Santa is a key element of this simple Christmas mantel decor idea. The mantel display began with these five pieces, a Santa bust, a black book to elevate the Santa bust, a Merry Christmas framed piece, and a ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ sign I bought a few years ago.
Next, I decided to add the old clock to balance the Santa bust on the left side of the Merry Christmas sign. Following the inspiration from the poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” by Clement C. Moore, I added the little iron mouse on the left side in front of the sign.
Christmas Ornament Garland
A few years ago, you may remember a post on how to easily create a Christmas ornament garland. ◄ You can find it here.
The Christmas ornament garland adds a lot of color and interest to the mantel.
Shopping Trip
At this point, I ran out to Hobby Lobby and found the “Believe” sign and what I thought was a perfect addition, the little red truck with the Christmas tree in the back.
The store was packed that day and I stood in the check-out line for a long time. After paying for everything and depositing the packages in the trunk, I started for home, anxious to finish the mantel display.
Once home, I carried in the bags and set them on the kitchen table. Opening the first bag, I retrieved the “Believe” sign and placed it on the right side of the mantel.
On this trip, I also bought another Nutcracker to add to the Nutcracker collection I started for my grandson, Aidan, several years ago. I unwrapped the Nutcracker and placed him alongside the others in the collection.
Sudden Realization – Missing Truck
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Then, it dawned on me that there was no red truck. I went back to the car, opened the trunk, and moved the little soft-sided insulated cooler and a black and white print collapsible market basket that I always keep in the trunk. My little market basket came from a shop in Swansboro, North Carolina several years ago. I love it!
Alas, there was nothing else. No bag. No truck.
In my mind, I retraced my steps from the checkout register to the car. Figuring I left the package on the counter, I called the store. An employee, Becky, checked the counter where I checked out and found nothing. She suggested coming back and going over the video with management.
On Monday morning, I went back to find out what had happened to and hopefully, retrieve my little truck. Luckily, Becky had found it sitting on the register on the other side of the one where I had purchased it.
In my opinion, this little red truck was a perfect addition, and I believe you can see it is.
Lighting
A few weeks ago, Dave went shopping, presumably at Harbor Freight, Home Depot, or somewhere that sells fishing tackle. When he returned, he brought me this roll of copper wire lights. At the time, I thought it a little strange, but whatever.
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These Copper wire lights are battery-operated and there’s a little remote to turn them off and on. They are actually perfect for this use.
At this point, I was pretty happy with the mantel, but a few more red Christmas ornaments tucked here and there added to the display.
The mantel is teenager-approved. My granddaughter said she liked it. It isn’t as busy as some of the displays I create. I’m not sure that’s a compliment. Hope you enjoy my mantel decor.
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