This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Southern Living®. The opinions and text are all mine.

The holidays are here and I couldn’t be more excited! It’s my favorite time of year because it embodies a spirit of giving and love, spending time with family and loved ones, and gives me a reason to have twinkly lights everywhere!

Though I am not a seasonal decorator per se, for the holidays, I am always bursting at the seams with excitement to get all my holiday decor from the attic and to put up the Christmas trees. 

I love finding inspiration to switch things up a bit and was recently perusing the Southern Living December Issue 2016.  It’s filled with a wide range of holiday inspiration for decking your halls. I was super inspired by the holiday decorating tips, but even more so, I realized, that I needed to step up my holiday decorating game in the kitchen.  The Southern Living December Issue – “Annual White Cake” is currently available on sale now through December 23rd and can be found at stores like Target and Barnes and Noble.

Well, actually, I can’t recall if I’ve ever decorated my kitchen for the holidays. It could be because of our open floor plan which allows me to see the holiday decorations in adjoining rooms from the kitchen. Nonetheless, after reading Southern Living December Issue, this year, I am inspired to add some kitchen holiday cheer. In addition, we literally live in our kitchen, and this is the area where friends and family tend to gravitate towards. I’ve rounded up 5 holiday kitchens that showcase some of the ideas that I am considering- all inspired by the holiday tips in this year’s December issue of Southern Living Magazine.

Quick tip- If you have a collection of similar items, place them all together like the kitchen above to add visual impact. 

Holiday decor in the kitchen could be as simple as adding some fresh greenery and a paper star. It’s always great to keep the rest of your home’s aesthetic in mind when decorating for the holidays, so if your style is modern and simple, your holiday decor should be too.

A collection of wreaths is a simple and visually appealing way to add festive cheer and wow factor in the kitchen.

Aren’t these kitchens lovely? My mood is immediately festive just by looking at them.  The Southern Living December issue is filled with lots more than kitchen holiday decorating ideas and is sure to inspire you, so be sure to pick up a copy if you haven’t done so yet. 

Since we’re talking about kitchens, (and you know how much we love baking desserts around here), there are a number of dessert recipes in this Holiday issue of Southern Living that will make your mouth water! If you have little ones who enjoy joining in on the baking fun, well, there are a number of child friendly quick and easy baking treats also included. We’re definitely adding a few to our “must try” list this Holiday and FYI, get your cookie cutters ready! 

Feeling Lucky? Enter the Southern Living Sweepstakes for a chance to win big!

Entry dates: 11/1/2016-12/19/2016

Enter to win one of two $1,000 visa gift card shopping spree grand prizes!

Seven First Prizes: Each first prize will be one $25.00 Visa gift card and one Southern Living Made Fresh Cookbook.

All entrants will receive a coupon for $1.00 off a Southern Living magazine to purchase in stores and a complimentary PDF copy of the Southern Living recipe booklet “10 Recipes Every Southerner Should Know”  (on the Thank You page of the sweepstakes entry). Also if you’re on Instagram, show how Southern Living December issue has inspired you and use the hashtag, #mysouthernholiday.

Have a great weekend everyone! xx

{images: 1, 3, 9, 10- Lea Hartman, 2-me, others-Pinterest}