A Holiday Party!

Please come and join the fun at Little Red House today. Karla, at Karla's Cottage, is hosting a party -- and it's all about holiday decorations. So come on in, don't worry about taking off your shoes (because this house is definitely NOT a showplace!) and see "What I Love About My Holiday Home."

Because everything in this house is old, and a little beat up, I tend to like my decorations best when the rooms are dark. Candlelight or, even better, firelight, makes this old house glow.

We have our main tree in the library, next to the fireplace. It's lit, but not decorated yet. We'll do that when my son comes home from college later this week. Holiday decorating is very much a family tradition in our house.

We have a smaller tree in the dining room. This is a first for us this year. There's a story behind that, and I'll tell you about it sometime soon.

The dishes in the corner hutch get changed out several times a year. This Christmas, a green, cream and gold theme holds court.

I love using things that remind me of friends and family. The green tole tray was a gift from Cindy, at My Romantic Home, and the cranberry glass wedding compote was one of my mother's cherished treasures.

I love decorating with red transferware for the holidays. Actually, I love transferware all year long, but the red is expecially cheerful at Christmas.

I love that this house is tailor-made for Christmas -- reds and golds are at home here all year round, but they really shine at Christmas.

Decorating with red berries is a constant for me. The pressed glass wine goblets which hold candles here belonged to my parents, and the clock was my grandfather's.

The mantle in the library is home to red transferware plates, votive candles in vintage pressed glass, and rusted iron urns filled with glittering red fruit and flowers.

I love that this is my family house. I grew up here, and my kids have lived here all their lives, too. It is a house that brims with memories in the holiday season. It is filled with things that remind me of my parents, and of my childhood. It is home.