Beloved, friend. Welcome! I hope you enjoy this post! I poured my heart out below for you; and I also just did a quick recap of the decorations we put up so far in our home. I hope to inspire you to decorate in a way that makes you feel so much joy!

I recently painted my piano black! It was a project I just needed to myself so I didn’t blog it or vlog it. But doesn’t it look so chic!? I love how all my decorations look on top, including these amazing Personalized Stamped Books and this little cinnamon candle is the most gorgeous fragrance for this time and each time I sit at the piano I get to delight in the beautiful smell! Thank you Diptyque for the gift. I got that Gold Nativity from my mother-in-law I can’t link it but it’s so beautiful I wish I could!

I also loved finding other candles that made my soul sing and I found one that was delicious and placed it at the center of my living room! It’s one of the best smelling candles ever! Such a warm and cozy scent with the most balanced and just right notes of vanilla and bourbon that give our home that, “ I might have just baked some cookies, but they might be all gone!”, smell.

I changed the vibe of our cool wave painting by adding art around it that reminded me of Christmas and the colors I wanted in the decor of the house. I even used some dollar Christmas Bags I bought at the dollar spot at Target to the frames. I love that decor doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. It’s whatever you can do with what you have and maybe a little imagination. Here’s a video I made years ago with things from the $1 store! We also don’t have a fireplace mantle to hang our stockings so I got this adorable gold-lettered Merry Christmas Stocking holder that I love!

I love this gray vase I just got it for Fall and now it’s been super fun changing out the Fall decor for these adorable Holly Berry Stems and Red Berry Stems (I used 2)!

I also loved displaying our kids art (especially glitter ones like this one in a gold frame) as part of our gallery wall. I think it’s stinking adorable to see my kiddos art on display.

And this Pre-Lit Hemlock Christmas Tree makes my heart sing every-time I lay on the couch and the pretty lights catch my little eyeballs.

Adding lighting around the house with these little twinkle lights is what brings so much magic in my most humble oppinion!

One of my favorite things in the world is decorating for Christmas. It has been a joy of mine for many years but since my heart is hurting so badly from losing my dad this year, putting up decorations has been bittersweet. I know you are probably in a similar boat; 2020 has been full of grief and challenges and in the midst of difficulty, it can seem all the more obvious to be “A Scrooge” and not buy into the cheer and joy of things. That option is totally available to us, however, something else is also available to us; The HOPE OF GLORY. This living hope in Jesus Christ. That no matter our challenges, he is with us and our hope and joy come from Jesus and nothing could ever take him away from us!

I am offering the wisdom I gained as I pressed into these feelings of loss and pain with every decoration I put up, knowing my father would not be here to see. Each decoration was more evidence of his absence and my heart hurt so very much, however, this is what I learned as I pressed into the love of Christ and asked him to minister to my broken heart; he encouraged my heart with this message and I pray it encourages yours;

For the first time in my life, I am really learning the value of every single ordinary day + Jesus; That, I believe is the true treasure we often seek in other places; like status, money, fame, titles, accomplishments. 2020 has taught all of us that at the end of the day, when all our job titles get stripped from us, we are all just human. Just a frail little human being with all the complexities of human life. A human being craving the love and acceptance of the world wanting for things to just GO OUR WAY, SO THAT WE CAN FEEL WORTHY AGAIN. But here’s what 2020 has taught me. I am worthy because of Jesus and his sacrifice for me. Not one ounce of value is added or subtracted from me if I produce anything or not, my worth isn’t in my job, my accolades, My true intrinsic value and worth and yours is in Jesus and even when everything else is stripped to bare bones: you and I are STILL WORTHY, in Jesus name.

It’s the tinny moments of love and interaction we have with the people God gifts us, that truly matter. Don’t take your loved ones for granted. Tell them how much they mean to you. As hard as it is, make room for love to come into your heart and love to come out, pray God gives you the courage to love and be loved. Our hearts are the biggest emotional muscle in us. They can learn to love and lose- love and lose- love and lose. That is why losing someone hurts so bad because we allowed ourselves the privilege to love. And that my beloved friend, is what life is all about. Love. Nothing in this world can compare to the fellowship of community and relationships. God meant for us to love and be loved. But it hurts, and that’s why we want to pretend we can surround our hearts with walls so no one can hurt us. But in the end, when we build walls we wall ourselves IN from ever truly experiencing what God has for us. The gift of loving and being loved. It takes courage. But I know you’re courageous. So love harder every day that is left in 2020! Show 2020 what your response to all the trouble will be, to show mercy and kindness. Show grace and humility. Show integrity and growth. Show that you can handle all things with Jesus by your side.

Even when change has come, even when grief is here. Even when the challenge is still looming. Even when uncertainty is great. Even when loss has taken place. Even when we’ve lost all hope, there is a hope available in the power of faith in Jesus that in the dimmest of circumstances shines a bright light of hope. His love for us is a living hope for our hearts to have the courage to endure loss, pain, rejection, betrayal, change, challenges, abuse. There is an anchor to our souls that is so deeply hidden in our hearts and it gives you and I the grit to get through hard times. Even when our strength looks more like weakness to the naked eye. When we are weak, Jesus can be the strength we never would’ve known we had. : 2 Corinthians 12:9-11