"Deck The Halls"

        Christmas is quickly approaching and company will soon be coming so I've put together a few things to help you dress up your home for your holiday decorating and entertaining.

This adorable cupcake collection will make your party festive and carry the theme through from the invitations to the holiday crackers.

Old fashioned cut outs would look great added to your bookcase or mantel.

Dress up your existing dishes with these cute twelve days of Christmas plates.

Add these twelve days of Christmas ornaments to the table and your table scape will be complete.

Simple touches under a glass dome will show attention to detail that all your guests and family will enjoy!

Let this snowman add sparkle to anywhere!

This little frosty will add character to the tree.

Change out your everyday candlesticks to add a festive mood to the room.

A Christmas swag across the foot of the bed in the guest room will delight your guest.

Decorative candy can be the perfect touch to a tray or compote on display.

Tiny trees tucked into a bookcase or on a shelf are great to take the place of an ivy or two during this festive season.

Santa books are a great way to dress up the coffee table in the room.

Nutcrackers large and small will make any room!

This adorable garden greenery would dress up any garden room with style.

 

"My Favorite Holiday Gift Picks"

Need some holiday gift ideas? Here are a few of my favorite picks-creative and inexpensive. Treasures everyone will love!



What cheese connoisseur wouldn't love these lovely cheese knives to identify their cheese. "Stinky, creamy and sharp."



This cheese set adds a little whimsy with their sayings of "Say cheese and A cut above"



These waffle monogrammed towels have been a huge hit this year with our customers. The perfect inexpensive holiday gift.



This wonderful line of utensils from France comes in an extensive array of colors. No kitchen is complete without at least a few of their colorful pieces which are all dishwasher safe.



These bejeweled Austrian crystal frames will surround family photos with style.

Viva Vino! The wine lover on your Christmas list will be sure to love any of these treasures.

Vintage bird themed pillows will bring a smile to the receiver of this gift. They will help bring nature indoors through the winter months.

Texas shaped gift box filled with salsa, queso, chili mix and much more is the perfect gift for only $50.00!!!



In our general store we can create wonderful gift baskets at a wide variety of price points. Our private label food are perfect for anyone.



Our "Dip of the month" program is a great way to keep giving the whole year through. Every month you will receive a new dip along with a recipe to be used with them.

This is a fantastic gift for anyone that loves to cook and entertain. "The Gathering of Friends" was created to introduce food as a love language, enhancing traditions, fortifying relationships and celebrating life. Its unique style combines savory recipes and elegant designs in 16 stunning gatherings. Each chapter will leave you prepared with simple recipes, original table scape ideas, a ready-to-use shopping list, and inspiration to create their own "gathering of friends".

Just pop these nuts in the microwave and you will have warm roasted nuts to enjoy. This would make a great stocking stuffer or party favor!

For the griller on your list stop by our general store for a great selection of rubs and seasonings.

No woman can resist jewelry as a gift!

Scarves, gloves, wraps and purses will fill there heart with delight.

These decorative recipe boxes, note cards, clipboards and shopping lists will dress up any ones kitchen on the Christmas list.

Check out the children's clothes in our general store for the toddlers on the list!



Hermann Furniture Gift Certificate
Sometimes the best gift you can give someone is the chance for them to pick out something they truly love. That's why Hermann Furniture gift certificates are one of our hottest sellers during the holidays. You can pick up a gift certificate at our store or by phone.

         

"Vintage Belsnickles"

          A couple of years ago at market while shopping for next years Christmas treasures I ran across these delightful figurines called Belsnickles. They are a wonderful German Christmas collectible.

           Of course, the Belsnickle is not the true Santa Claus as we know him in America, he's not even a nice character at all if you read up on several versions of his history! He was a creature to be loathed and feared by the children.

           The Belsnickle traveled from house to house brandishing his switches in the air. He would use these switches to whip naughty children. To good children the Belsnickle would hand out cakes or candies. These gifts were thrown upon the floor, but if a child were to try to recover them in the presence of the Belsnickler, the child would quickly receive a whack on the backside with a broom.

           It was custom for the Belsnickle to receive a treat at each house. While not welcome in all homes, in most instances, Belsnicklers were indeed invited in, and after unmasking and identifying themselves, were rewarded with refreshments of doughnuts, molasses cakes, coffee, lemonade or cider.

           Here are a few of these unusual creatures that have become very popular for us these last couple of years at the store.

I love the painting of the coats of these two! 

These are two of the new ones this year.

                                          

They look great clustered together.

They are a great addition to any bookcase.

These trees are great to add depth to your display of Belsnickles.

New tiny wreaths



                  These Belsnickles are great on mantels, clustered together on a tray, down the dining room table or in bookcases. The possibilities are endless so come buy and get yours today. Happy Holiday decorating!!

Cozy Candlelight

Tis the season for a house full of quests. So welcome friends and family and make them feel right at home by creating a cozy and inviting atmosphere with candlelight.

You will find lots of displays in my home that feature candles, from elegant tapers on my dining table to votives on my kitchen windowsill.

Light up your mantel by clustering all different sizes and shapes of candlesticks.

Dress up your buffet by placing votives amongst the display and even when your Holiday dinners are being served.

Rosebowls are beautiful when a candle illuminates on the inside. Whether you cluster different sizes together or place one all by its self on the coffee table.

Everyone and everything looks better in the soft glow of candlelight.

"Creative Coffee Table Designs"

        These little islands perched in the middle of our living rooms can be challenging to decorate. They need to walk the line between form and function, having displays that are interesting but not obtrusive.

        One of the biggest mistakes people make when they are designing their coffee table is using to many small or low profile pieces. First you need to determine the look you are going for. Is it going to be casual or formal? You want to make sure your display matches the rest of the decor in your room.

          If the coffee table is in front of your TV you would not want an overly tall display. Those looks are great in a more formal living room that might be a little less used.

          You want to bring texture, mixture of sizes and shapes on your coffee table. Don't be afraid to include beefier objects because accents with some heft will add width and height to your table.

           Trays are great to use as a base for your display because trays pull the pieces together and give the grouping a unified look. Plus when you build a display on a tray, you can easily move it if you want to clear the coffee table for another use.

           Hope this will inspire you and give you a few new tips for your coffee table.

Dining Table

      "Invite A New Dining Table To Dinner"

If you've been stuck at the kids table or been seated a rickety card table stuck into expand the main table, you know how important it is to have a dining room table that can welcome the entire family. After years of stressing over how I was going to fit quests during holiday dinner, I finally decided to get a table that had enough room for all of us.

I you are considering inviting a new dining table to dinner this year, here are a few tips to help you select one that's as wonderful as the friends and family who will gather around it.



Focus on Function

      First decide what you need in a table. What shape is the room? How many people do you want to seat? Will you need space on the table for serving dishes or do you prefer to serve off of the buffet?

       Is your dining room formal or casual? I picked a rustic farm table with english barley twist chairs and slipcovered parson chairs at the ends. I love the rustic elegance that is created when I set a formal tablescape.

           At Hermann Furniture, we are definatly seeing a huge number of people prefering a more casual look for their dining table.

      

Start at the Top

      Next, decide what shape will work best for your space and lifestyle. If you have a long narrow room that adjoins the kitchen, you might like a rectangle table. If this is your main dining table, check into a table that offers several leaves so you can shrink the size down when it's just your family and then be able to expand it when company comes. 

This table by Lexington is great! It has three leaves and will expand up to 150 inches.

Consider a round or square table for a more lively dinner discussion and where everyone can see each other. One great feature that companies are offering to todays round and square shapes is that they don't lose their shape when they expand. In the past, when you added leaves to round or square table, you ended up with a oval or rectangle. Now leaves pop up and fit together like puzzle pieces, making the table larger not longer.

This 60" round has five leaves that will make it a 80" round.

Look at the Legs

      Look for table legs that go with the size of your gatherings you have typically. Many people will choose pedestal tables, so no one gets stuck sitting by a cumbersome table leg. My kitchen table has corner legs. I admit that this leg placement can be a challenge when you're seating large groups, but I adore the look of the table so much, I was willing to work around it.

Delicious Details

       Now comes the fun part: picking the material, style and finish that fit your dining room best. I'm crazy about solid wood tables, especially a carved rustic one. But perhaps a natural, painted or distressed finish would work best for your dining room.

If you want to make a smaller dining room feel larger, you might consider a glass-topped table.

Pick a Seat

    While lots of people like matching dining sets, I am one to mix it up. Putting dissimilar chairs and tables together. For instance, try surrounding your table with benches or stools, either with a high back or no back at all. For a luxurious look, use upholstered wingback chairs or a settee. If your style is casual, try wicker armchairs or armless banana leaf chairs. If you have large dinner parties, invest in some ballroom chairs that will allow you to squeeze in more friends.

So have fun and be creative if you are thinking about inviting a new dining table to dinner.