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Enter Here!
By the time you finish my "tour" you'll probably agree--I'm crazy for Christmas! Leave a comment following the post to enter the giveaway. 
Front Porch
Welcome!
A little hokey--I try different things every year. (Not all are successful--ha!)
 
(I forgot to put a huge bow at the stair post)
The stockings don't go up until Christmas Eve
Close up
   
Santa's beard (right) is missing--my doggie ate it off.
 
My mother is a quilter. I hang this over a Monet print every December.
My youngest--caught eating in the livingroom!
 
Kitty--who isn't supposed to hang out up here--but always does.
Close up--I like to hide little surprises in the greenery
 
Another little surprise!
She's suffered a few chips over the years, but I keep this
Christmas angel. I love angels!
No piece of furniture is "safe" from a Christmas touch!
  
Our Nativity--pieces from three sets. (Chalk it up to raising five kids!)
  
I live outside of a town loaded with antique shops. Found this vintage window cling there. (It's on the fridge.)
On facebook people ask, "Do you decorate for Christmas in your bathrooms?"
YES!
 
Crazy for Christmas!
  
That's not quite everything, but I believe you've got the gist of it!
Why am I crazy for Christmas? Because it's the time of year when we are reminded of the Incarnation--God coming to earth in human form. God with us.
Coming to know Christ changed my life completely, eternally, and in ways I could never have imagined. I pray and wish that all would come to know him and the joy that is found only in him.
From my house to yours,
With warmest blessings for a happy and healthy New Year!
Linore
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All photographs copyrighted by law. 2016 Linore Rose Burkard.
44 comments:
Beautiful Pictures, I love the Hall Tree. Merry Christmas, thanks for the chance. rc12d@yahoo.com
Everything is beautiful! My favorite is the fireplace! Merry Christmas!
I enjoy your newsletter. After reading when your wedding anniversary is/was I had to inform you that Sue and I were married December 29, 1962. There is nothing planned but sometimes I'll write her an anniversary poem.
Beautiful decorations! Are the porcelain dolls from your childhood? Anyone w/ children understands your comment about having 3 different Nativity sets combined into one! There's just something about the baby in the manger that attracts children!
I enjoyed seeing your Christmas decorations! It just makes your home seem warm and inviting, and I would expect it to smell of cinnamon and evergreens. Thanks for sharing with us, as I live alone and have MS it has become too hard for me to do any decorating or to travel anywhere to decorate. Have a Merry a Christmas and a wonderful New Year 2017! 🎄
I think in beautiful You bring the meaning of the season into full focus And the decorations are great Have a Merry Christmas!!!!!
Your decorating is fabulous. You made me smile. Thank you. Merry Christmas 🎄🎁 and Happy New Year 🎆🎊🎈
I love those bathroom decorations! Merry Christmas.
I like to tell everyone we're way ahead of them in getting our Christmas lights up, but in truth we never took them down. ("Our lights" consisting of a lighted star in the window. We have enough shame to take the wreath off then front door.)
I decorate my bathrooms too.
I love Christmas and all the decorations, lights etc. but no don't do a lot of decorating. We have tree manger scene, village scene and a wreath. Don't do anything outside. You have lovely decorations.
Normally I'm able to respond individually to comments, but the blog is not cooperating, so I'm going to condense my responses here.
Larry, I think an anniversary poem is a sweet idea!
All of you--thank you all for the nice comments.
Barb, the dolls are not from my childhood, but I've had them for some time. And yes, children love playing with nativity sets! I never minded, though broken pieces were inevitable.
Jonella, I'm sorry for your having MS and not being able to decorate or travel. (I'm sending you a book in addition to whoever wins! Merry Christmas.)
Richard, my husband left the lights along the outside of the house up for YEARS when we lived on Long Island (and congratulated himself every December for doing so). I totally get it. :)
I forgot to say when the drawing will be, so I'll do it January 1st. Thanks again, everyone!
Great decorating, I love your almost dating adventures
Thank you for the chance 🎄
I love your decorations. Great that you have antique shops near you. I have an angle tree this year. I collect them! Thanks for the chance to win a book?
I love your decorations. Absolutely gorgeous. I wish I could do that.
I LOVE IT!!!! I currently live in a ranch style house with small rooms; there's no room (seriously!) to let my inner decorator go. I, at one time, lived in a two story home with an open staircase and delighted in going all out to decorate for the holidays. Love your accents and arrangements; you get MY vote for best decorated! Thanks so much for sharing your home with us!
Thank you for your your. Your decorations are lovely and I also enjoy decorating for Christmas. I have Santas, Snowmen and of course Nativity sets and I love to turn off the lights and sit by the glow of our Christmas tree. Merry Christmas!
Connie
cps1950(AT)gmail(DOT)com
My favorite was your daughter! Second favorite was decorations on fireplace tools.😃
Heidi
Love it! Colored lights are the best!!! They liven everything up!! My tree this year is artificial with white lights. Will have to wind some colored lights in next year. Miss them! The wreath quilt deco your mom made, BEAUTIFUL!!!!
The series you wrote from the "Jane Austin" style & period, I absolutely loved!!!! Been waiting all this time for more!! Would love to read another series! Easier said than done, right!! Will have to go back and reread!! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!
I love it all .You are crazy for Christmas.A little bit of everything there.Absolutely beautiful.Thanks for sharing.
Thank you all! I forgot to remind you to leave your email in case you win a book, so I'm happy to see that many of you have done that. If you see this and haven't yet left your email, please do!
Thanks for all the kind comments about the decorating. We didn't have a Christmas party this year (other than hosting our small group fellowship once) so it's nice to share the festivity with others anyway. :)
I love your decorations. I also love to decorate for Christmas. My favorite thing is to drive around and look at all the lights. This is my favorite time of year! jamiesmith18@yahoo.com
Paula again my email is paulams49@sbcglobal.net. I would love to have a staircase and mantle to decorate!
Forgot to say to Larry: That's awesome--your 54 years of marriage! Congratulations!
Your pictures are gorgeous! I love the ones with the "old" decorations. May you and your family have a Merry Christmas!
Your decorations are beautiful! MERRY CHRISTMAS!
You have a very beautiful home. Going through it left me with a very warm and welcomed feeling. I too love to decorate at Christmas. Thank you for sharing your home with us. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Tina Wilcox, South West City, MO
Wow! Definitely a Christmas overload...but great! I cut back on the decorations a bit once our kids grew up. With all of my little Dancing Phalanges, I think I need to step it up a bit once again. No matter how much I decorate, I always bring out my dancing/singing snowmen. I need to get some new ones, though, because the ones I have now are falling apart. LOL Merry Christmas!
Thanks everybody. Deb, sometimes the old "falling apart" decorations are the most enjoyed ones, right? I didn't include the dining room table in the "tour," so--next year. But that's part of the fun too! I just got our turkey in the oven, but soon it will be gracing that table.
Blessings for a Merry Christmas, everyone!
Watch for the winner announcement on January 2nd. (I'll draw after midnight on the 1st.)
Love all the decor and antique chair/mirror. My grandma had that many years ago and I remember it.
You do go all out! We decorate, but we don't do nearly as much. We enjoy putting up a tree and stockings, etc., but in my family, we really enjoy the holidays through food!! My daughter and I bake cookies at least 3 times a week from Thanksgiving through New Years Day, and we experiment with all kinds of holiday dishes so we have a variety to choose among for Christmas and New Years Day. It gives my daughter and I something to do together, and we enjoy the time we spend in the kitchen laughing, talking and making a mess, and we never have a hard time finding people willing to eat all the things we cook!
Hi Linore! Love that you've made your house so cozy and welcoming for Christmas! Thanks for inviting us in! I don't need any of your books as I have ALL of them!!!!!!
Just wanted to share two of my most favorite personal Christmas "decorations".
My first one is of a little church ornament that I have had since I was a little girl. My father was always lifted me up so I could hang that little church at the very top of the tree. When I got older, I was able to climb the ladder and place that little church at the top of the tree. I still have the little church, lovingly packed away each year in tons of tissue paper and placed in its own little box to keep it safe for the next Christmas. That church has been lovingly and carefully hung at the top of my tree for 64 years!
My second favorite decoration was bought by my husband- a BEAUTIFUL hand painted porcelain set of the Nativity scene figurines. I loved the set, but had no manger to place them in. The following Christmas (my husband was terminally ill) and our youngest son built me a manger from scrap wood found in the basement. My husband was able to place a light in the manger as well. Finally! My figurines had a "home". Sadly, that was our last Christmas together (1989). Since then, my manger is prominently displayed EVERY year. So, no matter how many years have passed and my life has changed, I still havimg a part of my beloved John with me each year. That manger was a tremendous labor of love in his condition at the time.
Merry Christmas, my friend! Praying for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year- richly blessed by our heavenly Father! xoxox Lois Zollars
Thank you, ladies. Jenny, I did get that hall tree in one of our antique stores in town so it may well be like the one your grandma had. Samantha, your baking puts us to shame--and sounds yummy 😋! Lois, great to hear from you! Thanks for sharing your story. Would love to see pics of your church and nativity set. Hope you are still creating beautiful music!
Merry Christmas!!!!
My favorite Christmas Decoration is the angel on top of our tree. It's nothing spectacular - but a reminder of the angels announcement : )
my favorite is your window display .so pretty I would hate to take it down since the holidays and years go by so fast it seems
Beautiful! Thanks for the tour.
MARY KAY wasn't able to post her comment, so she sent it to me to post for her. Thanks, Mary Kay! (I would love to see your detailed Nativity!)
""Oh, Linore, what a joy to see your decorations. I'm basking in the reflected joy of it. We used to live in a larger home & I did this too. Every nook and cranny filled with decorations ~ heirloom, new, or made by children's hands. The clothespin 3 kings always bring a smile, the Wedgewood Blue star from my first trip overseas, the embroidered & cross-stitched "pictures" are a treasure like your mom's quilt piece & a reminder of joys & skills of the past. :-) Two special items are a Thomas Kinkade print of a Victorian house in winter that my husband gave me, and a huge and finely detailed Nativity set that includes many buildings, people, and animals that depict life in Bethlehem ~ down to the utensils on shelves, etc. A great intrigue and education for the grands. We live in a tiny place now & hubby doesn't even want to try to get the decorations down from the tippy-top shelf of the closet. So thank you for sharing your Christmas wonderland. May God bless you and yours in the new year, as you bless us with your writing."
I don't decorate much because I am always gone the last two weeks of December. I do putout a few figurines and small quilted items for my tables.
Since Christmas comes only once a year and is a stressful but fun holiday season, I think it's fine to go all out and decorate. I collect snow-men/people and I leave some of them up all year long.
I have a soft spot for Nativity sets! My favorite that I decorate with every year is of white porcelain. Every figure is a child. It was my grandma's so I always feel close to her when it comes out of the box.
I LOVE Christmas! I thouroughly enjoy decorating for it, listening to Christmas music, watching Christmas movies, the beauty of Christmas lights, and curling up under a blanket to read a book while enjoying the beauty of the Christmas tree, being with family, and experincing the wonder and humble graditude of Christ's birth and the gift of salvation it brings.....sigh!
My favorite decorations are my nativity set and a tealite globe with spinning snowflakes...so beautiful to watch!
Thanks so much for the opportunity of this giveaway!
~ Alison
nj(dot)bossman(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks all for entering the giveaway! I love hearing how others enjoy Christmas as much as I do.
I chose a winner using random.org, and have picked after midnight on 1/1 (making it January 2nd). The winner for a book this time is: Caryl Kane! Congratulations, Caryl! You didn't leave your email, so I hope you get this message.
Lovey Christmas decorations, so nice for you to share. Thank you for your newsletters. I just love your work. Is your next book series going to be placed in the Edwardian period?
Jennifer jnbrown52(at)aol(dot)com
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks so much. The next book I finish )after RESISTANCE is published, which is the third book in the PULSE EFFEX SERIES) is going to be a romance, likely a stand-alone (not a series) and will either be contemporary or set in the Regency. I haven't yet tried the Edwardian period as a setting--but I'm not opposed to the idea!:) Thanks for your comment.
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