One of my favorite new decorative items is also one of the least expensive- word art. Several bloggers offer free downloadable art (Craftily Ever After is one of my favorites) that you can either print at home or send to a photo lab. I usually send mine to our local Sam's Club, which has the advantage of being both close and inexpensive (a 4x6 is a mere 13 cents).
The prints are also really easy to store. I just leave mine in the frames and pull the prints for the current season to the front. As you can see, I have prints from both my Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations tucked behind the Christmas print in this 4x6 frame.
This apothecary jar is another staple of decorating. I filled it with a bat garland for Halloween, and now it sits filled with colored beads and glittered snowflakes. I'm a big fan of multi-use items like this that can be changed out based on the season.
I discovered that for some strange (and unknown) reason we've never had a nativity scene in our house. I rectified that situation this year with this tiny piece from Oh Merci's Etsy shop. It's somewhere around 8 inches high and 5 inches wide, so it can be moved anywhere and fit in with the decor. I love the little hand-painted details and look forward to getting it out again each year.
Stockings (with shiny, sparkly new hooks!) and one of my mini trees that my brother and I have had since we were really little. Oh, and some rockin' Becky Higgins word art.
I missed my nutcracker collection last year when I didn't put it out, so I made sure to find a place for it this year. I started with them all lined up on the mantle, but it looked too busy. I moved them to take up a couple of cubes in the dining room Expedit, and they're much happier there. :)
Tomorrow I'll share photos of the tree. I took so many photos of ornaments that it needs a post of its own!