HOME TOUR

‘Tis the season for a late Christmas Home Tour! But I asked and it was a resounding, “get it up fast lady!” So here you all go, this year’s Christmas in our home. I realize I am the worlds worst “influencer” and decorate way too late to inspire anyone but I don’t have the creative bandwidth to decorate for the holidays before Kai’s birthday party (Nov. 17th) and I’m kind of a “decorate after Thanksgiving gal.” I do hope to do a better job sharing some ideas from years past earlier in the season. From the playroom to the entry to the kitchen, little bits of holiday cheer are scattered throughout our home and I love it. The color mulberry inspired the decor this year and I only purchased the ribbon and a handful of new ornaments for the tree to get the look. Ribbon goes a loooong ways to making a theme come together and making what you already have feel fresh.

We always cut down our Christmas tree in NH with a Christmas Tree Permit from recreation.gov. You can get them for $5 through the park rangers or $7.50 online. This has become one of our favorite family traditions because we make a whole day out of it, we hike around, explore, listen to a good audiobook on the way up and then eat at Reklis Brewing in Bethlehem NH. You can watch this years adventure here.

A WILD TREE

I call them wild trees. This untrimmed, natural beauty that speaks to my soul, perhaps because I’m a bit untamed and wild at heart. We bring home the clippings from the lower bit of the tree and then turn that into outdoor garland. All inside garland–the stairways, fireplace mantel and kitchen are faux, collected over the years, the majority faux cedar from Terrain. We have quite a few Christmas trees in our home–a playroom tree and one in each kiddo’s bedroom but this, this one is momma’s tree. And on it go my vintage mercury glass ornaments collected over the years, ribbons, woven stars, even those brass bows I found years ago…all my favorite things. This year I added these mulberry velvet ornaments and ribbon.

THE WILD MANTEL

We’ve done everything from a side swoop to a garland that has gone all the way up to the ceiling. This year it’s tucked right along the top and filled with natural elements that I adore. The stockings are vintage from Shoppe Amber Interiors, I linked a few below. Another request I frequently get is the initial ornaments. These are several years old but from Anthropologie. If I were buying them today, I’d pick up these ones. They’re adorable. Because our stockings change year-to-year depending on the design, we differentiate whose stocking is who with these letter ornaments.

The grapevine is probably my favorite addition. It adds a touch of whimsy and actually acts to hold the greenery more securely in place. I used two hooks, one on either side of the mantel and tied the grapevine to each end, in addition to these jewelry command hooks in the center of the mantel that I wove the greenery through. Pine cones, seed pods, and dried flowers complete the mantel. I used two long, drapey bows on either end to add symmetry.

Similar Vintage Stockings Here and Here

CHRISTMAS IN THE KITCHEN

The plan wasn’t to leave the lovely (now) dried hydrangeas on the counter but the tone is so nice that I’ve kept them. In years past, I had these pinecone hangings on the backs of my chairs which I love, I just didn’t want to restring them on new ribbon to match this year’s color. The pinecone hanging makes a great, unique alternative to wreaths which are quite common. A simple velvet drape ribbon is a nice touch.

This antique French painting that now hangs behind my stove is my new favorite addition to the kitchen. I know people are sometimes concerned hanging a picture there, we’re not big splattery food people but if something is on the menu, the picture pops right off as it is hung with velcro command strips.

A DINING ROOM GLIMPSE

I love the warmth of the dining room. The millwork and ceiling is painted BM Hushed Hue and it casts a lovely light in this space. I carried the Farmhouse Pottery trees down the center of the table. They’re waiting eagerly for the paper whites to bloom. Our dining room always has to hold some family room furniture when the wild tree takes the window nook but the loveseat looks lovely tucked under the plate wall.

PLAYROOM FUN

The playroom is always a favorite gathering place and a joy to decorate. The kids love the Christmas train which takes up the whole floor this time of year. It was a present several years ago before Aubrey came. We went to a train store in Napa and invested in an heirloom-quality train. I needed one that could stand up to two little boys for years to come. Ours is a Piko G Scale train that we bought in a set, similar to this one from Amazon that came with an engine and two cars. The kids have added on a caboose and more track over the years. It only comes out at the holidays so it’s an extra special toy. Lastily, the playroom bookshelves are always an easy spot to add some holiday charm and reading books with my kids is one of my favorite things. Here’s a post on some favorite holiday books.

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this year’s classic Christmas Home Tour and not a gigantic bow in sight. It was a joy to decorate and waking up to a twinkly wild tree is just magical. I know there’s a temptation to catapult yourself through this season but linger–linger a little bit more and savor it. And decorate to inspire your own heart rather than jumping on every “trend.” Sometimes all it takes is a pretty color addition to unite your home in a symphony of Christmas magic. Happy holidays!