WARNING: Christmas decoration picture overload!

It’s December 2 (my dear friend’s birthday) and Christmas is coming with full force! This week is the Junior League’s Holiday Market in Columbia where you can find all the best shopping in one single location. Todd and I are going to the Preview Party tonight. It’s black tie, so that means I’m excited, but he’s not. I will be working the Market all this week, so I knew I had to hurry up and get all of my Christmas decorations up so I could enjoy them.

I had to rearrange the furniture to accommodate everything. I wish I could leave the tree up forever.

Our Christopher Radko “newlywed” ornament.

Hudson’s first Christmas ornament. Aww!

I get an ornament from this artist, The Painted Palmetto, every year at the Holiday Market and she puts the year on it.

a Christopher Radko from our anniversary trip to Savannah

My nutcracker collection on our bookshelves. I collected them for 12 years. My brother has a lot of them, too.

This is Father Nutracker, Maid Marion (from Robin Hood), and a toymaker.

This is an artist and the Phantom of the Opera.

Some of these are just assorted classic nutcrackers, but there’s also my favorite Biker Girl, the Pilgrim, and Noah.

The entry table and the great angel that I got from Cottage and Vine in Columbia

The mantle and our stockings. Hudson’s is in the middle.

That’s all I have. I’ve done all of my Christmas decorating. We don’t do the outside of the house because we don’t have any electrical outlets outside. I plan to remedy that before next Christmas. By the way, I said that last year.

I love giving gifts and picking things out for the special people in my life. We’re not really exchanging gifts with extended family this year. Todd and I are getting some memorable gifts for Hudson’s first Christmas and we’re exchanging presents with each other.

But there are a few friends and other people in my life with whom I am exchanging gifts. So here is my guide for 2009 Christmas shopping.

Louis Vuitton: Art, Fashion, and Architecture – $53.55 on Amazon.com

This book is a whopping 400 pages. It features all of the Louis Vuitton collaborations with artists, designers, architects, and photographers. And look how pretty the book is! If I walked into a house and that book was sitting on the coffee table, I’d immediately pick it up.

A Blurb Book– starting prices range anywhere from $12.95 to $74.95

During these hard and uncertain economic times, quality is better than quantity. And what makes a more quality gift that one that comes from the heart? We made a Blurb book of Hudson’s birth day and will make one for every birthday he has until it becomes painfully obvious that he’s too old to have his mommy at his birthday parties.

 

Low Country Luxe Candles

I am obsessed with these candles. I have them all over my house now, thanks to my mom. I found them at The Paris Market and Brocante in Savannah while we were there for our anniversary. I think the best part is that the candles are actually made in Savannah. They are packaged so beautifully and every single one of the smells is delicious.

You can choose from scents including Savannah, Charleston, Gullah, High Cotton, Sea Grass, and Spanish Moss. They also have a Limited Edition New Orleans scent.

My personal favorite is High Cotton.

Sophie the Giraffe

Hudson loves his Sophie. She is the best teething toy around, but she’s also kind of a collector’s item. Sophie the Giraffe (not our particular Sophie) has been around since 1961 and she comes in an adorable box. Click here to read the story of Sophie.

MomAgenda

Y’all know I love my MomAgenda. As the year ends and the new year approaches, all the ladies need a new calendar. I am lost without my MomAgenda. Again, if your gift recipient isn’t a mom, get her a MyAgenda. And if you don’t have a gift recipient that could use this, just get one for yourself. We can buy for ourselves at Christmas, right?

No? We can’t? Oh well.

Just click here to find out more about the MomAgenda and the MyAgenda.

 

And stay tuned. At least two of these items will be featured in my Favorite Things Giveaway later this month!

These are all items that I’m giving someone in my life this year. What are you giving the people you love?

(And I asked Todd for a specific pair of earrings, the Violet Hunter Wellies, and a Garmin.)

*This post is from Boudreaux and Fiona to their Clemson-loving veterinarian. We love our vet very much and she takes great care of our dogs. She does, however, wear orange Clemson scrubs to work almost every day and has her car covered in Clemson stickers. (We also mailed a copy of this letter to her with the pictures.)

Dear Dr. Xxx,

Thank you so much for taking good care of us. We love coming to see you because we get lots of love, attention, and your famous homemade treats. We’re very sorry that our Gamecocks beat your beloved Clemson Tigers on Saturday.

We hope that you are able to move on from this and continue to stay the upbeat, positive doctor that you are. Sometimes these things just happen, but we promise not to rub it in.

It’s going to be difficult not to wear a big happy grin for the next 12 months until the two teams play again.

P.S. From Boudreaux: Fiona wanted to mention, though, that she’s more of an LSU fan. She is a Louisiana girl, after all, and it’s sort of heartbreaking for her when our mom and dad make her wear the Gamecock jersey. She says she’d prefer to wear purple and gold. I told her that she’ll have to find a different family to live with if she wants to wear purple and gold. She agreed, then, to wear the Gamecock jersey.