touches of holiday cheer in my kitchen ~ and letting go of the thief of comparison

Hello there, friends! Thank you for all your kind comments on my last post about my living room. The blogging world and social media in general can be both a blessing and a curse. It's easy to get sucked into the comparative trap, especially this time of year with all the holiday house tours. I took a look at a few of them and yes, the houses were stunning. Huge, perfect houses with perfect decor. And therein lies the problem: perfection. Social media presenting the facade. Don't get me wrong ~ I love me some decor eye candy. Some of this "perfect" decor can even be inspiring. We just can't let it be the thief of our own joy. Let's sit on the front porch in the sunshine with our coffee, thinking about all that for awhile. 😉 For real though, is is sunny and 52 degrees F here in Illinois today, which is rare for December. It feels more like a spring day. I'm taking full advantage of it today as rain and snow move in starting tomorrow. Yucky, cold, depressing weather.

 

I digress. Back to Christmas decor...

You won't see my house on any Big Blogger house tours. I'm fine with that. I love my small, cozy house; even the outdated kitchen. I know my cabinets need updating and that we need a backsplash and new countertops. The faux wood trim around the window has to go. Recessed lighting would be a bonus. That will all happen in due time. In the meantime, this room is the hub of our home. It's the place where good, nourishing food is made and served; board games are played; and intimate conversations over tea and coffee are had with friends.

I keep my kitchen table decor simple since the table is small. It's easy to remove the placemats and runner and push the centerpiece to the side if we want to play backgammon, Scrabble, Yahtzee or Double Shut the Box. 

Here's another view of my kitchen. I like having a large enough kitchen to have a small table and chairs; however, this is our only dining space. We don't have a separate dining room.

Now for the small personal touches of Christmas:

Christmas mugs hang on the mug rack...

The china cabinet on the outside...

and looking inside.

I picked up this little pine tree at Trader Joe's the other day. I guess you can tell I rather fancy that store, seeing their hand soap and tea are on the cake plate, as well. The ornaments on the tree were passed down to me from an elderly woman who is a long-time family friend. There's an entire bag of these tiny wooden ornaments ~ soldiers and snowmen and angels and rocking horses. I believe she said they originally came with a small tree that she decorated every year. The milk glass cake plate belonged to my great-aunt who passed away years ago.

Santa mugs on top of the stove; Christmas glasses and a Marshall Field's cookie container tin the nook above the microwave. All items were thrifted years ago.

I love anything Marshall Field's. The store is near and dear to my heart. I have fond memories of shopping at one of the suburban locations with my maternal grandma. It was always considered one of the classiest, customer-service driven stores with high quality merchandise. The flagship store was on State Street in Chicago, though I only visited that location a handful of times. I ended up working at the suburban location when I was a teenager. I have never stepped foot into a Macy's store since they took over Field's in 2006. It's just not the same.

Vintage nesting Santas are on top of the fridge. There's two more of them, but three were enough for this space.

Decor on the shelf by the table. As most decor items in my house, everything here was thrifted over the years. 

I purchased these handmade wooden votive holders yesterday from a local artisan. She delivered them to my doorstep. Aren't they beautiful? I love supporting local, independent artists when I can. What I really like about these is that they're not too Christmas-y. I can use them all winter. They're on the ledge of the opening that's between my kitchen and living room.

Our homes, our decor, are personal. It doesn't matter if we follow the latest trends or have the most up-to-date furniture and decor. What matters is that we decorate with what we love; what brings a smile to our faces and a sense of peace and welcoming when we walk through the door.

Be safe, be well, do more of what makes you happy. 

💓