Well here we are again caught up in the the holiday hustle and bustle and how quickly it can get overwhelming. If you were standing in my house right now, you’d laugh at the scene inside. Well maybe not laugh, but be relieved that yes, our house is messy, and so yes, we’re perfectly normal.    

The dining table is covered in artwork and letters for Santa, the kitchen is a mess, there are bins and boxes of holiday decor everywhere, and the living room is unrecognizable because I’ve been moving furniture around again. There’s not a clear surface to be found, but I really don’t care. The messes are evidence we’ve been busy making Christmas memories.

I made a decision a few days ago to not get caught up in the craziness of the season but instead to choose a slower pace. Since Friday, we’ve started each day hiding in winter pajamas under flannel sheets and emerging on our own time, not one dictated by the clock.  We eventually dragged all the decorations out and now they’re all over the house. I managed to plant poinsettias and suspend a few ornaments on the front porch, but that’s it.  It’s simple and pretty, so I thought I’d share. And why not some thoughts on the season to go with it.       

As mothers, we set a pace or a rhythm in our homes. That pace can be chaotic, it can be crazy, or it can be be comforting. As of today, ours qualifies for all of the above, but mostly I’d like to think it’s leaning towards the latter. Sure it’s chaotic because of looming holiday burdens and oh heck yeah is it crazy because of all the holiday decor strewn about. But mostly it’s comforting because of the choice to prioritize our time spent together – it’s more important than anything else.    

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When I first got married ten years ago, I started collecting Christmas decorations.  Christmas is my favorite time of year, and I’d always dreamed of having my own home filled with the sights, sounds, and scents of the season.  Every year, I like to add something new to my growing collection.

This year I was inspired to create some decorative pillows with felt. The nice thing about felt is that it is inexpensive, it doesn’t fray, and it adds just the right amount of coziness for those upcoming winter months.  I wanted to create something bold, something stylish, but nothing too busy.  Poinsettias were my inspiration.

Here’s what I came up with:

Red version, up close:

If you want to create your own version of these simple sew poinsettia pillows, here’s the step-by-step.

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