Inspiring Ideas from Houzz

Traditional dining room design

I love the gift centerpiece and the beautiful traditional Christmas colors.

Traditional dining room design by kansas city media and blogs Michelle Edwards

Beautiful centerpiece! Loving the candy canes around the candles and the ribbon! Great idea!

Eclectic family room design

Here's a nice way to display any kind of Christmas blocks you may have by putting them on candlesticks surrounded by garland. Looks very nice instead of just sitting them across the top of the mantel. Adding height makes a big difference!

Contemporary living room design by other metros media and blogs Restyled Home

Very simple and very charming. Love the wintry colors.

Traditional entry design by new york showroom Hydrangea Home

Just plain gorgeous!

Traditional kitchen design by other metros interior designer Tobi Fairley

I'm loving the slipcovers on the chairs! So cozy!

You can see more decorating ideas at http://www.houzz.com

The Largest Santa

This Santa stands at 51 ft. tall and weighs 2 1/2 tons.  You can read about him and ten other Christmas  Guinness World Records Here.  Image from Google.

World's Largest Santa Claus Collection

Jean-Guy Laquerre from Canada is 74 yrs. old and holds the world's largest Santa Claus Collection title given by the Guinness World Record. He started his Santa collection in 1988 and has collected everything from Santa books, napkins, dolls, record albums, cards, candy, a miniature workshop and Santa ads. You can see his collection here on You Tube. Embedding was disabled, so I was unable to put it on my blog. Unbelievable what he has collected through the years!

Images from Google

Giant Chocolate Christmas Tree

This is amazing!  From Nov. 27,  2010,  found on The Telegraph, you can view the video here and see the giant chocolate tree.

Patrick Roger's creation will be used to raise funds for a television charity event to support research into neuromuscular diseases.

The tree, which is currently towering inside the chocolatier's factory in Sceaux, weighs four tons and according to Mr Roger's is a piece of "architecture".

He said: "To achieve this kind of architecture – because this really is a piece of architecture – we used a sort of cavity inside to make the chocolate solid enough, because there is very strong vertical pressure."

The chocolate Christmas tree will be shown on France's Telethon, a nationwide charity appeal show, and viewers will receive part of the sugary sculpture in exchange for a donation.

Mr Roger's laboratory also features a wide range of other chocolate sculptures, including small Santas, reindeers and other figurines.

Meet Me In St. Louis

This film was made in 1944 and  tells the story of an American family living in St. Louis at the time of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition World's Fair in 1904.

It stars Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, Mary Astor, Lucille Bremer, Tom Drake, Leon Ames, Marjorie Main, June Lockhart, and Joan Carroll, and was released by MGM.

"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, 1944, performed by Judy Garland, became a big hit after the film was released. The film was directed by Vincente Minnelli, who met his future wife, Judy Garland, on the set.

Hugh Martin, the composer and lyricist who wrote "The Trolley Song" and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" which were both sung by Judy Garland, died on March 11, 2011. He was 96 years old.

One of my favorites, here is the scene in which she sings one of the most beautiful Christmas songs ever.






http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meet_Me_in_St._Louis

Related articles

• Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) (thefilmexperience.net)

Lawrence Welk Christmas Show opening with Jingle Bells

Yes, I used to watch the Lawrence Welk Christmas shows in my younger days! I enjoyed the entertainment and the Christmas songs. Those were the good old days! This is from 1972.

Image from http://welkmusicalfamily.blogspot.com

Themed Table Settings and Accessories

I love the country themed decorating ideas. At the The Country Porch, they offer  lovely country themed table settings and home accessories for Christmas and all year round.  This is just a sampling of the placemat settings and matching accessories.

Christmas Joys

Red Holiday Cheer

Let It Snow

Whipstitch Snowman