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!Â
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}”
My favorite memory of Christmas is leaving cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer and finding them all gone next morning.Â
I follow you on instagram :)
Growing up in Germany we always went to the Christkindlesmarkt. It was magical and wonderful to be outside, wandering the stalls filled with Christmas goodies, while drinking gluhwein and eating hot sausages on crusty rolls. Already follow you on Instagram and just subscribed to you tube. Merry Christmas to you, Eddie, and Max!
I adore Christmas Eve at my parent’s house. Every year, the whole family gathers there, and we have the BEST dinner (my dad is a chef by trade).
I follow on insta @alyssaswift, and subscribed to your youtube channel!
 My favorite holiday memory is going to my grandparents on Christmas eve with all of my extended family and we open each present one by one. It takes hours and it’s so fun! I have so many memories of drifting off to sleep in the back of my parents car late at night on the way home, so happy from such a fun evening with family!
Favorite holiday memory is making Christmas cookies and leaving them for Santa!
Favorite Christmas memory….. Getting all dressed up to attend Christmas Eve service to then come home and eat my mom’s homemade lasagna in our pj’s while we laughing and play games!
I follow on Instagram as well :)
Following on IG!
My favorite holiday memory is when my whole family decorated cookies together a couple years ago. We’re going to do it again this year!
Christmas memories…where to start…making oodles of cookies and candies with my Mom in the weeks leading up to Christmas (Russian tea cakes, shortbread dipped in chocolate, chocolate rum balls, cashew clusters, sugar cookies, and always a new recipe every year to try). Meanwhile, my Dad would be in charge of making our house as bright as possible on the outside with a big reveal when he finally finished (I would usually help a bit in between cookie making). My sister and I would dress up like elves when we were little and put Christmas music on the surround system and dance all over the house. Christmas Eves (to this day) we get together with family and play BINGO for small dollar store gifts, which we can also snag from others dirty Santa style–my favorite cow ice cream scoop was a BINGO gift. Christmas morning is eating sausage balls, muffins, and orange juice, and peeking in stockings while waiting for everyone to arrive for the rest of the day.
I’ve always wondered where this sausage ball recipe comes from because it seems to be in every Southern household, haha. Merry Christmas!
I also subscribed to your youtube channel!
Favorite Christmas memory is my parents having no money at all one year. I was a little girl and didn’t “expect” gifts (I was only 5), but all I wanted to was to meet a reindeer. There weren’t a lot of farms near us at the time that had “reindeer” so my parents (I later found out as an adult) took us to a reindeer farm that was two states away and put every dollar they had into the trip to make it magical. We stopped and met santa, we met Rudolph. They let me be Santas Helper. It was so amazing as a little girl, and I didn’t miss a Christmas present – that was what Christmas was about. <3 I follow on youtube and instagram :)
I remember the delicious anticipation of having to wait till after breakfast to open presents on Christmas morning.
I follow you on Insta! @fleurdelectable
I follow your youtube channel!
I follow on instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. My favorite Christmas memory is baking cookies with my granny while watching the Christmas classics.
My favorite memory is making fudge for Christmas with my family!
My favorite Christmas memory is waking up to mountains of gifts perfectly wrapped by my mom and not understanding where she hid them the whole month! She was a Christmas ninja!
Favorite Christmas memory is definitely decorating the tree with my entire extended family every year and running down the stairs in the morning to open up presents when I was younger. I follow you on instagram and am subscribed on youtube!
Baking Christmas cookies! This year my 2 year old has been helping and it makes it even more fun :)
I follow instagram
My favorite Christmas memories are of my Dad…he passed away a few years ago, but he was always the one to make Christmas a big to-do in our house. He didn’t have much growing up, and was determined to make it as special as possible for me and my sisters! From his collection of Santas to a new silly holiday tie every year to visiting a dozen tree lots to find the perfect one, he definitely succeeded!
This is so sweet of you to do this giveaway yourself!! I am following on Instagram and already subscribed on YouTube. I love coming to look at all your recipes.
My favorite memory is my parents making reindeer hoof prints in the snow and would stay up all night to put up the tree themselves. I would wake up to a perfectly decorated house for Christmas and lots of presents. It was the coolest thing ever and I would do the same for my kids.
My favorite Christmas memory is getting to open a door on the advent calendar each night before bed.
Max’s expression watching the trains… Pure magic! My favorite holiday memories have been singing the 12 days of Christmas each day leading up to the big day. When my kids were younger, they would open a box with candy in it each night representing the day and number it was. (i.e. 5 butterscotches for 5 golden rings or 8 milk maids for 8 maids of milking or as close as I could make it) To this day, we can’t sing the song without messing it up!
I follow on Instagram.
I subscribe to your you tube channel, and LOVE your videos!
I follow you on Instagram! Love it.
One of my best Christmas memories that continues is our annual small town Christmas parade. It is the first Sunday in December & never fails to get me in the Christmas spirit!
I already follow you on Instagram!
My favorite holiday memories are not even opening gifts at our house until the day after Christmas! We had so much family that lived around us that we visited with my dads side on Christmas eve and then my mom’s side on Christmas day, staying over each of their houses as well. So unwrapping gifts happened on the day after Christmas!
Favorite Christmas memory – visiting Santa with my sister and getting a present with my name on it!!
My favorite memory is my step mother would write little poems that were clues to what was in the wrapped present and would use that as the nametag thingy. Trying to figure out what was inside was so fun. PS I also already follow you in Instagram!
Subscribed to your Youtube channel
My favorite holiday memory is when my dad got on the roof with some jingle bells so that I would think that Santa was there. I was SO unbelievable excited! Santa was at MY house!!
I also follow you on instagram!
Waiting anxiously for my Dad to get out of bed so we could open presents, going to my grandmas after and eating breakfast with the whole family :)
I remember waking up one Christmas morning and running down the hall to the living room and there sat a beautiful metallic green Huffy bike with a banana seat!! My favorite color and something I had wanted for ever !! My husband an I have tried to recreate these kind of memories for our children.
I subscribe to your youtube channel, and and follow you on Instagram also.
Being together with all my family! The chaos was wonderful,I miss it.
I also subscribed to your Youtube channel,thanks.
Ahhhhh I love your decor! Â I also grew up in PA (Eastern) and every year we would go to this drive-thru light place in Berwick. My sister and I looked forward to that soooo much – at the end of the tour they would also give a treat and I remember it being chocolate milk and potato chips. Haha. What a combo!Â
I also follow you on IG (I’m @jflo10) and have already subscribed!Â
My favorite memory of the holidays: my mom, like yours, always made it special. Decorating the tree and looking at all the ornaments was the best part.
Every Christmas morning when I was small we woke up, opened our presents and then headed to my grandparents house. My mom is one of 8 kids so the house was full of those kids and their spouses and 17 grandkids. My grandpa always cut a real
Christmas tree and the house smelled like cedar. My grandma decorated the tree with those big fat Christmas bulbs, not the tiny twinkle lights we have now. My grandparents were not wealthy people. They lived very modestly, but there was a gift for everyone. And the food. My grandma could cook like nobody’s business. Fried chicken and ham and mashed potatoes and gravy. Chicken and dumplings, pies. I can still smell it. My grandparents have been gone for many years but I can still close my eyes and imagine what that was like. I don’t have grandkids yet but I hope they have the same wonderful memories of me that I have of my grandparents. Merry Christmas everyone!
My fondest memory of Christmas was in 2004 I Â made the road trip with my dad to Daytona Beach in his motor home. This road trip had it all and has led to some of the best stories. Christmas will never be the same now that dad is gone but I’ll never forget the “24 hour” trip that was supposed to be that turned into 3 days, breaking down in every state! I even had to hold a spot light out of the window at one point for a headlight when we lost all electricity! That trip dad bought us both our first digital cameras! Oh what fun!
I just followed you on Instagram!!!
My favorite memory of Christmas were all the decorations my mom did in our house growing up. We grew up in a 200 year old house and she wanted it to be very Period-appropriate so it looked like it belonged on the streets of Williamsburg. My sisters and I would stay up late at night popping popcorn in the fireplace and playing board games under the glow of the Christmas tree lights.
Favorite Memory. . . My Grandma – the way she would be bright eyed to see me with a handful of good quality chocolate when she opened the front door, and this happened quite often, because everyday was a holiday when my grandmother was here. She was the biggest chocoholic I ever did meet!
My favourite holiday memories are about our families Christmas eve tradition of eating no meat and having a wonderful seafood meal with our traditional dishes.
My favorite memory is making our family recipe of Swedish Meatballs together with Grandma the day before Christmas Eve. The mix of onions and pork and beef and butter….still makes me think of Christmas every time I make them for my little family now! Merry Christmas!!