So, I got in trouble for posting about Christmas on Married Life...

kadiebaby

Someone was a scrooge... Anyway

 

This Christmas is going to be the first one with me and my husband married, in a house we JUST bought (September) and our daughter will be 8 months that DAY! So I am soooo excited about celebrating together and decorating!!! I was just wondering where you all were getting your decorations, where I could find cute stockings and holders, and WREATHS (I really really want one of the wreaths with our initial in the middle and just add ornaments on, but I cant find the initial wreaths anywhere!) ? And also, what are you getting your husband for Christmas? I always go big, but I've gotten him just about everything he could need in the last year... So I'm in need of ideas!

AGTison

I just want to say that whenever I post on Married Life I get rude responses too. I see nothing wrong with your post for someone to be scrooge about it. I hope you get some good responses on here!

kadiebaby

Thank you! Obviously some people have too much time on their hands and nothing better to do!

christalandadam

I don't know about those wreaths, but I do a lot of DIY. I love Hobby Lobby, sometimes Target or Walmart, a specialty shop called Silks a Bloom (local).

kadiebaby

Yea, I'm thinking the wreaths must be a local boutique thing. I will probably end up having to make it myself, but I guess I'll check a few local boutiques first.

resoundingnoise

I really hope that you get some good responses to this. It's DH and I's first Christmas married, so I'm trying to figure out what places are best to get everything. I've never seen one of these initial wreaths that you are talking about! I might just have to DIY one!

littlwing

I think to really answer your question would depend on other decorations you want, and what kind of budget you have. I love Crate&Barrel and Pottery Barn, but Target has lots of great items that similar to C&B and PB.

TheBridesMom

Can I make a suggestion?  Just start out with some basics that you can build on, and don't worry about having everything the first year.  It's about it being the first of a lifetime of Christmas seasons in your marriage. 

Everything doesn't have to be perfectly decorated to be perfect.  In this day and age of 'instant' everything, I think people sometimes miss out on the process. Part of the fun is making holiday traditions and building on them.  You acquire thing along the way, things that are meaningful and as your tastes change, your decorations collection grows.

Our tree may have been a little bare the first year we were married, but with the ornaments we had and some lights, it was really pretty.  Now we need five trees of various sizes for all of our ornaments.lol

We had stockings long before we had stocking hangers, and it was worth the wait to find just the right ones.

We've had fun shopping for decorations at after Christmas sales, on vacations, et., buying just the right ones to go with our collection.  It's fun to have new things to go with our old things each year, and it's easy to stick with a color or theme, or have an eclectic tree.  With all of the trees we have, we can have whatever style/theme to a tree that we want, but it did take us a number of years to get to this point.

essexgirl74

I love the idea of building up your ornament collection each year.  That is what DH and I have been doing.  eg. our first year together, our first child, our first house etc.  Each year add something that has meaning.

WA1215

1st, get some inspiration from these websites/stores.  Inspiration doesnt mean you have to buy from there either, get the idea and either find it cheaper elsewhere or make it!

Pottery Barn has some gorgeous stuff- and JCPenney will copy a lot of their stuff (cheaper!).

I love to check out Grandin Road, Frontgate, Crate and Barrel, CB2, Macy's, Hobby Lobby, MIchaels, Old Time Pottery, etc.

http://sites.google.com/site/theholidaydecorbio/

Come over to D&R, the girls over these have some awesome blogs and bios that will give you TONS of ideas  Have fun!!! 

BlackBeansNRice

I havent seen the initial wreaths you are talking about.  Is the wreath itself shaped into a letter?  Or is there just a letter ornament on the wreath itself?

This will be my mine and my DH's second Christmas together as a married couple.  Our first Christmas together was in 2007, and I went WAAAYYY overboard trying to buy everything all at once.  Unfortunately, I really didnt make wise decisions about what I bought, because I really dont like any of it now.

Anyway, last Christmas I decided to re-build my Christmas decoration collection.  Instead of going nuts and trying to get it all at once, I decided to gradually build it.  I got rid of a lot of the old stuff I didnt like and donated it to a local hospital, then spent the last year hitting up estate sales and garage sales, along with antique markets and craft stores.  I LOVE stuff that looks old and handcrafted, and that is unique. Eventhough I havent come anywhere near completing my Christmas collection, I absolutely LOVE the stuff I have found, and my husband and I have had a lot of fun finding/making them.

As far as what I am getting my husband this year, due to the econom, I went from making 40,000 a year to 4,000 a year, so he gets a homecooked dinner and lots of love.  I will probably get him one major gift, but unfortunately, a big Christmas is out of the question this year as far as gifts are concerned.

JoShan1719

I'm a little late, but Big Lots always has very affordable items. DH and I went last year and bought all of our decorations, stockings, and lights for about $50.

Happyappy

I love Target, Pottery Barn, Hobby Lobby, and Old Time Pottery for holiday decor. Last year money was tight, so we bought our Christmas stuff after the holiday. (I think everything we got was about 75% off, including a tree.) We ended up going to his families homes for Christmas.

We also have started picking up ornaments from every place we go together. 

Good luck! 

cubbymedium

Almost everything I have is from Target.

soontobeahigh

cubbymedium:

Almost everything I have is from Target.

This. I replaced most of my stuff that I have used the past 9 years we have been together. I got everything from 50-75% off right after Christmas. Can't wait to decorate my tree this year.

I haven't even thought about what to get DH. He is so hard to buy for.

MrsLele

Do you have a Home Goods store near you?  It's owned by TJ Maxx, but it's all things for the home.  I bought a few nice ornaments there this week for like $3 each.  I came home to a new PB catalog featuring the same ornaments, for $8!  I was even more excited about my purchase!

raza13

costco has a lot of great christmas stuff that you pretty much have to buy now. i bought some great ornaments since this is our first christmas married as well. it was a boxed set of 6 ornaments in a beautiful silk box for about $35. H and I aren't going all out on christmas for ourselves. I asked him to limit our gifts to about $30 or so. we are saving for our next house and we have a lot of family to buy for. i don't think the gift is as important as the time together. but i always have a gift list ready for him at pretty much all times for major holidays.

jstvisiting

In addition to the other recs, I've found wreaths and LED lights at Lowes Home Improvement (on sale before xmas too).  Kmart usually has a good selection of items.  I got our stocking holders at The Dollar Tree and ordered our stockings out of season from Land's End.

Personally, I would buy just a few basics now and do the bulk of your shopping AFTER christmas.  You will save so much $$$ that way. 

veniceforever

i love target for good unique items that are a good price

today i was at sam's and they have lots of lights, garland, wreaths, ornaments, etc..all stupid cheap...i went nuts when i only went in for salsa...LOL

for higher end stuff, william sonoma has gret table decor and pottery barn has fabulous stockings and linens but at a higher price..

i usually get my fill at target tho..

also if you live near mich, spend a day going to bronners..the worlds largest christmas store..i love love love that place..def worth a trip if you can go...amazing prices and they have everything you can ever ever ever imagine for christmas

NOV2007

My suggestion is buy what you need for this christmas, then the day after, hit the sales on christmas decorations.  I did this the year before we got married, so I was ready for the following year. 

But your never done.  Each year I add more to it.

I really like Target for decorations.  Walmart is good, b/c the stuff is inexpensive.

Not really sure where you are, but check and see if you have a christmas tree store.    Good finds there.

Here and there I pick up stuff at Ross, Marchall;s TJ Maxx.  Also, try Home Goods.

But its what you like, your taste.  Don't feel you need to buy everything single thing this year.  You have years and years to come for decorating.

ErikandAfton

I am fortuante that I have an Aunt that the minute she found out I was getting married made it her goal to purchase me oranements and other holiday items each year as christmas gifts. I have a lot of my own oranements already because as a child one of my mom's christmas tradtitions was to buy us a christmas oranment every year. 

 This is DH and my first christmas married so we will contiune to add to our oranment collection, as well as other holiday items. I found that Kohl's has a lot of great holiday decorating items, I just bought our Christmas tree skirt there, and just love it. I will be making our stockings as I have a lot of free time this semester since Im taking a break from school. And I wanted them to be something special that meant something to both of us!