“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas. Just like the ones I used to know. Where the treetop glistens, and children listen to hear sleigh bells in the snow.”~ Irving Berlin 

“It’s been around here a long time” is a statement that my mom and I chuckle about at least once or twice when I am visiting with her. Mom, who just turned 95 in November, not only has been around for a long time, but most of her household belongings have been, too. As I put up Christmas decorations in my home, “It’s been around here a long time,” are words I utter about my own stuff. The ornaments collected through the years on the small tree in the sunroom, the paper-mâché Nativity, the collection of Santas gathered on the mantle, the photos of past Christmases on the sofa table, our handmade stockings hung on the mantle, a few framed counted cross-stitch Christmas pieces, and the framed Santa by artist Ben Hampton that we bought when we lived in Georgia, all remind me that I, too, have some things that have been around here a long time.

Each year as I pull out our decorations, I sort through them and decide on the ones I’ll use, the ones that need to be discarded, or the ones I’ll take to consignment. Some have sentimental value, and I’ll always try to find a place to display them. I admit I do not need to buy another decoration! But I do buy a few things each year to refresh the ones that have been around here a long time.

A few ideas to help you refresh decorations that have been around your house for a long time:

• Dress up that tired wreath you have been using on the front door with a new bow and red berries and ornaments – or add a plaque with a Christmas greeting, etc.

• Add small Christmas trees to your collections. (Pier 1 has some great ones this year). They are a nice addition to your Santa collection or even the collection of Christmas china in your hutch.

• Display your antique ornaments in pretty bowls, lanterns, or hurricane vases instead of putting them on your tree. Mix in some beads, greenery, or pinecones.

• Cut evergreens from your yard and add to your arrangements for a fresh and inexpensive decoration.

• Spice things up a bit by rearranging your decorations and how you display them in your home.

Most of all, have fun decorating your home for the holidays.

Cranberry – Apple Casserole (a simply delicious recipe that makes a great side-dish for a brunch or meal ….you might even like it for dessert)

4 to 5 tart apples, peeled and sliced

3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

1 cup sugar

Mix and place in greased 9 x 13” Pyrex dish.

Top with:

1 cup chopped pecans

½ brown sugar

1/3 cup plain flour

1 ½ cup old-fashioned oatmeal

½ cup melted butter

Mix and sprinkle over fruit. Bake at 325 for 60 to 75 mins or until brown on top.

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas

With every Christmas card I write

May your days be merry and bright

And may all your Christmases be white.

May the love of Christ fill your home as you celebrate His birth.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!