Merry and Bright

 Normally I'm a "wait until after Thanksgiving to start Christmas" kind of gal.

But I'm also not normally 9 months pregnant this time of year. 

So-let the DIY Christmas posts begin! 

 We have shutters hanging on either side of our dining room window. I like that they are so easy to change, to keep up with the seasons or my current decorating mood.  For the Christmas/winter season I knew I wanted them to say "Merry and Bright". It is one of the happiest sayings to me.  You can hardly say or write it without thinking of something that's merry and bright in your world.
******
To make the banners I followed the same directions as my "Just Imagine" banner tutorial, found here.  I just made a mini version. I hot-glued the jute across the top of the garland and then taped it to the shutters, making it very easy for me to remove in a few months.  

Where could you hang a favorite saying in your house?

 We recently had an arbor built onto our back deck.  It is so nice and perfect for playing under and parties.  It looked beautiful during the day, but lacked a warm, inviting feel at night (which is sadly starting around 5:15).

 So on our date night this weekend Brett and I picked up some globe lights on the Christmas aisle at Target. He hung them up....instant "Merry and Bright"-right?
I just love the atmosphere they've created! 

You can find similar lights here.  Ours cost $8.99 per box in the store.  Much cheaper than other string lights I've had my eyes on for months......(and months).

What do you plan on doing to include some "Merry and Bright" into these dark, cold nights?