These past few months of marriage have been filled with laughs, tears, adventures and plenty of burnt bread. It's amazing to think about how much our lives have changed within the last year and all of the changes to come. This will be our first Christmas as a family—and I have to admit that it seems pretty surreal. We are in a strange but wonderful stage of life, wondering what our Christmas traditions will become.​

The one thing that has become a tradition for Phillip and I already is finding a tree in the woods and cutting it down! This was our third Christmas doing so and it is always a treat.

Phillip built a rustic tree box for me that very first year we were together and I just think it is wonderful. It fits our style and looks great with our airy trees.  

I was so thankful to have had a Christmas shower thrown by a family member when Phillip and I were engaged.  It was so fun to receive things that I could use to make our house a home during the most festive time of year.  I received the beautiful ornaments you see below on the left.  I just can't get over how pretty they are!  The ornaments below on the right belonged to my great-grandparents.  I love most vintage things--but I especially love having something of theirs hanging in the tree.  They add the perfect pop of color while reminding me of the true meaning of Christmas.  My great-grandfather, Pap, was a preacher and I know that their Christmas traditions didn't revolve around expensive gifts or rushing around--but rather time spent with family and friends and honoring the birth of Jesus. 

At my Christmas shower, I received the glass trees and the angel you see below.  I LOVE gold in case you haven't noticed, so you know that I adore these trees! 

I carried the gold and green theme throughout my wrapping paper as you can see.

One thing we did this year that I think may become a Christmas tradition was what we gave to our nieces and nephews.  With Phillip having nine just on his side, we knew we wouldn't be able to afford gifts for all of them.  We decided to make a ticket and treats for each child.  The ticket is valid for a day of fun with Aunt Tara and Uncle Phillip.  They get to choose an activity (out to a movie, gone fishing, let's get crafty, spa day, or other) and a restaurant they'd like us to take them to.  By doing this, we hope that we can begin to build lasting relationships with these children one on one, and become someone they can trust, look up to, and have fun with.

This year, Phillip and I decided that rather than giving each other gifts, we would take a trip!  We recently went to Texas on a whim with another couple and had the time of our lives!  We will be heading up to Tennessee after Christmas for a little hunting and relaxation.  We aren't in need of anything.  We are very blessed and are excited to have this opportunity to make memories with one another.  Who knows, in the next few years it may be a little more difficult to travel! 

Our first Christmas may not be very exciting, but it will be memorable.  I can't wait to see what our Christmas traditions become and how our lives change.  Though Christmas traditions may come and go--we know one Christmas truth that never changes. If God hadn't chosen to save the world through a baby, born to a virgin, there would be no Christmas.  May we always be in awe of what He has done.

I believe this year will make the 10th Christmas breakfast in our home! Let me assure you, I have learned a few lessons to make things easier. If you’re interested in starting your own Christmas breakfast tradition, here are a few guidelines:

First, keep it simple. Don’t try complicated recipes, especially if it’s the first time you’ve made it. I serve a savory breakfast casserole, grits, a sweet coffee cake or danish, and fruit, plus coffee, juice, milk, and water. If you don’t want to cook, purchase bagels or frozen waffles or pancakes. I do use my Christmas dishes just because they are so fun and festive and I love them, but feel free to use paper plates, especially if the dishwasher is not empty.

Second, do what you can ahead of time. The breakfast casserole recipe I use (Paula Deen’s recipes have never let me down!) has to be refrigerated overnight. The last thing you want to be doing on Christmas morning is running around your kitchen, trying to get everything done. Put your kids to work making sure your living room, dining room, and kitchen are straightened up before everyone goes to bed on Christmas Eve. Nobody wants Santa to trip over your stuff, right?

Last, but certainly not least, remember the reason you’re doing this. It’s not to impress people with your culinary skills or your sacrificial sleep-deprivation. It’s to create memories with the people you love. I will never forget the Christmas that Santa left puppies at our house for our son, his grandfather, and his great-grandfather! Also, I have come to realize how life can change in an instant. We are not guaranteed to even have tomorrow, so make the most of the time you have!

Join our Recipe Club to receive a Recipe Card of the Breakfast casserole I serve every Christmas morning!

You all know my little cottage has been quite the work in progress!  My husband and I franticly moved in right before Christmas last year, my busiest time of the year!  Needless to say, I did not get to decorate for the Holidays.  I was so excited to get to unpack all of my pretty Christmas decorations this year, so I wanted to have you all over for a little Holiday Home Tour.  Welcome!

It's no secret that I love my porch and I love entertaining outside.  In South Georgia our winters are usually rather mild, which makes for perfect outdoor entertaining!  I keep my festive pillows ready to toss on the glider when guests come over.

I love the look and smell of fresh greenery.  Most of my décor this year incorporates faux greenery but I did snag this cute fresh wreath to hang on my porch.  Fresh wreaths are usually rather inexpensive and will last a good month as long as the weather is cool. 

Decorating mantels is one of my favorite things.  My mantle this year is decked with mercury glass and tinsel garland.  Our stockings are hung with care, and labeled with my letter ornaments from Pottery Barn.

My grandmother Crain was a very creative lady.  She died when I was in kindergarten, so I didn't get the chance to know her well.  Not only do we look a lot alike, but I am certain we would have a lot in common.  She made this little red bird ornament for me when I was little so I have it lovingly displayed here with her beautiful picture.

Bell jars are a great accessory to have in your home year round.  You can change what you display in them with the seasons.  I am loving my giant pine cone and extra large ornaments displayed under this bell jar on my coffee table.

,I'll be hosing Christmas breakfast at my house Christmas morning for a small group of my family, so I decided to go ahead and set up my table so I'll be ready.

I have quite a love affair with dishes, linens and silver so setting fancy tables is sooooo much fun!  Here, I have used faux Magnolia leaves and extra large mercury glass ornaments to create a centerpiece.  I didn't have just the right runner or cloth so I used a long piece of wrapping paper as my runner.  I have already confessed to you my love of wrapping paper.  This a great example of a different way you can use it and why it is great to have on hand!  My fine china and antique silver plate were all wedding gifts and I love to use them on special occasions.

My little home is cozy and ready for company!  Christmas time is so fun because it seems to be the only time of the year that it is acceptable to swath your home in greenery and glitter and all things fun!

 My Christmas tree was so fun to decorate!  After decorating so many at my shop, you would think I would be tired of trees and ornaments but every one is a work of art to me!  This year I used a felt-like rope as the bow on the top along with large glittered snowflakes and silver tinsel picks.  I have mixed new as well as vintage ornaments and all in shades of cranberry, dark teal, gold and silver.  If you missed my helpful tips on tree decorating, you can click the link here to read it and brush up on your skills.

The little striped ornament is my favorite vintage ornament.  It has all my colors, gold, silver and blue and is just so darn cute!  The bells, flowers and polka dot ornaments are all new but still some of my faves.  Some of them are available in our store.

You know I love a thoughtfully and beautifully wrapped gift.  If you missed my gift wrapping guide you can click this link to check it out.

I've devoted one small corner in my hallway to one of my favorite places on earth, our family vacation spot in Colorado.  This may sound very glamorous but I kid you not, it looks very much like the ornament.  (And is about that size too!)  I am so blessed to have a water color painting of this special place painted by my good friend Mary Ann Cox.

This guest room is ready!  Now I just need a guest.  Adding a cute Christmas pillow to the bed and a small, festive arrangement on the side table was just enough to brighten up this little room.

Even the bathroom got the holiday treatment with silver tinsel garland over the mirror and bright colored bottlebrush trees on the chest.

My bedroom is my sanctuary so it got the holiday treatment in the form of cozy pillows, tinsel tree and fresh flowers on the bedside table.

There are little touches of Christmas throughout the kitchen.  Including the fresh, mini poinsettia.  Wish I had a dozen of those!

These Christmas trees made of sheet metal are the perfect home for my special Christmas cards of friends and family.

Ok y'all, confession time.  Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes are my all time favorite holiday dessert.  I can resist Little Debbie snack cakes all year long but when the Christmas Trees hit the shelves, I just can't help myself!  Call me crazy but give me a glass of eggnog, (spiked of course) and a Little Debbie Christmas Tree and I feel as though I have died and gone to heaven.

I am so glad you came over to take a peek at my little nest.  Christmas really is my favorite time of the year and it makes me happy to share so many of my favorite things with my guests.  Many of my favorite things are available in The Southern Mercantile Store but, if you saw something you like that is not listed in the store, chances are it is available in our brick and mortar store, The Shoppes at Fourth and Cherry.  Shoot us an email, we'll be glad to answer any questions that you have!  Merry Christmas!

To go along with our wrapping theme this week, we thought we'd give away a free gift tag printable!  This wreath tag looks gorgeous printed on any color--just coordinate your card stock with your wrapping paper and click print! *Helpful hint: It always looks best when you take the time to cut along the outline of the image!

If you missed our wrapping tutorial earlier this week, click HERE!  To print your gift tags, click the file below!

I LOVE to wrap presents!  After 12 Christmas seasons in retail, you would think that I would be tired of gift wrapping by now!  Lovingly wrapping gifts is one of my favorite activities that comes around with the Holidays.  Every year and I am scouring the after Christmas sales for cute gift wrap, cards, tags, etc.  I was too embarrassed to take a picture of my entire gift wrap collection so I just picked a few of my favorites to show you!  I think it is so much fun to dress up my packages and put extra thought into the presentation of the gift.  Here, I am sharing with you a few of my tips on creating beautiful and special gifts!

I like to set up and wrap all of my gifts at one time.  Your dining room table or living room floor with look like a Christmas explosion for a couple of hours but the end product will be so worth it!  Along with cute wrapping paper, it is nice to have a selection of tags, small ornaments, bells and stems to decorate your packages with.  You will also need tape (I prefer "Scotch" transparent), scissors, assorted boxes, and perhaps wire cutters, depending on the decorations you are using.  I never wrap presents without the trusty tape dispenser that was my Grandpas.  It is very heavy and has sharp teeth.  New dispensers just don't cut it, they just don't make em' like they used to!

When wrapping in a box, it is fun to line the box with tissue to add an extra bit of fancy.  Lay out your tissue long ways, folding up one end to make it fit perfectly inside the box.  Once you have folded the tissue, make sure that you carefully insert the tissue along the edges to keep it from ripping.

Fold your gift to the best fitting size and lay it in the box.  Bring one side of the tissue over the gift and then bring the other side, folding the edge for a finished look.  You can even secure the tissue with a fun Christmas sticker if you have them!

Next comes the wrapping.  This paper happened to come in sheets that were the perfect size to wrap a standard shirt box.  No cutting necessary!  So I laid the top side down and pulled the paper around each side to meet in the middle of the bottom of the package.  I do not tape the paper to the box, but if you are having trouble keeping the paper in the right place you can do that!  I then tape the paper to itself to keep it secure.  On each edge of the package, I press in the ends of the paper while I crease the top and bottom portions at an angle that will lay flat.  I bring the top piece down, creasing the seem, and bring the bottom piece up tightly securing it with tape on either side.

I like to crease the edges with my fingers to help make the package look crisp and neat.

Choose your embellishments based on the color scheme and attitude of your paper.  You will want it all to coordinate and make sense to the receiver.

When tying ribbon around all sides of the package, you want to measure before you cut.  This will ensure that your piece is long enough to wrap and tie a pretty bow.

Lay the ribbon across the front of the package and wrap around to the back.  Cross the ribbon in the back and bring the ribbon around the other sides.  Once you have the ends of the ribbon on the front of the package, adjust the ribbon until you know that you have enough to tie your bow.  Now you can finally cut the ribbon to size.

Once you have cut your ribbon down to size, you will need to tie a knot to keep things in place.  Now it is time to layer your other embellishments and finish your package!  You will always want to thread your gift tag first, so that any other little do-dad can be seen.  

Once your embellishments are in place and secure, finish tying your bow.  When writing on you gift tags, consider choosing a pen that coordinates with your gift wrap.  Tara says you can't write on a special package with just any ole' pen.  (She just happened to have this gold pen in her purse.  :)  Always prepared!)

When I am including a small gift item (like these earrings) in the same package as a larger item, I try to make it look a little special.  This way the gift receiver is sure to notice it and not throw it away with the tissue paper. 

When you are using a roll of paper rather than sheets, cutting is a must.  Roll out your paper, print side down, and place your box on top, top side down.  Cut your paper down to size ensuring that you have enough to cover the entire box.  Wrap your gift as stated before.

With this print, we chose to go with a natural and rustic theme with the embellishments.  We tied the jute twine, as we did before, wrapping around all sides of the package.  We wanted to use a pine cone to dress it up a bit!  Once we tied a knot to secure the twine, we began attaching the pine cone. 

We have found the easiest way to do this is by threading the twine between the bottom later of the pine cone and tying a tight knot to hold it in place.  Then we are able to finish our bow!

Sometimes rather than a traditional gift tag, I like to use Christmas cards! 

We've all heard the saying, "Measure twice, cut once."  What happens when we don't follow this piece of wisdom?  Is all lost?  Certainly not!  Though it isn't ideal to end up short on wrapping paper, sometimes it's an easy fix to use scraps to fill the gap!

Start by measuring your gap, and cutting a piece of paper to fill it.  Tape down (on the back of the package of course) your fill in piece right in the middle.  Bring your sides up like you would normally do and tape them to the fill in piece.  Continue to wrap the package as you would normally do, being mindful of keeping everything tight and secure. 

From the front, no one would ever guess that this package was pieced together!

When only tying ribbon around one side of the package, I tend to wrap it around the taped side.  I tied a tight knot and moved on to embellishments!  Don't be afraid to use festive stems or unusual objects.  The more interesting the embellishments, the more fun it is for the receiver!

Here is one more example of using a stem to dress up a package!

And if you must use a bag....
When prepping tissue for a bag, open one piece up fully.  Put one hand under it, finding the middle.  Use your free hand to pick up the tissue in the middle, pulling upwards quickly.  Gather the bottom portion and begin stuffing the tissue in the bag around the gift.  Do this with individual pieces of tissue until your gift is covered and the tissue looks nice.

Don't be afraid to add embellishments to your bag!

I hope this was helpful and that you feel inspired to toss the premade sticky bows and put a little extra umph into your gift wrap this year!

We have made some of our favorite wrapping paper available for you to shop!
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Here, in the south, most of us are blessed with plentiful pine cones to pick up in our yards. This time of year there are so many cute things you can do with those treasures! One of my favorite pine cone projects is to make a wreath. Dad and I have made many of them for the shop, all of them gigantic! Here, he will show you how to make a pine cone wreath for your door or porch.   

For this project you will need: pine cones, floral wire, wire wreath base, spray snow, glitter, ribbon of your choice and work gloves. All of these supplies can be found at a craft store near you, such as Hobby Lobby or Michael's.

You'll start by picking up lots of pine cones of course! Yay, fun outside activity! (I have been known to pay some of my young friends to aid in this process. )

Next, you will want to wire all of your cones in advance, this will make the job go faster. Wrap the wire around the tops of the cones, leaving plenty hanging off to attach it to the wreath.

One the cones are wired, you will begin to attach them to the wire base, beginning on the outside and working around the circle. 

Once you have completed the inside of the circle as well, begin filling in the middle of the wreath base.

When you are finished attaching the pine cones, you can spray the whole thing with the spray snow. While the snow is wet, sprinkle the wreath with glitter. Any color you like will do, but I have found that silver, gold or a pale blue make the prettiest wreaths.

You'll need to give your wreath plenty of time to dry before attaching the bow.

All that's left to do is hang your beautiful creation and impress all of your friends!

One of our favorite things to do here at The Southern Mercantile is share some of our favorite recipes with our followers.  This month, we have decided to begin an online cookie exchange!  This will allow us to share some of our favorite cookie recipes with you while you share some of yours with us and our followers!  What better way to ring in the Christmas season than with cookies?   

All you have to do to participate is post your favorite recipe on our Facebook page for all of our friends to see.  The more recipes that are shared, the more fun we will have!  Try a new recipe and even post pictures on our page!  We would love to see our online community come together and share in the Christmas spirit.

Need a little something special to package your cookies in this Christmas?  Our Cookie Box Kits are just the thing!