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Day 11 of 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways (with Nicki Koziarz)

Winners announced here! Congratulations!

*Give Away has Ended*

It’s Day 11 of 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways!

If you’re just joining in, start at Day One here.

11th Annual 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways (2018) December 4-15 at karenehman.com.

My guest is my friend and Proverbs 31 ministry partner Nicki Koziarz. She is an author, speaker, and fixer-upper farm dweller. She is giving us a clever holiday and winter-time decorating idea I think you are going to love. Here’s Nicki…

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Pinterest. The breeding ground of all Christmas comparisons.

From tree decorations, to the perfect wrapping ideas for gift, it’s easy to look at all this perfection on Pinterest and suddenly feel like we don’t measure up in some kind of Christmas way.

But, I want to show you that just because you can’t make a Pinterest picture transfer to real life, you can still create something beautiful.

You can let the Pinterest’s success of others encourage, not discourage you.

Recently, I was searching on Pinterest for ways to decorate my table for Christmas. This was my inspiration picture (from Tuesday Morning).

Day 11 of 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways (2018) with Nicki Koziarz at karenehman.com. Photo: Tuesday Morning.

I knew I could either look at this picture and become discouraged or I could give this my best shot and see what I COULD do. Here’s three things that helped:

1. Get honest about what you do have.

Comparison loves to convince us to see everything we don’t have. And we begin to write that “if only …” dialogue in our minds. So, I looked at that inspiration picture and realized I had almost NOTHING in it. But, I took a look around my house and realized I didn’t have everything that inspiration picture had, but I had plenty of beautiful things that still fit the vibe the inspiration picture had. So I grabbed this and I grabbed that, and before I knew it, my table was full.

Day 11 of 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways (2018) with Nicki Koziarz at karenehman.com.

2. See things as enough.

Comparison loves to make us miss what’s right in front of us.

I knew those plain white candles didn’t look as lovely as the ones in the inspirational picture, but I thought about what I could do instead of what I couldn’t. And then it came to me. I went out to my yard, cut a few rosemary stems and tied them around the candle. The simplicity was beautiful to me and I saw it as more than enough. Sometimes we just need to look right in front of us, beauty is there.

Day 11 of 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways (2018) with Nicki Koziarz at karenehman.com.

Day 11 of 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways (2018) with Nicki Koziarz at karenehman.com.

3. Perfection is overrated.

Comparison also loves to convince us that if it can’t be perfect, why even try?

Well, if you look closely you’ll see that in the inspirational picture the table runner has no wrinkles. In mine? Well, there’s a few! (smile) And I’m okay with it. Because someone once said, “Finished is better than perfect.” I agree. And hey, I’m sure my guests this Christmas won’t even notice the wrinkles.

Day 11 of 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways (2018) with Nicki Koziarz at karenehman.com.

Day 11 of 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways (2018) with Nicki Koziarz at karenehman.com.

Day 11 of 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways (2018) with Nicki Koziarz at karenehman.com.

What ideas do you have for decorating for the holidays? What are some simple items you put out to make your place festive? Let us know in the comment thread.

Happy decorating,

Nicki

Day 11 Giveaway

To help you keep you filled up with confidence this Christmas season and not let comparison compromise you, Nicki is giving away a copy of her newest book, Why Her?, her Rachel & Leah Bible study book, and a special signed copy of The Fixer Upper Farm Co. Journal! A combined $50 value.

Day 11 of 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways (2018) with Nicki Koziarz at karenehman.com.

Day 11 of 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways (2018) with Nicki Koziarz at karenehman.com.

Day 11 of 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways (2018) with Nicki Koziarz at karenehman.com.

Day 11 of 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways (with Nicki Koziarz) at karenehman.com.

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Nicki Koziarz is a wife, mom, two-time best selling author and speaker. She and her husband own a farm they affectionately call, “The Fixer Upper Farm”. They are first generation farmers, which is just a fancy way of saying they have no idea what they are really doing. Nicki has been featured on Life Today and contributes to the First 5 writing team at Proverbs 31 Ministries.

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12 Days of Christmas Giveaways Rules
  1. U.S. Addresses only please.
  2. You can comment on all 12 days (once per person) up until midnight Pacific time, Sunday, December 16. Start with Day One here.
  3. Share the giveaway with your friends and followers. You can use the share buttons below or repost and share on Instagram (my fave) and tag me @karenehman.
  4. One daily winner will be chosen from each day’s comments.
  5. To enter to win the Grand Prize (below), comment on all 12 posts and share on social media. 
  6. All winners (including Grand Prize) will be announced here on the blog on Tuesday, December 18, and contacted via email. Please allow 4-6 weeks to receive your prizes.
  7. If you’re not already subscribed, click HERE and you’ll receive an email notification each day of our series.

11th Annual 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways (2018) December 4-15 at karenehman.com.

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247 Comments

  1. Our advent wreath is in the middle of the dining room table. It really brings the true spirit of Christmas to our home.

  2. I love looking at Christmas ideas on Pinterest then making the items out of things I already have or make them cheaply this year I made peguins out of toliet paper holders and plastic eggs for my tree

  3. I keep things simple in my house, especially this year. I have plain garland that I hang up in the two archways from the living room and I put a pretty bow in the middle of it. Then I put my nativity up on the mantel and my stocking hangers with the stockings. I kept it very simple this year. And my tree has only the kids ornaments on it, instead of all the ornaments which felt like too many.

  4. Thank you Karen, and, and all of your guests for such great ideas! This series has been wonderfully written and I have enjoyed it so much! Merry Christmas to you all, and may God bless you all really good in the new year!

  5. You did a great job! I love the rosemary tied on the candle! And I’m sure it smells delightful! I’m all about using what I have, but when I go shopping, or spend too much time on Pinterest, I am so tempted to think I need to get more! Your writing is a beautiful reminder that comparison can be an enemy to both contentment and creativity! Thank you so much !

  6. I have a glass jar I fill with ornaments and then I put mason jars with candles and cinnamon pine cones in our year round centerpiece.

  7. Now I’m not the one to ask about decorating tips. Both of these look amazing to me! I’ve collected Mickey Mouse over the years so it looks like Disney threw up in my house right now lol but I love it! But I tell you what I love more… the point of this message! That #3 tip may have been written for ME alone!! I will be posting the “finished is better than perfection” somewhere for me to see often. Thank you! By the way, I loved your ‘Why Her?’ Book.!

  8. I have several devotional books, but I guess my favorite is “Jesus Calling”— Enjoying Peace in His Presence by Sarah Young.
    Each day speaks to me as if it is a personal love-letter from my precious Savior.
    I would also include some Bible tracts with the suggestion: “Share these with your sales-clerk, waitress,etc.”
    A mug with a Scripture passage is a lovely gift. Pair it up with some soothing caffeine-free herbal tea.
    A CD of relaxing music … Presto! Your friend will be all set for a sweet time of devotion and meditation.

    P.S. Thank you, Karen, for these wonderful 12-days of ideas for making Christmas a bit more special. Have a blessed Christmas.

  9. This is so hard, especially as a young working mom. But I loved decorating this year with (mostly) items I already had. I even used some burlap that was leftover from our wedding decor 3.5 years ago tomout around a wreath this year!

  10. Oh the comparison game is brutal. Pinterest is another level! Love simple decorating ideas and what I wouldn’t do to live on a farm again! I grew up on a farm and now I miss it so much. Simple is best. My favorites are cranberries, pine cones also and love candles! Nothing more beautiful than candlelight.

  11. I love to see pictures of the beautiful neutral colors pallets with tons of free trees in peoples houses, but my house has red and green EVERYTHING. Lol I know those houses are beautiful, but not attainable for me. And that is just fine :)

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