Decorations
My house does not look like an HGTV ‘after’ shot…the before shot, we have down. We have a home we adore, but we LIVE in it. We have lived here for two decades with dogs and kids! It is a lovely home that shows signs of the active life that has been lived here. Pictures flash through my mind of big family Christmas gatherings, birthday parties, playdates. Not crisp, like homes captured in the pages of magazines, but bursting with love.
So, when it comes time to decorate for the holidays, I pull out a bin from the basement with treasures from my childhood and Dave’s, passed down to us from our parents. Each year, when the kids come home with their art projects, I would put them in the bin as well and they became part of our holiday décor. Just kids’ paintings, or turkeys or finger-painted corn, placed on the walls with painter’s tape so we could easily remove them after the celebration.
Added Bonus
These special, personalized decorations were totally free. More money for pumpkin pie ingredients and football snacks can only be described as a big win!
Share This Post
About the Author
Erica Mauro is a mom to two teenage boys, Will who is neurotypical and Michael with Autism and cognitive delays. She holds a BA in Psychology from Colgate University and a Masters of Psychology in Education from Columbia Teacher’s College. Before staying home with her children, she worked as an elementary school teacher. For five years, she served on the Board of Directors of the Molly Ann Tango Memorial Foundation, a charity dedicated to enriching the lives of children with special needs. In partnership with her husband Dave, she aspires to parent by using daily life as an opportunity for therapeutic intervention, seizing on real experiences as opportunities to build skills and strategies for Michael in a joyful, loving home environment. On the tougher early days, she just tried to get everyone safely to bedtime and start fresh in the morning. *wink* 
Let's Connect
Subscribe to our newsletter for more updates