The Halls -- They are Decked

It's time for BooMama's Christmas Tour of Homes!

Come on in and make yourself at home -- let me show you around and share some of my favorite Christmas decorations this year.

When you the walk through the front door, this is the view into our great room.

(By the way, lest you think I have some kind of avant garde decorating sense, that crazy swatch of fabric hanging on the window is a "mock up" for my window mistreatment that is still a work in progress.)

Here is a close-up view of our tree. We've had it up since the middle of November, but (I'm embarrassed to say) it took BooMama's Home Tour to finally motivate me to put the angel on top:

Do you hear the music in the background? I'm playing one of my most favorite Christmas CDs:

It's such a jaunty set of tunes. I love it.

These are the Christmas elves that I inherited from my grandmother.

I know some of them look a little strange, but they mean a lot to me. As a little girl, I remember being fascinated by them.

Oh! I almost forgot to introduce you to Cherry. He's our "Elf on the Shelf." He arrives at our house each year on Dec. 1 and flies back each night to the North Pole to report to Santa on behavior at the Life with Three house. Each morning, we find him in a new hiding spot. The kids think he is just the best.

Here is our Christmas Countdown Calendar, which was made for us by a family friend. We hang an ornament on the tree for each day in December.

And, finally, a favorite sign, which hangs prominently above the door in the kitchen.

Before you leave, be sure and try a piece of this crockpot candy. I discovered it last year over at Brin's blog. It will blow your socks off -- I can't stop eating it. I've included the recipe for y'all below:

(1) 16 oz. jar unsalted peanuts

(1) 16 oz. jar salted peanuts

(1) 12 oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

(1) 12 oz. bag of milk chocolate chips

(2) 12 oz. bags of peanut butter chips

(2) 1 lb. packages White Almond Bark (or Vanilla Candy Coating), broken in pieces

Layer ingredients, in order listed, into (4-quart or larger) crockpot. Cover and turn the crockpot on low for two hours. After two hours, stir to combine. Replace lid and cook for an additional 30 minutes. Check to see if almond bark is melted and, if so, stir and spoon mixture onto wax paper. (I like to decorate it with sprinkles.) Allow to harden for about an hour. Gym membership not included. :)

Merry Christmas and Happy Home Touring!