Crafts and Decorating

How I get past the "No more Christmas decorations" doldrums:

So, January 1st rolls around, and I have to take down all the Christmas decorations. I LOVE Christmas, and I LOVE decorating, so of course this is a big task. And a depressing one. The house looks so cozy and festive over the holidays, with the lights and trees and sparkly awesomeness everywhere. Then....ugh. 

The house looks bare. Empty. Sad. So...I have developed a solution that makes me happy :)

I decorate, I mean REALLY decorate for Valentine's Day. It actually is a pretty simple transition from the Christmas decor. I leave my red garland and white lights on my mantle. I leave the red candles out all over the house. Sometimes I just swap out the filler in large candle holders, from Christmas items like ornaments or pine cones, to hearts, candy, etc. 

Four of my six kiddos have birthdays in the first weeks of February, so it truly is a celebration at our home. The decorations make it seem that their birthdays are right around the corner. I even have one little man whose birthday IS Valentine's Day!  Being "Mr. Wright, born on Valentine's Day does give him the best future pick up lines ever, right?) I also want them to see how much I LOVE them, and that this day isn't just about romance....

Valentine's Day is about love. LOVE. So, let's celebrate it! Let's celebrate our relationships with our husbands in front of our kids! Keep the mushy-gushy alive for them to see. Tell them your love story. My kids love hearing about how we met, our first date, and all the details. So, as part of celebrating this holiday, I put wedding pics out as well.

I also make crafty things (usually using Heritage Makers) that celebrate the MOST AMAZING love story of all time - God's love for us. His love for us is so deep, so wide, and so awesome! Now THAT is worth celebrating.