“Christmas is here,” Zoe ran into our bedroom yesterday morning with the excitement of a 5 year old on Christmas morning. Christmas wasn’t here, but our first snowfall was, and to Zoe, those two are the same. We hopped out of bed and bundled them up in their snow clothes just as fast as we could. And, I put on a pot of yummy hot oatmeal. Then I climbed into the attic and brought down the first of our Christmas decorations; it seemed like a fitting day to start with our decorating. Christmas was here, after all.

For our first round of decorating, we began in the dining room. We recently visited our local Tuesday Morning store, and picked up a few decorations I’ve been wanting to add to our collection for years. There’s such a broad range of holiday items at Tuesday Morning; did you know they source wonderful European brands like Glässer, Steinbach, and Polish Pottery (and you won’t be able to find these at any other big-box retailers)? We bought three stunning, handcrafted, German-made items: a Steinbach Nutcracker for $59.99 (compare estimated value at $120.00), a Richard Glässer 4-tier Nativity Pyramid for $159.99 (compare estimated value at $315.00), and a Richard Glässer Arched Nativity Scene for $39.99 (compare estimated value at $80.00). I highly recommend checking out your local Tuesday Morning to grab a few unbeatable holiday deals; I was so surprised by the savings and the quality of the items we found.

After the girls came inside and warmed up with bowls of hot oatmeal, they got to help unpack our new Christmas decorations and help with the candles while drinking tea and sharing some sweet treats. They have been waiting a few weeks to see how the tiered Nativity Pyramid works, and they were fascinated. When I was a young girl, my aunt and uncle had a vintage Nativity pyramid, and I’d always beg them to light the candles so I could be mesmerized for hours. And how we have one of our own for our family to enjoy! I am so excited!

Our household is minorly (read: majorly) obsessed with The Nutcracker ballet, so to have our own nutcracker that actually works is almost too much for the girls to handle! After setting him out on our pie safe, Naomi gazed at him for a while, no doubt dreaming of her own Nutcracker. Ha, maybe I shouldn’t encourage her!

Have you started decorating yet for the holidays? Over the next few weeks we’ll slowly be adding layers to this wonderful start. We’ll be sharing some ideas on the blog to help you get motivated and inspired this season; I can’t wait! And don’t forget to stop by your local Tuesday Morning to find your own quality holiday products at incredible savings!

Sponsor Note: Although this post was sponsored by Tuesday Morning, all content, words, and ideas are my own. Thanks for supporting the partnerships that help keep this blog running.