This post was originally shared on my first website, OurFiftiesFixerUpper.com in December 2017.
I’ll be honest- I’ve had Christmas music on Pandora since before Thanksgiving, and have had the majority of my holiday decor up before then, too. I added “Christmas” themed decor after Thanksgiving- I decorated the tree, added some red to my green decor, and hung some signs with Christmas phrases. We still only have maybe 1/3 of our house finished as far as renovating, but you better believe that I decorated every place I could! Take a look at what our house looks like this Christmas! Now I just need to finish the Christmas shopping…
First Stop: Living Room
As for the ornaments, many of them are sentimental, but others are just random ones I’ve picked up that I liked. Josh’s grandma always buys an ornament for every one of her grandchildren each Christmas which I think is a sweet tradition. Once again- it’s not as glamorous as some of the trees out there, but while we only have one tree for now, I enjoy displaying all of those ornaments!
I wanted to go with a green/silver/white/black theme this Christmas, but our tree kind of throws that off- oh well!! My mom picked up the “JOY” pillow for us at Target as an anniversary present for our “cotton” (2nd) anniversary and it matches our multi-colored tree and rug perfectly!
Decorating tips:
- Don’t be afraid to rearrange furniture to make room for your tree or other decor (change can be good!!)
- Incorporate greenery and organic items (pinecones, pine boughs, birch logs, etc.) wherever possible- something about “bringing the outdoors in” brings a cozy natural warmth to your home!
- You can never have enough candles during the holidays, or winter in general (in my opinion, anyway!)
- You don’t need to use ALL of your decorations every year- if you pick a theme (or try to), stick with that- then “shop” your collection to choose the pieces that fit the theme.
- Also know when it’s time to part with certain things- that 20 year old cartoon Santa wreath that has “Merry Christmas!” written in bubble letters that your mom gave you when you moved out? You know the one… time to get rid of it, unless you like living in 1995 😉
- Think about how you can turn every day pieces into Christmas decorations- a basket you normally fill with decorative vase filler? Add some pinecones or Christmas ornaments! Your plants? Add twinkle lights!
In our entryway (AKA the back of our living room), I kept the theme of white/green/silver/black going but added some touches of red (because, Christmas!). To decorate the bookshelf, I removed everything and then started slowly added things back as they fit. I like to start with a bigger item or focal point per shelf and then decorate around that- I often stick with the “group of 3” rule. The vases with ornaments were actually table centerpieces at our wedding- I still love them! The sleigh card-holder was the card box at our wedding as well. We found the vintage toboggan while out antiquing in St. Paul- we eventually want to put it in our basement when it’s finished, but for now we’ll use it as Christmas decor!
Second Stop: Kitchen
In our kitchen, I redecorated our open shelves, added some garland and candlesticks above the fridge, set out a couple holiday-themed signs and added some wintery candles. You’ll notice that I used the vases with ornaments again- we have quite a few left from the wedding even though I sold a lot of them. I also added plenty of bottle brush trees around on the shelves, along with some pinecones. One of the main things I love about our kitchen is the open shelving- it’s fun to redecorate them for every season!
I love changing up our letterboard, and this fun design was a creative play on a standard holiday quote.
There’s a sentimental reason behind the piggyback skiing couple: it was the topper for our wedding cake!
Third Stop: Dining Room
In our dining room, I added a wintery table runner and draped a cedar garland along the center. As a centerpiece I added a candelabra from the Hearth and Hand collection at Target, along with a few candles throughout the garland. I changed out one of the art pieces for a holiday sign that says “Joy to the World”, and redecorated our bar cart with holiday-themed items. Along the biggest window, I hung a “snowball” garland and a metallic snowflake garland for fun wintery feel. I also changed out the regular wreath we have on the barn door for a boxwood.
Decorating tips:
- Barcarts are great ways to get creative and show off fun holiday style! You could set up a Moscow Mule station, hot cocoa bar, or a fun holiday candy station.
- Also get creative with your tablescapes! Again, you can never have too many candles! It’s also fun to use natural elements on your dining table like pinecones and garlands. If you want to get really fancy, you can set out full placesettings as decor too!
Fourth Stop: Mudroom
I debated even showing you all my mudroom because my “decorations” are really kind of pathetic in here- mostly it was a couple things I just couldn’t find a spot for in the rest of our home! I really don’t show off our mudroom all that much though so I figured I’d give it a few seconds of attention!
Final Stop: Master Bedroom
In our bedroom, I went with more of a traditional red and green theme- mostly because I had all of that decor leftover from not using as much red in the living room! I used leftover cedar garland and draped that over the window. On the other window I hung a red and green garland that we bought on our honeymoon in Dominican Republic- it’s made of palm leaves! It was one of those purchases that at the time seemed like a great idea and then I got home and realized I didn’t really have anywhere to put it! So on the window it went! The nutcracker on the shelf was a gift from Josh last year- we went to see the Nutcracker ballet for our anniversary.
Additional tips:
- Go shopping for next year’s Christmas decor in the week following Christmas (the day after is best, if you can get there!!)- everything is usually 60% off or more and you can find some great things for next year!
- If you do decide to get some new decor, think about what your theme might be like for the next year, or get neutral pieces if you can’t decide that far in advance.
- Have a craft night and make your own decor! You can make your own mercury candles using spray paint and cheap Goodwill candles! You can also make wreaths fairly easily with a glue gun and some cheap supplies that you bought on clearance.
There it is my friends, my 2017 Christmas home tour! Hopefully next year I’ll have a lot more spaces to show you! Thanks for touring- Merry Christmas!!!
