preparing for christmas! and a menu

Happy December! You got your Christmas shopping done yet? I surely don't - in fact I still haven't gotten the tree up! Buuuuttt some of the Christmas decor has started to creep in and I went a little nuts at Michaels and Menards the other day and grabbed some more stuff to decorate the porch AND for the house. Hey I couldn't hold back on a good deal! Michael's had their Christmas decor 70% off! I mean LED twinkle lights for decorating with a remote AND a set of LED candles with remote for $10 each? You can't go wrong ... and I'll find room for it! I've had the decorating bug lately for our house. We have been there for over three years already! When we first moved in we painted a bunch and I did quite a bit of decorating, but it's definitely time to get back at it!

Preparing for Christmas! and a Menu

I have a weird thing about making centerpieces - or I guess you could call them Christmas arrangements (but I like making them for all the seasons). I love using different vase fillers, twinkle lights, branch lights, greens, Christmas balls, branches and other picks.  

You should see all the glitter in the guest room... ha! It looks like Christmas has exploded in there between the decor, glitter and shopping bags.

Taking my decorating up a notch this year and getting some lights outside. (finally!) I picked up some greens to wrap around the porch and plan on stringing some lights in there too! Hoping that it turns out!

I also am making this planter to put by the door! Filling this pot with some dirt and using light up LED branches, a log, some glittery branches and I want to find some green pine branches! (thinking a trip to the woods OR to the dumpster at Home Depot will be my supply of those!

I'm still so in love with this JOY light up sign that I got last year! I think JOY is my favorite Christmas word... Do you do stockings at your house? We always had stockings growing up, but they never had anything in them. My boyfriend's family has ALWAYS done stockings and it's something they make a big deal about! And it's super fun - so we have been exchanging stockings the past few years too!

I even got festive in the bathroom with more arrangements! And I love this sign too. hehe

Here are the twinkle lights and the LED candles I picked up at Michael's! Can't wait to get creative. Filling mason jars with the twinkle lights is super simple yet pretty.

Christmas is even making it's way into the man cave! The deer even got decked out! And I decided to light up the window ledge too! Can't wait to sit down here with the fireplace and holiday lights on!

Even the mule deer is decked out!

​Alright I'm sure you all are sick of my home decor now.. ha! 

We are hosting my family for Christmas and also B's family that is coming over New Year's weekend! Time to start menu planning! Going to make a menu for my side of the family first, since it's a smaller group. Here is what I have planned for the 14 of us!

I need your input though! Does anyone have any good recipes for a christmas punch or cider? either alcoholic or not! Also any tips for an amazing crudite tray? Thinking assorted nuts, meats, hummus, cheese, etc!