12 Days of Christmas! I Christmas House Tour Video & Giveaway. {CLOSED}
Welcome to the 12 Days of Christmas!
I am SO excited to share with you guys that every day for the next 12 days, I’ll be vlogging (think day in the life, waaaay oversharing, Q+A videos), sharing the video here on Crumbs (and on youtube!) and holding a giveaway of my favorite things!
Here’s a peek at some of the Christmas decor in our home. So sorry if I make you nauseaus with my shaky camera skills and poor editing – I’m still learning! There are a few things I left out because I have constant #mombrain and either forgot or wasn’t able to get it together in time. Things like my favorite mini Lenox nativity set (I have no idea where to place it this year, since Max will shatter it), the Pottery Barn Kids advent/Christmas countdown calendar (that is sewn completely crooked but I refused to send back because I opened it ON the first day of advent and was determined to have a cute calendar… ), our favorite Christmas pillows and outdoor lights, etc. I wanted to wait until everything was perfect, but if I waited, I knew I’d never do it and I’ve wanted to make videos FOREVER now.
The first year we were married, Eddie surprised me and bought a tree, decorated it and made his man cave apartment a winter wonderland for us. It was actually the second tree he bought, because the first was waaaay too big, but final sale. So we ended up with two trees! That year, we put up two trees and bought lots of ornaments at Michael’s and Joann’s. That’s where the majority of our ornaments are from, along with a few Martha Stewart from Macy’s that are about eight years old and some new ones from Michael’s this year that I bought for the white tree.
I bought the white tree last year at Treetopia on sale after Christmas. The copper/blue tree is from Target this year, and by far my favorite one. The red/green decorated tree is from Frontgate and will hopefully last us a million years.
My mom made our house incredibly magical when I was growing up. In fact, she still does and I’m hoping that I can get a video of hers before these 12 days are up! She’d stay up all night for days to turn the house into a Christmas wonderland for my brothers and me. It was the most magical time EVER.
Needless to say, I’ve been a complete Christmas freak since I was a kid. When school started up again, I’d wake up early and go downstairs just so I could sit by the Christmas tree in January before we got on the bus. It was my absolute favorite!
Eddie and I were determined to make our house as Christmasy as we could for Max this year. Eddie decorated gingerbread houses for eight hours because he is a perfectionist, and even set up his own tree downstairs in the basement that I didn’t get to capture. It has been so much fun and I love sitting under the lights every night.
Enjoy! And scroll down for giveaway #1!
GIVEAWAY!
Every day for the next 12 days until Christmas I’ll be giving away some of my favorite things. I want to show every bit of my appreciation for you guys sticking here with me for over seven years, reading the rambles that I write and making my recipes and leaving comments and supporting me 100%. Even when I write horrific run-on sentences and use 34 exclamation points in one post. And say “literally.” Ugh.
THANK YOU so much for being here. You changed my life and I am forever grateful for you.
Today I’m giving away a mirrorless camera! If you read my favorites post, you know I use one all the time and I even shot a few pieces of the video here with mine. I was super excited to giveaway the Samsung nx300 that I always talk about, but unfortunately it’s no longer available. Instead, I’m giving away the comparable Sony alpha a6000, which I’ve even considered switching to. This giveaway is not sponsored or affiliated with anyone and is given by me. It is open to EVERYONE EVERYWHERE! Wahoo.
To enter: leave a comment on this post sharing your favorite holiday memory!
For a second entry: SUBSCRIBE to the howsweeteats youtube channel. There is a red button on the right side and you will only be notified when I upload a new video. This is the best way to be notified of a new video/giveaway in these 12 days too! Leave a comment telling me you did so.
For a third entry: follow howsweeteats on instagram. Leave a comment telling me you did so.
The giveaway will only be open for 24 hours (!!) so be sure to enter and share! A winner will be picked at random. Come back for a new video and giveaway tomorrow. xoxo
1,439 Comments on “12 Days of Christmas! I Christmas House Tour Video & Giveaway. {CLOSED}”
One of my favorite holiday memories was when I was young kid. We had had an unusually dry winter with no snow. Then, on Christmas morning, it finally snowed!! It was incredibly magical.
Gathering at the top of the stairs with my cousins. Waiting for the adults to let us down to see what Santa brought.
I’m following you on Youtube and Instagram!
One of my favorites memories is going out to cut down our Christmas tree with my dad every year.
My favorite holiday memory is always Christmas Eve night. We make lots of appetizers/finger foods (my fave) and my grandparents come over and spend the night ❤️ Quality family time is the best!
Following on Instagram!
mine is i cooked for my family when i was young for christmas and it was so bad but we laughed through it and i hear it almost all the time at least once in a 3 year span i follow you on you tube and instagram
My sister and I would wake up unreasonably early (like 3am) Christmas morning, and get into bed together and listen to our parents still up wrapping gifts. As soon as we heard them finally go to bed in the wee hours of the morning, we would get up and open stockings. 25 years later, that’s still my fondest Christmas annual tradition memory!
I remember sleeping under the christmas tree and trying to wait up for santa.
I follow you on instagram!
I subscribed to your youtube page.
I follow you on instagram
Growing up we would always open one present on Christmas eve, and then wake up in the morning on Christmas Day, have toast with an assortment of fun jams and open the rest of our presents. A lot of times the family would have matching christmas pajamas :) always very fun.
I also followed you on instagram! Love the camera
My favourite Christmas memory is Christmas Eve at my grandfather’s house. We’d have a big family dinner with lots of ceremony, open presents, then walk across the road and up the hill for midnight Mass. Then we’d drive home; and if it was snowing, the night was completely magical.
My mom and dad using the see saw intended for my sister and I in the living room (also wondering how Santa managed to get that thing down the chimney! )
Following on YouTube!
Following on Instagram!
My favorite memories are always from waking up super early on Christmas Day, opening presents, then stuffing all of us in the car to go to both grandmas’ house. We would then open presents at their houses and eat an amazing Christmas brunch. (And my Grama made the bed egg casserole ever). I always was completely obsessed with Christmas and I love tradition. It’s still my favorite part of Christmas!
Mine is when 4 years ago, my then brand new boyfriend (still with him) made me hike up a mesa in 7 degrees and snow. When we got to the top, he’d decorated the one tree up there with solar powered twinkle lights and brought glog in a Thermos for us to drink while we listened to Charlie Brown Christmas songs on his portable speaker. Romance!
Following you on Instagram.
A toss up between getting engaged and surprising all our family or making candy cane Christmas cookies with my Granny.
Decorating our tree as a family! We’d load up the CD player with Christmas CDs, have egg nog, and a lot of fun!
I follow on Instagram!
Follow on Instagram alsi
Christmas tree hunting! We always go out to the woods, in the snow, to find out Christmas tree. They always look like Charlie Brown trees, but I love it!
Also already following you on ig and YouTube :)
The cookie platters – creating them & then constantly replenishing them as the family did round-robin style visiting the week between Christmas and NYE!
Following on Insta!
Love your decor! My favorite holiday memory/tradition is decorating the day after thanksgiving so we can enjoy the decorations as long as possible.
When I was a child we hired a villa in Spain for a holiday – It was amazing, and I still remember all the wildlife I found walking around the local paths
I subscribed to your YouTube channel.
I follow you on Instagram.
Following on YouTube – any reason to share the holiday magic even more!
On Christmas Eve we went to go see the lights in the city park nearby. It was unusually warm and we were walking around (instead of driving thru) with all our cousins/siblings which only happens a few times a year and I got to laughing so hard I peed my pants !!!!
My favorite holiday memory happens every year – my entire family and close family-friends gathers at my home on Christmas Eve (there’s about 20 of us) for a lovely meal (my mom does all the cooking, I do all the baking), open a few presents (since it’s just immediate family that opens presents on Christmas morning), listen to Christmas music, and sit by the beautiful fireplace and ornate Christmas tree. I’m so grateful and blessed to relive this memory and quality time with family each year, at Christmastime.
My favorite memory from Christmas as a child was waking up super early and checking to see what santa had brought me. Obviously then waking up my parents and we would get to open up our stockings.
My favorite memory now is me and my fiancé go and get sushi on Christmas Eve, and then go home and exchange gifts next to the fire!
❤️
Following you on YouTube!!
I subscribed to the howsweeteats YouTube channel.
Following you on instagram!
I follow howsweeteats on Instagram.
My favorite Christmas memory is of my first Christmas with my husband as hubby and wife. He is from Italy and we moved back there right after we got married. We spent our first Christmas with his family, only one of whom speaks English. My Italian was a little rusty, so when my husband’s aunt tried asking us a question about our wedding, I couldn’t quite understand what she was saying. She proceeded to ask her daughter who speaks very little English, then the daughter’s boyfriend who also spoke very little English, which made matters worse. She also tried to speak more loudly like I was deaf. Finally the other daughter (the only other family member who speaks English) came to help only to realize that she couldn’t even understand what her mother was asking in Italian! It was a loud, hilarious, overwhelming Italian Christmas!
And I follow you on Instagram!
Aaaaand just followed on YouTube!
My favorite holiday memory is going to church Christmas Eve, driving around afterwards to look at Christmas lights, then going home to eat Christmas cookies and open presents (a tradition on my mom’s side of the family!) Love your blog, you are so talented, you did a fantastic job decorating your home for Christmas!!
after all these years your blog is still one of my favorites. xoxo
Omg. I’ve been eyeing the a6000 for so long! My favorite holiday memory is probably circa 1998ish. My siblings and I were obsessed with Hot Wheels so my dad bought loads and loads of them. Then we drew numbers and all got to go through picking a car each turn until they were all divided. We all ended up with tons of new Hot Wheels we specifically chose and I remember thinking it was such a fun Christmas morning.
Long time instagram follower of course!
And just subscribed on youtube! So excited for this little vlog series!!!
My favorite Christmas memory is going to Christmas Eve mass with my family and hearing the Italian women in the choir sing about thr bambino. Our church had a balcony in the back which is where the chrior was seated. Because the balcony was so high up, I couldn’t see the choir and always thought that the songs were coming from the Angels in heaven!
I remember as a child seeing Santa walking down our street on Christmas Day. I really believed it was him!
Uff, my favourite Christmas memory would have to be decorating the tree every year with my family. We would do it the first Christmas weekend, decide which colour scheme we would have this year and just go to town! My dad only strung up the lights, but it still felt like a group effort. Plus, the tree always looked so magical!
I’m already following you on Instagram and Youtube (love the short recipe videos!)