One of the many benefits of having the Nester for a sister is getting first dibs on all her great ideas. The most wonderful Christmas garland ever is one of her best. She has been doing her mantle this way for years so I adopted some of her tricky garland ways several Christmases ago. I guess it’s time to find a photo to put in that frame. Maybe that will be my New Years resolution.

This is our first Christmas in our new house. I’ve been looking forward to decking this mantle out with garland galore.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here. Thanks, Nester for the great ideas!
Oh. And one more thing. I can’t publish this post without showing you the truth behind the beauty: the casualties of my garland after a fire.
This is only a portion of what fell out as The Man repeatedly jostled it every time he moved the screen to poke the fire. The nerve.
And while I’m confessing things, here is our fireplace flue. I think we could market this and sell it online. Genius.