I'll Be Home For Christmas... (Holiday Home, Part Un)

I'd be lyin' if I said I wasn't super excited to share this with you guys.

But first.  A little commentary.  

Christmas is my very favorite time of year, as I know it is for many of you, as well.  I've been thinking lately about just why I love it so much, and I suppose the reasons are pretty endless.  The holiday season is such a sensory experience - there isn't one single sense that isn't on overdrive this time of year!  We feast our eyes on beauty all day long - the beauty of a snowfall, the beauty of a sparkling Christmas tree, the beauty of the the perfectly packaged holiday products that we find in every store.   We breathe in the aroma of mulling spices, evergreen, and freshly baked cookies, while Christmas tunes sing from every speaker. We sip gingerbread lattes or peppermint mochas while wrapped in the softest cashmere and cottons and warm, furry boots, and everywhere is Santa Clause and candy canes and gladsome tidings of good cheer.

But yeah, who are we really kidding?  Life doesn't slow down so that we can soak up every single drop of Christmas merriment. If you're anything like me, every Christmas that comes to pass I feel that I'm not doing enough tho fully enjoy the holiday season; I feel like I'm somehow missing out on something, and I get this panicky feeling that the holidays are passing me by without my fully enjoying them. 

But I'm beginning to recognize what a lie this is.  Christmas is such a highly, highly commercial holiday, and many of the things I feel I'm missing out on require time and purchase and facing crowds of angry shoppers as merchants try desperately to meet holiday quotas.

Folks, real Christmas takes place in your very own home.  The place where you live, sleep, love, and fill the walls with memories no one can ever take from you.  It doesn't matter if your home is in a temporary apartment, a magnificent mansion, or bedroom in your parent's basement.  Home is where Christmas is, and I encourage you to make it beautiful.  If you're in a period of transition this year, then just tuck this advice away for now.  But don't buy into the lie that you have to have every special holiday item out there, that you have to buy the most incredible gifts as you sip the most expensive coffee (damn you, Starbucks) and make believe you're in the holiday spirit while you silently bemoan your dwindling bank account.  Sure, it can be super fun to take part in some of the more commercial aspects of Christmas, but if you have to choose between having Starbucks every morning or purchasing that perfect centerpiece for your dining table, well... you know what I would do.  ;)

So without further adieu, I will share with you my holiday home, part one.  I'll pepper in a few decorating tips here and there, so pay close attention!  And ALSO: I don't claim to be a professional.  I'm just proud of my work, and I wanted to share.  Many of you seem to like what I do in the decorating arena; hence, the tips.  Take them with a grain of salt.  I am no Candice Olsen.

Onward!!

Entryway...

Tip #1: Get creative with ribbon! Ribbon is one of THE cheapest items you can decorate with, and if you play your cards right, you may not even have to buy the ribbon!  Whenever you get a beautifully wrapped gift for Christmas, save the ribbons and bows and tuck them away for next year's decorating.  Tie them on hooks and knobs and chandeliers and candlesticks - anything!; it's a fun way to make things you already have look Christmas-y!

Here I used old ribbon and extra ornaments

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I put a pillow I already had in this Pottery Barn pillow cover
(which was a birthday gift - thanks Megan!) ;)

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Dining Room...

Tip #2 - Use understated pieces that come in packages of multiples to make a simple but elegant difference.  These darling little birds are vase fillers from Pottery Barn, but I sprinkled them all around the house instead of concentrating them in just one place.  This way, I only needed one package instead of many!

Those glittery red balls are tree ornaments that I just shoved into the greenery - the room needed some red, so the balls were a cheap and simple fix!

Hallway...

Tip #3 - Buy versatile decor pieces all year long. For example, the jars below can be filled at your whim with different, seasonally appropriate items.

This apothecary jar is filled with pine cones and real pine trimmings from our tree.  Nearly free, simple, elegant.

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These hanging jars are incredibly fun! 
This time around I dressed them with mung beans (dirt cheap at the bulk food section of specialty grocery stores) and red votives.  Perfection!!

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Notice the red and green antique books!  Only Christmas-related in color, they were around a couple dollars each at an antique store (I've had them all year, but normally they are displayed in a pile with more color variety)

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These items are on a table in the curve of our staircase (to be revealed tomorrow!)
Matthew already had this mini Christmas tree from his single-livin days... I don't know where he got it, but it's awesome!

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More birdies, mung beans, and a red candle I already had lying around.

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Kitchen Table...

 Tip #4 - Again, use stuff you already have!  For this little arrangement, I used an old wooden bowl, more pine cones, more tree clippings, more recycled ribbon, and (now this is what I'm reeeally excited about) the sawed off little stump of our Christmas tree!   

Notice the ribbon on the salt and pepper shakers.. 
Sure to make you smile every time you season your supper! ;)

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And if you want to see the rest of the house, well then you'll just have to check back tomorrow, darlings!!  Believe you me, I've saved the very best for last.  Namely, the staircase, the mantle, and the Christmas tree.  You simply musn't miss it!! ;)

Have a lovely Thursday!!!  

P.S.
     Check out my "Rambling on Love" guest post HERE!