The mantelpiece is by far my favourite spot to decorate for Christmas and it will be done before any of the other decorations are put up. So they are easily to hand and because they are quite precious the selection of items for the mantel are kept separately in a box in the house and not with the rest of the decorations that reside in the loft.
It is an odd collection – a real assortment of little bits and pieces; everything that appears on my mantel (to quote a well known person) gives me joy and over time I add a few new things and remove others.
Christmas cards that I have received and loved over the years are also kept and are added to the display and as it is quite a ‘busy’ little arrangement for my normal tastes I use the cards to give it some height and balance. This must be recycling at its best! Whatever I choose to put on the mantel my lovely dad is always amongst them.
I tend to put the things I want to display out and over the coming days I will often find myself moving and adjusting until I am satisfied. I have yet to spray the little cones with snow but that will be another day. I love the effect once the main lights are dimmed and the twinkly lights and candles are switched on.
Below are a few pictures of the same mantel going back over the years.
Just a small reminder if anyone is wanting to read the previous years posts attached to the little photos on Day 1 you need to click on the wording on the thumbnail pictures. If you just click anywhere else on the picture you will just link through to a larger picture not the actual post. I can see in my admin page that some people are having difficulty so I hope this helps.
You can also find all the previous posts for past years by clicking on the Creating Christmas picture in my sidebar.
where the journey takes me 2 
It looks beautiful. I find that I am displaying the same favoured decorations on my mantel each year and I love the tradition of doing it. X
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It was interesting for me to look back on the mantel photos and notice there are one or two cards that keep making an appearance and I hadn’t appreciated just how long I have had them. And like you it has become a tradition of its own now.xx
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Beautiful, it’s lovely to have all our favourite bits and pieces around us at this time of year isn’t it.
My Dad is on my ‘mantlepiece’ too, he always brings the magic to Christmas just as he did when we were children. ā¤ļø
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Having dad on the mantelpiece is like having him with us still at Christmas sitting quietly observing us all having fun. He always said if his family were OK he was OK and I know exactly what he means by that. I know people might think me odd but I have been known to make him a little party hat to stick on the photo when we have any family gathering at our house at Christmas just so he can join in the fun with us! ššš
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I love your mantel tradition. Creating our very own special traditions is an important part of adapting to this ever-changing journey we call life. Some traditions are let go when the kids leave homeā¦ and new ones that are more appropriate are created. Such is lifeš. I wish you much joy in preparing for Christmas.
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Thank you Mrs N. I put up fewer decorations these days and different ones to when we had the girls at home. Now we have grandchildren I expect they will change again to be more suited to their ages.š
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When we lived in Saipan- home for us- our traditions were very different. But now itās just the 2 of us in Japan. We still have a small Christmas tree and I put up a few pieces of garland and one or two knickknacksā¦ but thatās about it. Japanese donāt really celebrate Christmas like Western counties. The day after Christmas all the trees and decorations vanish from the stores!
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I’m always envious of those who have a mantel to decorate, it’s a long time since I had one. I scatter my treasures on other surfaces such as the top of the bookcase and the windowsill, but it’s not the same as a mantel somehow. I loved to see your special things, it’s like seeing old friends again when they come out, isn’t it.
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I do like the fact that we have that little focal point above the fire and I would like you use a different surface if it wasn’t there. I noticed inside all the new homes they are building around us here that they seem to have stopped putting fireplaces in altogether now in the lounge. I love to unwrap all those little tissue paper parcels once a year.š
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I’m glad I am not the only one to display cards from previous years. Some are so beautiful I can’t bear to hide them away or throw them out!
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Me too.š
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I love the random little things that I put out at Christmas. They may seem like a lot of tat to anyone else, but they have a lot of sentimental value to me. They’re like trusted old friends that make me feel the Christmas spirit every year.
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