It's that time of year...

It's that time of year!  The Holiday season can mean many different things...for some it is a time to see loved ones that you don't get to see very often, for others it may be a time of reflecting on the things/people/experiences that you are most thankful for, for southerners it may be that special time of year that men decide to propose to their one and only (unfortunatelyyy, I don't see much of that happening up here in the North! ;) ).  For me?...this is time of year that I get to decorate the house and make it feel the homiest it has all year!!   
Now I must admit - I decorated Paul's home instead of my own.  I really don't have a good reason besides the fact that he has a fireplace mantel, nice archway over the kitchen, and stair railings...and back in November I could envision how I would decorate them all.  Marcia (my roommate) put up a beautiful, real Christmas tree in our apartment and we have Christmas cards displayed throughout...so I of course I didn't want to neglect Paul's place! 
You may notice that one thing is missing...a Christmas Tree!  I decided to wait for "our" Christmas tree...maybe next year?? hehe.  We definitely have enough ornaments for it...
Since we didn't get a Christmas Tree this year, I displayed some of the ornaments (mostly Paul's) throughout the house.  Santa is making his way across the globe planning out his route for Christmas Eve! 
I love these Santa ornaments that Paul has, they are regal and sit on the mantel beautifully!
Speaking of ornaments.....  Below are our boxes of ornaments....can you tell which one is Paul's and which one is mine?  I found it quite humorous...every little boy needs his Waterford ornament! :)
Paul was not a fan of the garland sheddings....
We finished this puzzle pretty quickly and wound up competing to finish our sections in the very end.  I am surprised how much fun we had - my enjoyment might be because I am better than Paul at puzzles (finally something)!  Notice the homemade waffles in the back?? That was the last of about 30 that we ate...food coma (aka nap) came soon after. It was the perfect Saturday Morning in December.