Christmas Nutcracker Mantel

Welcome to Purple Chocolat Home - haha I just almost 

typed Purple Holiday Home - which it sure is!  

My favorite thing about Christmas is decorating my 

home.  Hubby loves it all so much, that he wants to 

fill our house with people and celebrate!  Sometimes 

he can think of way more parties than I can pull together, 

so we have to compromise on that.  

I decided I was going to cut back this year on buying 

anything new, and I was pretty successful.  So I 

was laying in bed thinking about my mantel, and 

decided to move some things around this year.  

These wonderful metallic painted nutcrackers 

were purchased at Home Goods about 4 years ago and 

have moved from spot to spot.  This year I decided 

to move them to the mantel.  While I was lying in bed 

pondering this, I wondered if I could put my champagne 

colored trees (from Hobby Lobby), that I have had for years

 up on the mantel with the nutcrackers.  I wasn't sure they 

would fit up there.

As you can see, our fireplace is so tall and generally my mantel 

decor has been dwarfed by the columns and mirror.  The trees 

fit perfectly on both shelves, and I think it is the most magical 

mantel I have created, without adding anything but a touch more 

of pink since last year.

I had the pink ribbons flowing down last year, and the 

beads are a soft pink, but I added the pink florals and the 

draping florals in pink this year. 

 I really love this, so I will probably do this 

again next year, or a variation of it with the trees 

lighting up the mantel.  

It truly is my one of my favorite spots in the house. 

Thanks for spending time with me this Christmas 

season!

Santa's Village

Welcome to our entry, where our two life-size 

nutcrackers stand guard over Santa's Village. 

For some reason I have never blogged about 

my Dept. 56 village - North Pole Series, but 

it is definitely the favorite of the little ones.  

They climb up on the piano bench and look 

in fascination.

I have had these working nutcrackers for over 

20 years, and the Santa's Village has been a 

collection for over 25 - since the children 

were little.  The white piano creates the perfect 

snowy backdrop for the village.  

The centerpiece of the village is Santa's castle, which 

actually wasn't from the North Pole collection, but 

from another of Dept. 56's collection, but it was 

sparkly and covered with glitter like the North Pole, 

so I purchased it.  Hubby liked it so much that 

he wanted me to get one for each of our children

so they could each have one before they were 

discontinued.  So when they were all still living 

at home, they received one for a Christmas present.  

Mrs. Claus is busy everywhere.  She skates with 

Santa, 

and hands out cookies to the elves,

and even working in her greenhouse. Elves are working 

furiously everywhere in preparation for Christmas. 

Minnie is busy baking too,

baking and delivering pies,

and Mickey-shaped cookies.

My Patience Brewster house is one of my 

favorites, with it's whimsical high heels 

and boa accents. 

The favorite of the little ones is the gum drop factory, 

because the row of gum drops move. 

There is something magical about the details of the 

houses.  

I used to get a new one every year, but I ran out of 

room on this snowy landscape.  I have added some of 

the gingerbread themed houses to my kitchen display, since 

they were so adorable, and I couldn't resist!

My daughters love receiving new ones each 

year, but the one that makes me smile the most 

is my youngest son, who is now 25.  He loves 

them the most of my boys.  He remembers climbing 

on the piano bench and staring at them for hours, 

just like the little ones do now.  

There is something magical about miniatures. 

I love my peppermint walkway leading to the castle, 

and the little bridge that goes over it. 

Another of my favorites is Santa's balloon trying 

to escape.

And the one the kids find the funniest is 

this one with a reindeer sitting in the hot tub.  

If you haven't figured me out yet, I love whimsy and 

magic, and creating magic for my little ones in my 

decor and entertaining.  I love watching them run 

into the house, delighting in all of the fun.  

Even though they can easily reach the village, for 

the most part they are very good not to touch or 

break it.

They love this one too with the spyglass 

circling around and around.

For years, when the kids were younger, I didn't 

always put it out because it was so much work getting 

it out of the boxes, but then I decided these weren't 

collector items, but family items, so I removed them 

from the boxes, threw the boxes away, and stored them 

in under-the-bed type storage boxes with paper towels 

between the boxes.  So now, I can set the whole village 

up, and light it in 45 minutes.  Now it is the first 

thing I set up every year, and it is the first thing 

the children see when they walk through the door.

Just one note about my giant nutcracker soldiers - 

they were sold at Costco all those years ago.  I bought 

them and didn't have a way to get them home, so my 

sister Joni ran home to get her truck and we brought 

them home.  Costco has never had them again - they 

have had ones that don't actually function as nutcrackers, 

but in almost every Hallmark Christmas movie, you can see 

these big guys!

Gingerbread Kisses Tablescape

Gingerbread kiss and Christmas wishes,

that is what this table is made of.

I am in love with little gingerbread houses

and gingerbread accessories, which bring

such magic to the home.

This big gingerbread house was one I found

years ago, and because it isn't edible,

it lasts year after year.

We made gingerbread houses with the grandkids

Thankgiving Evening.  I have always loved

the magic of making gingerbread, and I

actually tried storing some of my creations

over the years, but they didn't hold up well.

I am in love with Department 56 North Pole

Series gingerbread homes, as they light

up my home.

They are so fun and the grandkids love to look

at them.  They are so good about not touching.

This little elf is bringing another gingerbread

man to make the fence around this house.

Of course nutcrackers are another of my

loves, and this gingerbread maker is really

special.

Hobby Lobby had a collection of gingerbread

accessories this year - this lamp post,

a fence,

this darling mailbox and a bench, a tree

and gingerbread figures.  But if you didn't snag it 

early, it is probably gone.  I went in last week and

four rows of Christmas had been cleared out and

they were filling them with non-holiday wall

pictures.  Ahhhh!  I guess they start early and

clean out early!!  Glad I grabbed them when I

did!!

The table is set in pink and white with

candy cane napkins.

I made these years ago with my serger - 

cutting out a 17 inch square and serging the

edges of the fabric.  They are some of my favorite

Christmas napkins.

We even have a cupcake snowglobe with

a gingerbread house inside.

I chose my DuBarry sterling flatware,

as it is so intricate and ornate.  My friend Joanne

had this and I fell in love and was able to find

a whole set on eBay.

Of course gingerbread goes with

chocolates - displayed on darling 

pedestals.

My pink Fostoria was my mother's.  My 

darling niece inherited them and then

gave them to me 25 years later.  Mom 

has been gone a long, long time, but I

always think of her and wish she were here.

She was the first into computers and photography

in our family and would have loved digital

cameras, cell phones, and definitely blogging!

She would also have loved Home Goods - as

there weren't a lot of inexpensive kitchen and

dish stores then.  My dad always gave her a 

beautiful glass bowl for Christmas and they

collected cut glass bowls.  He had a fine

appreciation for beautiful things - but they

were only available in expensive department

stores.

What would she think of all of the lovely

things that are available now!?

Everything is placed on my snowy white fur

runner with a crystal garland.  Oh how I love magical

Christmas things!

My goal is always to create a little

magic at Purple Chocolat Home.

And do the grandkids appreciate it!

I will be posting with

Tablescapes Thursdays

Foodie Friday

Pink Saturday

Dishing It and Digging It

and 

Share Your Cup