Day 11 of 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways (with Nicki Koziarz)
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*Give Away has Ended*
It’s Day 11 of 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways!
If you’re just joining in, start at Day One here.
My guest is my friend and Proverbs 31 ministry partner Nicki Koziarz. She is an author, speaker, and fixer-upper farm dweller. She is giving us a clever holiday and winter-time decorating idea I think you are going to love. Here’s Nicki…
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Pinterest. The breeding ground of all Christmas comparisons.
From tree decorations, to the perfect wrapping ideas for gift, it’s easy to look at all this perfection on Pinterest and suddenly feel like we don’t measure up in some kind of Christmas way.
But, I want to show you that just because you can’t make a Pinterest picture transfer to real life, you can still create something beautiful.
You can let the Pinterest’s success of others encourage, not discourage you.
Recently, I was searching on Pinterest for ways to decorate my table for Christmas. This was my inspiration picture (from Tuesday Morning).
I knew I could either look at this picture and become discouraged or I could give this my best shot and see what I COULD do. Here’s three things that helped:
1. Get honest about what you do have.
Comparison loves to convince us to see everything we don’t have. And we begin to write that “if only …” dialogue in our minds. So, I looked at that inspiration picture and realized I had almost NOTHING in it. But, I took a look around my house and realized I didn’t have everything that inspiration picture had, but I had plenty of beautiful things that still fit the vibe the inspiration picture had. So I grabbed this and I grabbed that, and before I knew it, my table was full.
2. See things as enough.
Comparison loves to make us miss what’s right in front of us.
I knew those plain white candles didn’t look as lovely as the ones in the inspirational picture, but I thought about what I could do instead of what I couldn’t. And then it came to me. I went out to my yard, cut a few rosemary stems and tied them around the candle. The simplicity was beautiful to me and I saw it as more than enough. Sometimes we just need to look right in front of us, beauty is there.
3. Perfection is overrated.
Comparison also loves to convince us that if it can’t be perfect, why even try?
Well, if you look closely you’ll see that in the inspirational picture the table runner has no wrinkles. In mine? Well, there’s a few! (smile) And I’m okay with it. Because someone once said, “Finished is better than perfect.” I agree. And hey, I’m sure my guests this Christmas won’t even notice the wrinkles.
What ideas do you have for decorating for the holidays? What are some simple items you put out to make your place festive? Let us know in the comment thread.
Happy decorating,
Nicki
Day 11 Giveaway
To help you keep you filled up with confidence this Christmas season and not let comparison compromise you, Nicki is giving away a copy of her newest book, Why Her?, her Rachel & Leah Bible study book, and a special signed copy of The Fixer Upper Farm Co. Journal! A combined $50 value.
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Nicki Koziarz is a wife, mom, two-time best selling author and speaker. She and her husband own a farm they affectionately call, “The Fixer Upper Farm”. They are first generation farmers, which is just a fancy way of saying they have no idea what they are really doing. Nicki has been featured on Life Today and contributes to the First 5 writing team at Proverbs 31 Ministries.
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I don’t really have a gift for decorating so we get along with our hodge podge decorations and kids homemade school ornaments for our tree. We like it this way and maybe later on I will be able to start a little more of a collection!
I try to focus on what’s important to me when decorating and that is often in a Pinterest picture. I try to highlight my advent wreath or something my kids made for me. I try to highlight different things each year so it makes it feel new and fun! Using what you already have is such a great idea. I also love the thrift shop idea in one of the comments.
I love adding small touches of Christmas decor all around our house in each room. We have lots of lights inside. I add them over our kitchen cabinets, and even on my real houseplants just for an extra fun touch!
I keep it simple and old school with a decorated tree and my mom’s Spode collection for the table.
As a mama of littles, we kept our decorating to a minimum this year but we do have a huge stack of Christmas books and a toy nativity set that both my girls love playing with.
I love Christmas decorating and could totally go to the extreme! I was so happy to add a second tree this year. It’s kust simple white with white lights and topper. It’s so nice in our family room. I love candles, and the extra soft lights that Christmas brings!
I love how you used things around your house! I love to do thrift store Christmas decorations and restore them with spray paint or some other fun way to change them up.
I always put out a festive table runner and my felted ball garland (in green, red, and white!)
I like to decorated with snow/winter themed items. That way I can leave them out until Valentine’s Day, so snowmen, snowflakes, and white decor are my go-to decorations.
I like to look but I also like to do my own thing. I should say my husband does his thing. He enjoys decorating and I enjoy watching him. This has worked for 41 years.
I enjoy putting up lights, our kids get so excited about them and decorating the tree
Everyone tells me I’m too crafty haha is there such a thing? I took empty gallon paint cans drilled holes in them making different patterns in each like a snowman, a sled, a tree etc. made a tree shape out of them then drilled holes in the back ran lights in the back then lit it up.
Oh my goodness I would love to read this book!!! So hard to keep comparison to a minimum in our social media driven world.
We have a simple tree, and a nativity :)
I am facing an empty nest as a single parent. Parenting is my ministry. I am feeling isolated and scared. I hope God reveals my purpose as this season changes. Thank you for the 12 Days.
On our Christmas tree, we didn’t fill it up like you would see on the perfect tree. We used our color scheme of purple, gold, green along with green , silver, and gold garland for our perfect but simple tree. The icing on the cake us that my two month old granddaughter loves it. Especially with the lights twinkling on it.
Thanks for the tips!
This year I finished (yes I started it last year!) making my snowmen out of 2×4 “junk” pieces left from my in laws construction job. I LOVE your inspiration pic but yes, I struggle with having the “right” stuff too. Love how yours turned out!
Pinecones make for fun decorations.
Looks beautiful! Last year my daughter and I made lanterns from picture frames from the $1 store. Yes, it was a Pinterest idea. We filled the lanterns with Christmas bulbs and lights and they looked beautiful!
I have recently discovered just going outside to pick a few tree branches to decorate.
Your table turned out beautiful, Nicki. I love decorating, and do the same thing. Look for ideas but know that whatever it is I’m working on will be my own creation and not “Pinterest perfect.” Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Yes, I LOVE Pinterest. Many great ideas for inspiration. I am with you when it comes to all the expectations that some posts may leave you frustrated in trying to achieve. Comparison and perfection comes at a price, and I have lost joy in both. Thank you for the reminder to keep it all in healthy perspective so that we too, can find the joy in creativity <3
Love This!
I found a great lantern at Marshall’s and filled it with some glass multi colored Christmas ball ornaments. Looks festive and it was so easy and inexpensive
Thank you for sharing! I have started to do the same thing and “shop” in my house and embellish what I already have. Beautiful ideas-