stockings are hung...but wait...

You might have figured out from yesterday's picture, that our stockings were not hung by the chimney with care...but by the staircase instead. 

Well even though I was so excited to finally have a mantle to hang our stockings from after ALL these years...I just couldn't do it. After decorating the mantle without stockings, I took a step back and realized that adding stockings would only make it look like a cluttered mess.  

After all, it already had enough on it. 

So I looked elsewhere.

I thought about adding garland to the staircase but decided to hang our stockings from the handrail instead. Now I know I probably could have hung both the garland and the stockings but I decided to keep this year's Christmas a little simple. I can always do it next year. 

I decided to use some left over green gingham ribbon and these Crate and Barrel copper bells (from a previous holiday line) to hang our stockings with. 

Mine and b's are the striped green and white socks that we picked up from a local craft show a couple years back and Oliver's is the colorful one in the middle (from Land of Nod, no longer available). 

I have a stocking for Arden but unfortunately I didn't hang it because it didn't match..I know I am lame. Don't worry though, she will get some goodies even if they aren't in her stocking. :) 

I like the idea of Oliver coming down the stairs Christmas morning and seeing his stocking first. As kids, we always did our stockings first on Christmas morning and that is something that I know b and I would like to keep as a tradition.