HOME TOUR

Welcome back! Let’s fling those doors open again and tour the rest of the downstairs and heart of our home on this Christmas home tour part 2 and blog hop. Make sure to check out the Christmas Home Tour Part 1. These are my favorite tours of the year because there’s so much joy this season. Even in the midst of challenging times, not-quite-right times, it’s there if you choose to see it. This year I just wanted to surround our home in greenery. Simple, fresh and without all the clutter or fluff. I just wasn’t feeling a bow-nanza this time around. We kept it simple, from minimally decorated alpine trees adorned with vintage treasures to a few greens on the mantel, it’s just perfect for us and respite from the chaos of 2020.

THE FAMILY ROOM

A couple weeks ago we headed to NH to cut down some of our trees. (We also got some at Volante Farms in Needham.) You can buy permits online for the national parks and they have specific instructions to follow. I wanted an alpine feel to our tree(s) and had the grand idea of a little tree grouping placed in vintage crocks. All this was inspired from our trip over the summer to the White Mountains.

We haven’t done live trees in our family room in years although we usually do a live Silver tip in the playroom. The last couple years we’ve flown in the Silver tip from California. Those special trees only grow in the Sierra Nevadas and they remind me of home, the trees I grew up with. But it’s super expensive and just felt wasteful for us this year. Permits to cut down a tree in White Mountain National Park are $5. Mind blowing. And frankly, I also just wanted the experience of hiking around with our littles and families in tow and stumbling upon the ones. So that is what we did and I couldn’t be more thrilled. The middle tree and tallest at 9 ft is the decorated one. I used simple mercury glass balls, similar here and mini clusters on the two side trees.

THE MANTEL

I knew I wanted a dusty green color to go with all the greenery of our simple Christmas theme. I found this beautiful ribbon on Etsy, similar here and then a few weeks later, stumbled upon these stockings from the Studio McGee line at Target. It was a match made in heaven. The perfect color of green–rich and deep. I grouped them with some knit stockings we already had and some letter ornaments I bought last year.

I used these command hooks to hang the wreath on the mirror. Follow the directions though, I always get too antsy and want immediate gratification. You’re suppose to stick them on and let them sit for an hour before use. Turns out that matters. I found out the hard way as the wreath came crashing down and I had to redo the mantel. Once I followed the directions it hasn’t gone anywhere. For the greens I used clippings leftover from doing the outside garland and tucked in seed pods left over from a trip to The Floral Reserve in Providence. They look like mini pine cones and you can get the look with faux branches like this and this.

THE BOOKSHELVES

I kept our bookshelves simple and carried the colors through. From a bowl of green tinged ornaments to green-hued art, it all came together beautifully.

I love sisal trees. These are from last year and my favorites, the pretty ivory color are from Hobby Lobby. This is probably my favorite Christmas mantel and shelf styling yet. With new art from Laurel Dawn Corner Studio via Erin Gates Holiday Shop paired with my Kerry Hays, the art shelf is looking mighty lovely. I added some simple greens and trees I got at Target. High-end, low-end, vintage treasures, or budget finds. It all works. Wood tones, neutrals, and dusty greens–I’m digging this combo right now.

Here’s some other corners of our family room. The travel picture wall I’m hoping to get a sconce installed above and looking for a few more vintage finds this coming year.

As we move into the kitchen on this Christmas home tour part 2, the very heart beat of our home, I want to take a peek at our built-in desk. I added a few touches to those shelves and fresh juniper in a vase. Simple, easy touches.

THE KITCHEN DESK

This is usually a pretty clutter-filled area. Anyone can attest to the remarkable effect a flat surface has at accumulating clutter. From a monthly whiteboard calendar to a printer, it’s usually packed with the not-so-lovely but necessary for running a family. But those occasions I clear it off, well it’s like taking a deep breath.

Moving into our kitchen, I wanted fresh garland this year and to be honest, as I write this, it’s already crispy and when my faux garland arrives I’m taking it down. Sad day. Such are the woes of fresh garland. Beautiful for a week and then mom torture thereafter.

THE KITCHEN

I kept the garland around our sink nook simple and twisted a pine cone garland around it. I love this simple, natural garland. No ribbon. No fluff.

I added some pretty white-tinged trees from Hobby Lobby, similar here to the shelves and a new cookie jar house to the top. Filling a wood vase with simple greenery is an easy way to bring in the holiday.

I used gold metal flower wreaths in the windows this year. Delicate and simply tied with a sage velvet ribbon.

This Christmas home tour part 2 makes my heart so joyful. Ruth Eileen Photography did a stunning job. The light flooding in from the big windows, the fragrant greenery filling it with an alpine freshness, touches of brass and vintage–all beautiful blessings but not the ultimate thing. All things that point to a great and lovely reason we celebrate this Christmas season. Throughout time, the loveliness of a space, especially a space of worship–those grand cathedrals of Europe were meant to create a sense of awe that points you heavenward, reflecting the glory of something other than ourselves. May home do that for you this season. You don’t need fluff. You need to focus on the light that gives joy this holiday season.

May home not be your ultimate thing this advent season but the thing that helps you clearly focus on and magnifies for you the blessings in your life which point you heavenward, to the giver of the greatest of gifts. Merry Christmas from our earthly home to yours. May you find the peace your heart so needs. May you see the blessings you have and not take any of this time, momentary though it is, for granted.