2015 Christmas Mantel

Christmas is such a special time of year.

Family and friends gather together. 

Children are filled with joy and anticipation of the upcoming day.

We find ourselves immersed in the spirit of giving.

The world seems a bit gentler and kindness plays a much more important role in our lives.

It serves as a reminder as to the true meaning of Christmas.

For this years mantel, I opted for a 'Festival of Trees' theme. I love the concept that groups organize a tree decorating gala with the sole purpose of raising money for charity.

DIY came into play for this mantel as I created a trio of trees out of wood shims. The largest tree was given a herringbone pattern.

Pine boughs always seem to find their way into our Christmas decor.

I chose a graduated look for the middle sized tree and the smallest tree got a shadow box style with a simple garland of wooden beads.

For the other side of the mantel, I kept it simple with a gathering of stacked books, an iron sphere and a bit of greenery.

A single ornament found its place on some antlers.

It's always a challenge to decide how to deck out our very long mantel. I have found that using 'less' seems to be the key.

We watched 'A Christmas Carol' the other day and I am always taken aback by the transformation of Scrooge in the end.

"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."
~ Charles Dickens
May the blessings of Christmas bring peace and joy to all of you today and throughout the year.

Linking up with the following blogs:

AKA Design
Pieced Pastimes
Thoughts from Alice

Too Much Time On My Hands