Decorating for Advent in a New Home

Today after a huge weekend for us we decorated our home for Advent.

I have been in a way dreading this decorating this year as we live in this rented house temporarily and so are unable to do things in the way we would like. Apart from the fact we  have so much less space in which to decorate we obviously cannot add any picture hooks, thumb tacks to the wall etc and so I was  not sure we would be able to do much at all with the  traditions we  have in the decorating style.

This post will be mainly photos as we will only have this one Advent and Christmas season in this home. And even though it  is not our own I do want to be able to show our little ones in the future that this was how we celebrated and decorated for Advent and Christmas.

So remember, be warned, this is a very high, picture heavy post!!

The first thing I had to resign my self to was the fact we would not be able to hang our beautiful homemade wreath up form our very high ceilings and have it be there in that one place to see for the whole of Advent.
So plan B was to get a little  table top version that we would be happy with. So I was quite pleased to see this little one (above) in the local Catholic Bookshop. Of course when I was at the bookshop I saw some other wonderful things too, lol.
Anyway I loved the fact that the wreath was based around the Nativity and so we have placed it on our main eating table in the kitchen.

Another new addition for us this year is the spinning Nativity powered by tea light candles.
I have so admired similar ones to  these online and never thought I would be able to have one. But as I was shopping with a dear friend visiting form Tassie last week I saw this one in a local shop.....at a reduced price and knew it had to come home with us.

So today we put it together and I was really happy with the way it works.
Of course keeping those inquisitive little fingers away is another matter. Which means it really can only be lit when those small fingers are under constant supervision or in bed!

Most of these following images are using the decorations we have had in past years but in a new way in this house we are living in. In a way it is good to  arrange the familiar items in new and interesting ways that seem to work together.

We actually only have two living areas to use as well as the kitchen and so most, if not 98% of our decorations are in these rooms.

Advent with Summer season mixed in together.

Countdown calender ready, even though we are a couple of days behind.

Our manger that has straw put in for sacrifices, prayers and good deeds is right in the center of our living room. Naturally for every straw that gets put in Trahaearn comes a long and dumps them all on the floor!

Our stocking countdown

The wise men start the journey way across the room

We love these tins that shine with light form a little candle inside

Favourite pop up books

The Advent Spiral- I know I have the candles packed away for it somewhere. I just don't know which box  in the storage space that is a double garage of floor to ceiling boxes they may be in.

So this year I think Mary will travel the spiral with a single candle to accompany her, that we will light each evening, instead of the countdown with all the candles.

The straw for the manger. The other straw we use each year must be hidden away with the aforementioned candles.

Our Angel countdown. The Angel brings the baby Jesus down the star path to the manger on Christmas Day

Our Seasons table filled with many symbols of the Advent season.

St Lucia and the Star boys

Black Peter to go with St Nicholas

Angels

Toilet paper St Nicholas

Nativity, wooden Wise men and Christmas items

In the kitchen on the big buffet and hutch

Calico hearts and poinsettia

The Advent Wreath, later on with the empty manger for BAby Jesus to fill on Christmas Day

Liturgical colour purple on Father Pine and a small votive candle holder

Our motto for each year, now a little smudged after small hands touched last year as I was re painting the words.

These are the decorations in our other living area, which we call "The Hub room" due to ther fact it is just inside the entry way and it houses the computers as well as many other items of furniture.

One of the first things you see as you walk through our front door.

Our Entry way is decorated too

The stack of most of our Christmas DVDs

On most of the door handles are the original St Nicholas stockings I made that were far to small to fit any gifts in due to my mistake in sizing of them.

Greenery is very important

This year we got everyone to choose their favourite five books from our large collection  to put in the baskets to be read first and specially.

Our countdown Star path

The homemade Nativity that the younger children often play with

The following photos are  from around the main living room, called the family room by most of us.

Kitchen again....why is it fuzzy? I was holding Trahaearn and trying to take photos one handed

And so we come to the end of our decorating for Advent  2012.

Next major event St Nicholas Day!!

Blessings to you and your homes,