Jumping on the Christmas Tour Train...

I spent hours (...OK - DAYS, ya'll!) playing around over at The Nesters at her Christmas Tour link up!

So much gorgeousness and Pinterest-worthy perfection... spaciousness and divine lighting... pristine ornaments, chalkboard art and antlers everywhere (who knew?) and entryways that make you swoon! 

At about 50 homes in, I had the thought of grabbing my camera and playing along.  I quickly dismissed that thought even though her tagline to the link up is something like "It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful!" (Right! Says the DIY blogger with the gorgeous house and a decorating budget that clearly is larger than mine has been for - well - ever.)

Still - there were some in there that were gorgeous and felt a little less staged or less like it was a professional interior designers' home... they were lived in and lovely and I saw the beauty in every post.  Then my friend Barbie got real and got brave and while she didn't link up - she DID play along and her house is filled with all kinds of beautiful because (as she reminds us!) it's not what you decorate with, but what fills your house that makes it Home!

So - at the very last minute, I stirred up some brave and grabbed my camera.  I decided it didn't matter that I live in an apartment, and I have no front porch or (gasp) exquisite entryway!  I decorated less... it's a trend over the last few years! I am more into simple and small areas that quietly stir up Christmas, rather than an overabundance of tinsel and lights.  (It helps that my only Girlie is nearly Grown!)  This year we added a smaller Advent Tree, and each room has a few small touches... the overall effect is less overwhelming, but more inviting.  What I pray the atmosphere is filled with here is O Come Let Us Adore Him... and a little O Holy Night!

So - here we go...

Our Entryway:

Our Living Room:

The Dining Room:

Our Bedroom:

Lastly, the Family Room:

We do have a few hints of Christmas in the bathrooms and kitchen, but - well... you're welcome! This was a bit much to begin with, especially since we are paycheck-to-paycheck-everyday-people who haven't bought new (or matching) ornaments or decorations in years and we 'make do'.

While all the other Tours made me want to go shopping and paint something (and seriously, ya'll - what is the deal with the antler mania?)... we cut back on our spending this year in order to be a part of something bigger.  We sowed into people and ministries and organizations that we are passionate about and as my friend Barbie reminded me in her own Tour post... it's not the decorations that make a home beautiful... it's the people who fill it up and the love that is shared!

So more than anything... that is the theme we are going for this Christmas... Love Came Down!  That is what we want friends and family to know and remember and feel while sipping something yummy and relaxing around some twinkling lights with us!

Thanks for stopping by! Oh how I wish it could be in real life, over a cup of coffee, talking slow and laughing deep!

I am praying you have a

VERY Merry Christmas

and a little

on earth!

(Did ya see what I did there?)

...and don't forget, this Christmas and always, to:

Linking up with The Nester for the
Christmas Tour of Home 2013