I have resisted buying the adorable Lego Tuxedo Cat for a long time. Recently, I took the kitties to the vet, and I saw this cute guy tucked into a corner of their front office area. After seeing how cute he is, I had to order him! He was much larger than I had expected, pretty close to the size of a real cat! He’s also much more detailed than I had expected!
His head rotates, and his ears, paws, and tail are adjustable. He can be created with a closed mouth or with his mouth open and his cute pink tongue showing. He comes with two sets of eyes, one set of gold and one set of blue—so he can be made with blue eyes, gold eyes, or in heterochromia fashion with two different-colored eyes. If you love cats or know someone who does, this would make a wonderful Christmas gift! You’ll find this cute guy available here: Lego Tuxedo Cat.
I just pulled this cutie out today. I love seeing him in my chair here in the office last year. He is back again this year and available here: Gingerbread Pillow.
One of my favorite holiday dinnerware patterns, Winter Greetings, is currently on sale.
The 5-piece place setting is on sale here: Winter Greetings, 5-Piece Place Settings.
This set, which includes service for four—including mugs, is on sale here: Winter Greetings, Service for 4.
I really like this set that includes service for four. I especially like that it comes with bowls. I’d love to have bowls to go with my Winter Greetings dinnerware. You’ll find this set on sale here: Winter Greetings, Service for 4.
Beautiful Lenox Holiday is also on sale right now.
You’ll find service for four available here: Lenox Holiday, 12-Piece Dinnerware.
I love that Lenox has made glassware to coordinate with their Holiday pattern, and it’s only $10 per stem! You’ll find this stemware available here: Winter Greeting Stemware with Gold Rim.
I’ve purchased so many Urban Villa napkins over the years. I love the quality, love the large 20 x 20 size, and that the set includes 12 napkins. You’ll find these available in this pattern that would be great for Christmas here: 12 Red & Green Napkins, Great for Christmas.
Many years ago, I stopped buying decor magazines at Christmastime when I realized I could collect hardback books filled with wonderful photos of beautiful homes decorated for Christmas for not much more (and often less) than the cost of a magazine. Over the years, I’ve collected quite a few books that I love to pull out and drool over this time of year. This one is filled with beautiful decor in the Colonial Williamsburg style. You’ll find it available here: Colonial Williamsburg Christmas: Celebrating Classic Traditions and the Spirit of the Holiday.
Another favorite—love all Mary Carol Garrity’s books! You’ll find this one available here: Nell Hill’s Christmas at Home.
Another of my favorites by Mary Carol Garrity… available here: Nell Hill’s O Christmas Tree.
Here are a few more Christmas favorites: A Fairy-Tale Christmas; Mary Engelbreit’s Christmas Companion; Southern Christmas; Christmas Decorations from Williamsburg; A Nantucket Christmas; Christmas in Nantucket; Nell Hill’s Christmas at Home; Decorating for the Holidays; Williamsburg Christmas; Colonial Williamsburg Decorates for Christmas; O Christmas Tree; Christmas at Highclere; Martha Stewart’s Christmas.
Looking for some ideas for decorating for the little ones? When I did a Christmas makeover for my grandsons several years back, I included this cute Department 56 house from the movie, A Christmas Carol.
It’s so pretty lit up during the holidays…just the right amount of cozy for their bedrooms during the Christmas season. You’ll find Ralphie’s House available here: Department 56 A Christmas Story, Ralphies House.
I just discovered today that Department 56 has finally made Kevin’s house from my favorite Christmas movie, Home Alone! I need to collect it before it’s retired. I’d love to do a table setting in the future featuring Dept. 56 pieces in the centerpiece. There’s also a Kevin figure available, too.
I bet in the future they’ll produce other pieces for this collection, like Old Man Marley’s house next door, and the Murphys’ house that ends up being flooded by the Wet Bandits. We need a Wet Bandit’s truck and, of course, the lawn jockey statue that keeps getting knocked over throughout the movie. Ha! This is going to be a fun, fun collection! You’ll find the beautiful McCallister’s home available here: Department 56 Snow Village Collection: Home Alone, The McCallister House.
If you’re working on some holiday crafts, I noticed that the glue gun that I purchased a while back is now back to the price that I paid. So if you need a great glue gun, this one is back under $20 now here: Glue Gun with Stand.
This is the time of year that we tend to buy more batteries. This is such a great way to store them safely. You’ll find the organizer I use here in the Dollhouse here: Battery Organizer.
I’m so glad they keep producing this adorable Christmas wrapping paper! I love it!
I used it a few years back, decorating each package with cars/trees instead of bows. My grandsons loved it! I’ve used this paper many times since and it’s always a huge hit with family and friends.
You’ll find this Christmas wrapping paper available here: Christmas Vacation Wrapping Paper.
Need additional glassware this holiday? My favorite everyday glassware is currently on sale 15% off here, so I purchased another set of 6 today. You’ll find it on sale here: La Rochere Bee Stemware, 12 oz size.
When Christmas is over, I always store my trees away in the basement, covering them with a tree cover so they don’t get dusty while in storage. You’ll find the covers I use available here: Christmas Tree Cover. They come in two sizes, and I purchased the larger size.
Happy Holidays, Happy Thanksgiving, and Merry Christmas! Have a wonderful weekend!
The Lego cat is so cute. I like it best with the head turned and mouth open. I do like the Christmas wrapping paper. I saw a tip for the little trees you use on top of the packages. They used a cinnamon stick for the trunk! I just bought a different glue gun than yours. I will have to see how it performs. Mine can be used with or without the cord because it has a stand that charges it. Does yours drip glue at all? My old one must be 15 years old and still works but it is wobbly when you sit it down and sometimes flops over so I thought having a stand was a great idea (yours too).
Me, too! I think that’s how I’m going to build him. Let me know how you like your glue gun—I love the idea of no cord. So far, this one hasn’t dripped any glue. The cinnamon stick trunk sounds cute!
. . . do you move the tree fully assembled or take it apart to move and reassemble in the basement? thanks!!
I take all the ornaments, beads, etc… off the tree and store them away in ornament boxes. Then I take the tree apart (it’s in three sections) and take each section down to the basement, one at a time. Then I reassemble the tree and cover it. I wish I had a “tree closet” on the main level that I could slide/roll it into somehow so I didn’t have to haul it up and down the basement stairs each year.
Thank you SO much! I hate the annual “assemble/fluff” routine! Think I’ll try your method this year although mine will have to go in the garage.
I completely agree! I just couldn’t do that every year. The bottom section can be a tight squeeze getting it through the door to go down to the basement, but when you turn that section upside down, it kinda collapses in so that helps a lot. Just turn each section upside and it will collapse down a good bit so you can carry it through the door. Then when you set it back up right to place each section back in, those pieces will fall back out. Once I bring it back up again each Christmas, I hardly need to do any fluffing since I didn’t crush it all back down to put in a box. Also, my tree is prelit and I think it’s kinda hard on the lighting to crush it all back down each year, so I think it helps the lighting hold up and last better…not doing that.
. . . not doing a “fan girl” thing, but you share so many great ideas/tips all year round. . . even if I can’t “use”, I enjoy seeing/reading about!. .
Thanks! Appreciate that so much!
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Susan have you seen these called skiffers?
You place them on corners of wall to protect from bashing from the vacuum cleaner.
Interesting! I’ve never seen those before.
amazon has them- just type skiffers- here’s the link though-
https://www.amazon.com/skiffers-baseboard-corner-protectors/s?k=skiffers+baseboard+corner+protectors
Great post with lots of nice products, Susan. The books look great. I remember seeing one of Nell Hill’s books – I forget the actual author’s name, I believe it was the designer who moved to a beach house. Anyway, her dining room was glorious at Thanksgiving. I absolutely loved the molding she had on her walls, which was a little different than typical, and she had those beautiful domed silver dishes to cover the turkey and other items. It was such a beautiful presentation. Her walls were painted a deep, dark blue and looked amazing. That whole room just beckoned to me with its beauty.
I absolutely love the Winter Greetings China and finally purchased some a couple of years ago. I had the Winter Greetings Every day, which I still love after all these many years.
I don’t have any of the Dept. 56 houses, but if I did, I would absolutely be adding The McAllister’s house to that collection! (btw, the link you posted takes us to Ralphie’s house from Christmas Story.) One of my favorite tablescapes that you ever did was the Christmas table with all your Dept. 56 houses lit up. That was a masterpiece! And I love the way you use that cute wrapping paper and top it with little cars carrying trees, lol. So cute.
It’s not even Thanksgiving and some of my neighbors already have their trees up and their decorations done! People are starting earlier and earlier each year, it seems. But who can blame them? Christmas is so wonderful.
I noticed that too—everyone seems to go straight from Halloween to Christmas. I did a little of that myself because I brought up quite a bit of Christmas stuff on my last trip back, and I didn’t want to carry it to the basement just to bring it all back up again. So, I have a little Christmas up here and there. The season goes by so fast, I kinda get why everyone does it. I called a place here that does outdoor Christmas lighting and he told me they start in July!!! He said people don’t turn them on but they literally start installing lights on their customer’s home in July. I would not want lights on my home, lit or not, in the middle of the summer.
Oh, and thanks for letting me know about that incorrect link! I just fixed it.