and reproduction  Shiny Brites.

My record player rests next to the tree, along with a small display of vintage Napco music boxes and figurines, and one of my small vintage blow molds. The Napco items are new to my collection this year, and I adore them; the music boxes play various Christmas tunes and still work perfectly, even after all these years (they are from the mid-50s).

In the kitchen, I displayed the rest of my reproduction Gurley candles in my reproduction Jadeite cake stands. I love the color combination of the red and the jade.

I also hung up the curtain Mom made for me from a vintage tablecloth last year and then displayed some of my vintage Santa mugs on the windowsill, just as I did last year.

In the living room, I decorated the tree with my reproduction Shiny Brite mercury-bead garlands, ornaments, and my collection of family ornaments. Our tree can be lit with colored or white lights or a combination of both; this year, I went with white lights.

The mantle is decorated with a colored light garland and our stockings, as usual.

I opted to skip my Dept. 56 Dickens Village this year, opting to display my vintage Rankin-Bass figurine collection, which actually grew a little thanks to some inspiration from a TikTok video and an aggressive treasure hunt on eBay and Mercari.

I expanded my collection of vintage Rushkin Santas by one this year. Hugh continues to describe these guys as "creepy", which is simply ridiculous. They are adorable.

I also purchased a new wreath this year, as my previous one met an unfortunate end when its hanger failed, and it crashed to the floor. The wreaths are made by a friend of mine from vintage ornaments and Christmas decorations that she thrifts throughout the year. Each wreath is a work of art, and I was sick when mine shattered. Thankfully, she had made a couple more for this season, and I was lucky to be at her store just as she set them out.

Finally, in the foyer, I displayed my wise men, because it wouldn't be Christmas without them.

And that pretty much wraps up the tour. I didn't do nearly as much as I usually do, and there is no outside tour this year, but that's the way it goes, some years.

Now, to put it all away and get my house back to normal. New Year's goals :)

What's Up Wednesday, December 2025 Edition

 

I know there isn't a link-up this month, since Sheaffer and Shay typically take December off for the holidays, but, despite posting so infrequently this year, I have managed to post a What's Up Wednesday each month, so no sense in quitting now.

What I've Been Eating

Well, if it isn't nailed down, I've probably indulged in it. I've had several delicious meals at local restaurants, some home-cooked meals, and more than my fair share of holiday goodies. I will be starting a fairly regimented diet in the new year, thanks to cholesterol levels that have my doctor threatening medication, so I went all in on the crap this month.

What I'm Loving

I wouldn't say I'm loving it, but I have certainly enjoyed Chat GPT and all of its artificial intelligence, lately (and, yes, I am Gen X, I know Sarah Connor would frown upon my decisions). I used it to create our Christmas card this year...

...and Queen B and I played with a holiday photo trend that was all the rage on Facebook.

I've also used the app to help write policies and procedures at Not So New Job, which has saved me time and brain cells that I sorely needed over the past couple of months. So, when the machines rise up to annihilate us, I'll take my share of the blame.

What I'm Reminiscing About

The weather in Petticoat Junction has been unseasonably warm, like, in the high 60's warm. This is unheard of for Colorado, and we are all understandably concerned about what that means for the fire season this coming summer. It's also not exactly conducive to creating a festive holiday atmosphere, which is what I kept telling myself this season, as I languished in holiday ennui.

If we're going to have tropical weather for the holidays, we should be on a beach in Hawaii, like we were in 2021, when the Man-Cub graduated from college, and we rented a house for the week leading up to Christmas.

What I've Been Up To

Christmas this year was a low-key affair, but we managed to pull off a downscaled version of our Holiday Cocktail Contest and, surprisingly, I won! We did it a little differently this year; rather than having everyone bring their own ingredients, we cleared out our liquor cabinet, lined everything up in categories, and gave each contestant fifteen minutes to choose their ingredients, come up with a drink, a creative presentation, and the drink's name. It was the Chopped version of the contest, and it was a kick. 

I don't have a lot of pictures from that night; Queen B videos it and uploads it to TikTok, who, for some odd reason, flagged it as going against community guidelines (which is ridiculous, because it's not like we haven't done it for the past three years with no concerns) and, we are still waiting for it to pass review.

What I'm Working On

Later today, I'll be working on taking down my Christmas decorations. I didn't put up nearly as much as I usually do inside the house, and we didn't put up anything on the outside of the house this year (Hugh's priorities have skewed heavily towards his paramedic classes, and he has been unreliable when it comes to household chores. I didn't have the energy to nag, so I just dissociated from the irritation and am doing my best not to be resentful. There's always next year for my blow mold collection to make an appearance, right? Right! With or without Hugh's assistance).

I'll do a mini home tour in another post, so I won't bog this post down with unnecessary photos.

What I'm Excited About

Shanti and the Man-Cub are buying a house in Hooterville! They had toyed with the idea of moving to the East Coast, so this turn of events is really exciting for us (and, by us, I mean Shanti's parents, Hugh, and me). I am so excited to see them make this house their home!

What I'm Dreading

January. Bleh. 

I have so many tasks coming up at Not So New Job in January, it isn't even funny. I keep telling myself that that is a January Chelle problem, and I'm sure she will be up to the tasks, but I'm still in dread-mode over here.

What I'm Reading

I haven't broken my reading streak yet! I'm at 222 days, with 69 books read this year! One of which was this cute Christmas comedic romance.

I  also read the entire Playing For Keeps series by Becca Mack. I loved every single one of these books.

What I'm Watching

I watched the first seven episodes of Stranger Things's final season and am anxiously awaiting the final episode later tonight. If the Duffer brothers kill Steve, I will riot in the streets.

I also watched our local community theater's annual Christmas show with Mom, Shanti, and the Man-Cub, which has become somewhat of a tradition for us, and one I am quite fond of.

What I'm Listening To

I tuned my Serius XM station to holiday tunes the day after Thanksgiving.

I'm also listening to holiday tunes on my record player, like I do every year.

What I'm Wearing

Short sleeves. Which is ridiculous for December in Colorado. Gah.

What I'm Doing This Weekend

I don't have any plans, really. My house needs a deep cleaning, and I think the first weekend of the year is a fantastic time to do that. I'll also be purging my cabinets and fridge so that I can start on my new healthy eating plan. Damn you, cholesterol!

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month

I am actually looking forward to starting a new year. I have several goals that I am hoping to achieve in 2026 and looking forward to being a better version of myself.

Favorite Purchase This Month

I went on a vintage Napco music box kick this month. I purchased several of the mid-1950's figurines on eBay and Mercari and I'm not mad about it.