To my mother’s house I go! Okay, so it’s not grandmother’s but she’ll be down for Christmas tomorrow so it’s going to be a true family holiday season!

Since I’m sure you’re just as exhausted as I am with all of the gift guides finals, I thought I’d share a little Christmas cheer and showcase my mother’s AMAZING cooking and decorating. Though she politely declined to be photographed for this post, I can assure you she’s every bit as beautiful as the confections and decorations she creates!

Every year we put up two trees – crazy, yes but my mom does enjoy the holidays. Until this year I always saw it as a bit of a chore but now that I’m on my own There’s something about starting off the season the day after thanksgiving with my dad and I bringing down the Christmas trees and rearranging the living room furniture.

Next up is the dining room where my mother hosts elaborate dinners fit for a Queen (No really, just ask any of her friends who have been invited for a birthday ‘lunch’ and were treated to a 5-star meal!) The tree in here is only for Santa and Snowman ornaments and since my mom and I find them so cute we have more than enough ornaments to fill the tree.

The tree affectionately known as “the Charlie brown tree” usually goes wherever we have room and this year that’s the dining room sideboard. We put the teeny-tiny ornaments that would otherwise get lost on a normal tree on this tiny one!

This year we decided to go a little crazy, since the aforementioned grandmother is visiting (with an aunt, an uncle and two cousins in tow). There’s a THIRD tree upstairs! This tree is really special to me because it has all of my storybook ornaments on it: the whole crew from Oz and the Nutcracker are there.

There are also a few really cute displays that didn’t involve ornaments: