Get some Christmas decor inspo with this quick home tour highlighting some of my favorite holiday items!
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How times have changed…
This is seriously my favorite time of year. If it were up to me, I’d have my Christmas decorations up and carols blaring the day after Halloween. My husband feels differently though, so we compromise by pushing it back to the day after Thanksgiving. Life with a toddler; however, has changed how I operate with regard to decorating and I’ve had to rethink the time, money and effort that is involved in really doing it up big.
First let’s chat about the time factor. Have you tried decorating with a toddler clinging to your leg? No? Of course not, ain’t nobody got time for that. That leaves the two (or three if you hit the jackpot that day) hour window that is called naptime to get as much done as is humanly possible. This has caused me to really simplify my decor and stick to a few key areas.
Now, money is a-whole-nother issue. I’m not about spending obscene amounts of money on Christmas decor that my toddler will inevitably find creative ways to destroy. That’s why I try to creatively use items I already have/have acquired over the years and just add one or two new items each year. It proves difficult to come up with a cohesive look from time to time, and doesn’t lend to changing up the theme on a given year, but I quite like the fact that almost all of my decor has some memory attached to it. That is really the best part about putting it up; reminiscing about years gone by and decorating/celebrating with friends, roommates, family, etc.
Finally, we get to that whole effort thing. I’m tired. I’ve got work to do. And I’m trying to tackle this decor thing by myself during naptime. Keeping it simple is where it’s at in this phase of life, and that’s cool by me. The one area I won’t skimp on is the tree though. My mom always had (and still does have) the best Christmas trees and I follow in her footsteps and load that sucker up. Yes, it’s time consuming but it’s also so worth it to see T’s face as she discovers new ornaments and waves to her favorites every single day.
My favorites…
The Tree
I love a tree that is jammed pack with memories and ornaments that have special meaning. Do I sometimes wish I had something simple and elegant with just the classic silvers and golds? Yes, but I’m not giving up this for that! Eventually I’ll get a bigger tree for this space and move this one to the loft - then I can enjoy both styles! T is so obsessed with some of these ornaments… the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse balloon gets several excited waves a day, she loves to bounce up and down with the bungee Santa and not pictured is a pull-string snowman that she never passes up a chance to dance with.
The Mantel
Again, I love the classic silver and gold or even just evergreen mantels, but to go with that big beautiful colorful mess of a Christmas tree, I’m keeping it fun and colorful! The wreaths on the wall are there all year round, along with the lantern (filled with seashells the rest of the year), the gold candles and the W candle holder. Just adding a garland with led lights, glittery ornaments to the lantern and some stockings with festive stocking holders transforms this room to a warm and fun gathering space.
Knit Monogram Stockings from the Wondershop
The Kitchen
This is really one of the areas I’m reeling it in with. Just a few pieces above the cabinets and a card display that varies from year to year. We also added a coffee station this past month so I added a few festive pieces there, T’s favorite being the penguin and polar bear mailbox (thanks Dollar Store) that she can send her letters to Santa in ;)
The Nativity Scene
Last but certainly not least… the Nativity set. Hands down my favorite piece of Christmas decor I own. Not only because of it’s sheer beauty in detail, but because it was once my Grandmom’s. Just thinking about all the people who probably enjoyed this set over the years gives me the warm and fuzzies. Plus, setting it up where you can’t miss it provides a much needed daily reminder about the reason for the season…
It’s hard to believe we’re already just two weeks out from Christmas. Around Thanksgiving I tried to remind myself to slow down and just enjoy the holiday season as it will come and go in the blink of an eye - just like everything else these days. All of this holiday decor sure makes the home feel cozy and festive, but what’s really magic is the people and memories made in it.
Want some crazy awesome holiday decor ideas that I can only hope to implement in my own home one day?! Check out Jodie & Julie: The Design Twins on Instagram - there posts are AMAZING! What’s your holiday decor style/what holiday traditions do you have? We’d love to see your ideas and hear about traditions we may just want to adopt too! Drop us a note in the comments or contact us directly.