Tastefully Griswolding it

I interrupt this just-begun NYC series to bring you our Christmas House for 2011! (The series of posts regarding our Thanksgiving trip will continue at a later date. I make no promises for continuity. But eventually, all six days will definitely be documented. Guaranteed.)

Oh! I just love Christmastime! And I love coming home to our festive Christmas house!! I really enjoyed our outside decor last year, but this time we upped the ante with lights!! Lots of lights! (That we bought in after Christmas sales, last year. Sneaky.)

It took an entire weekend to complete, and we joked that our house was going to look very Griswoldian when it was all finished. But I think Brad was able to pull it off in a more tasteful, classic way than the classic vacationers. I love that there are wreaths, garland and bows to enjoy during the daytime, as well as pretty lights to see at night! (The bows on the mailbox were Brad's surprise touch. He pretends that he does all of this for my benefit, but he totally loves it, too!)

And look at these super adorable, super cheap, super easy little Christmas trees I made out of upside-down tomato cages, some garland, and a coupld strands of twinkling lights. I'm not generally crafty, but I really like the way these turned out! And they oh-so-conveniently hide our very occupied outlet by the front door. [Thanks, Pinterest!]

And now, the grand unveiling of our Christmas House at night! *Drumroll* Isn't it just magical?? Brad decided to add lights even to the garland draped on the railing, and Charles had some extra net lights for the bushes to complete the whole scene.

The lights go all of the way back on both sides of the house. Thanks to our automatic timer, this is the pretty view I get to see as I drive through our neighborhood to our house every day. Ahh...

I really like how our entryway turned out. I feel like it's so warm and inviting. I love the glowing lights outlining the house and the twinkling lights on the mini trees and the fact that you can see our Christmas tree through the window, as well as the shadows of the bows. What a very happy, pretty time of year. :)

And to be honest, I'm really glad the exterior decorations all turned out so well, because it was a pretty scary process to hang them. Brad climbed all of the way to the very peak of our steep roof and down each side attaching lights every few inches. I could only watch long enough to take these few shots, and then I had to go in before I got too nervous. Kris volunteered to throw boxes of lights up to him, and even to "catch him if he fell." (How very kind of him.) Even with his fear of  heights, he climbed out onto our porch roof to provide some assistance. I guess he was just returning the favor from last year (and again, this year). Thankfully, another friend brought some extension ladders the next day to finish off the sides of the roof where it was too dangerous to venture from the shingles. Good friends are good to have. Jussayin...

Tonight, our HOA is hosting a community walk to view all of the houses in the neighborhood, and then they're awarding a $50 gift card to one winner with the best decorated home. Our fingers are crossed that we'll make the cut!

**Update: We totally won! Holla!!!