The Most Christmasy House of All

[caption id="attachment_527" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="A beautifully decorated Christmas tree welcomed visitors to my in-laws' house on the Southport Christmas Homes Tour."][/caption]

I'm fortunate enough to live near and have a great relationship with my in-laws. They live in Southport, NC, only 30-odd miles south of Wilmingtong, and I worked for a few years with my father-in-law, Bob Dzubak. Bob taught me to build cabinets and some key design principles and introduced me to the world of woodworking. My mother-in-law, Kathy, or KD, has a great eye for design. A few years ago, Bob and KD were looking to move out of a gated community and into the town of Southport, so Bob and I built a house. Well, we didn't exactly build it, he hired framers and painters and all that, but we refined the layout and look of the house, designed, built and installed the cabinetry and built a beautiful home. This year KD decided to decorate in her usual way but put their home on the Christmas Homes Tour. Here are a few pictures showing off the house and the cabinetry. Enjoy, and Merry Chistmas.

[caption id="attachment_524" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="It was a rainy day, but the house's holiday spirit couldn't be dampened."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_528" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="A table-filling poinsettia greeted visitors on the Christmas Homes Tour."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_540" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="There was a giant Santa in the TV room. He freaked me out a little (sorry, Santa)."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_534" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="A table full of Santas. I hope they bring me lots of presents."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_529" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="KD festooned the breakfast bar with live greens and fruit. The pomegranates were my favorite."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_533" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="No detail was spared, even the shelves above the butcher-block cutting board were decorated."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_522" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="The dining room table was carefully decorated."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_523" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="KD sait it took forever to wrap all of the little presents on the table."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_521" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Two amaryllis (amaryllises, amarallisi?) that KD grew for the occasion."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_530" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="The living room was filled with live greenery, flowers and even the Grinch."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_532" align="alignnone" width="225" caption="Like I said, the Grinch."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_531" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="KD's treatment of the mantle shelf was beautiful."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_539" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Down the hall is the master suite, where KD was showing off her green thumb with this table of plants."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_525" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="The kitchen table looked so great, I thought you'd like to see it again."][/caption]