Bringing Christmas Into Your Home

Oh there's no place like home
For the holidays, ‘cause no matter
How far away you roam
If you want
To be happy in a million ways
For the holidays, you can’t beat
Home, sweet home

                       

Robert Allen - Al Stillman

                Let me begin by saying I’m not by any means an interior decorator as you will soon see!  Actually, I don’t even have all my decorating done and started to hold off on this blog.  However, I’ve said it before this blog is about what’s REALLY going on in my life not just a bunch of words.  So there you have my confession(s)…I’m not a decorator and I don’t even have all my decorating finished according to my “schedule” but I’m close! 

                To me the way you decorate your house is one of the things that make it home.  I actually don’t want my home to look like an Ethan Allen showroom.  I want it to reflect us and look “lived in”.   Most of the things in my home are things that have been given to me, passed down by grandparents/relatives, and/or handmade and I LOVE it that way!  I love looking around my home and being reminded of the people and things that are important to me and I want it to be that way at Christmas too!  Of course, I also want to keep my decorating simple …so in addition to my nativities in every room that I’ve already mentioned - here’s a few ways/tips that I have used in decorating my home:

               

1.        Bring the Outside In (Did you know you have decorations lying out in your yard and they’re free?!!):

a.       Pine Branches – The first year we moved into our home I’d never really had a mantle to decorate so I didn’t have any garland or the money to buy any.  Instead, I went outside and cut some pine branches and covered my mantle in those.  Lord, knows we have plenty of pine trees around!  I loved not only the way it looked but the smell!  I did the same thing again this year.

b.      Gum Drop Trees – This was something we always did when I was little.  We would go outside and find a “thorny little tree” (This tree may have an actual name but I don’t know it!) and then stick gumdrops on the little “thorns”.  It made a cute decoration and is a lot of fun for kids (just watch the thorns!).

c.       Painted Branches – Even if all you have are dead branches in your yard, you can spray paint some of them, put them in a vase, and decorate as you want.

d.      Pinecones – I’ve also gathered pinecones from outside and put them in a pretty basket.

2.       Frame It

a.       Child’s Artwork – I always display “Miss Priss’” artwork on the refrigerator but I saw this picture on Kelly Prickett’s facebook page and LOVED it!  If you look in the frames, she took her daughter’s footprints and son’s handprints and made these precious Christmas trees.  I love the way she displayed them and how great will it be to pull these out every year and remember those tiny hands and feet!  I am SO stealing this idea next year! 

b.      Old Christmas Cards – Have a special Christmas card from a special someone?  Frame it!

c.       Favorite pictures of past Christmases – I have a picture collage on our mantle that says “Blessings” and I plan on changing out all the pics in the frame to Christmas pictures-some old and some new! 

3.       Use What You Already Have or Make it!   (Just to name a few..)

a.       Heirlooms- Just to name a few of mine . . .The star on top of our tree is the one my grandmother always used.  I have ornaments on my tree from her and from my parents’ first set of ornaments they received when they were married.  The quilt on our bed is more spring/summery so I take it off and put on a white chenille bedspread during the winter.  Then throw on a rose afghan my great-grandmother made on the end of the bed and use pillowcases with roses made by another grandmother.

b.      Reindeer –I have these cute little reindeer on either side of our front door that my Daddy made out of logs/sticks.  I don’t think I could make them but I don’t think they’d be too hard to make!

c.       Samplers/Cross-Stitching – I love signs/quotes/and sayings and a great way to display them is to stitch them out and frame them.  I have a couple that are specifically Christmas I’ve done. 

4.       Outside – Here’s a final picture of the outside of our home (still like putting the wreaths on the dormers).  I’m more of a wreath and candle in the window kind of girl (as opposed to lights) but whatever you prefer – decorate the outside!   I love pulling up and seeing all the wreaths and candles-automatically puts me in the Christmas spirit!

My only other tip about bringing Christmas into your home is light a candle (or in my case burn your Scentsy-Christmas Cottage is awesome) and put on some Christmas music!  One thing I’ve started doing when “Miss Priss” or I start getting cranky is taking 5 minutes, turning on some music (Our favorites are ‘Rockin Around the Christmas Tree” or “Let it Snow”)  and just dance and be silly! It’s a great 5 minute “picker-upper” and then we can go back to whatever we are doing in a much better mood!     Have you decorated yet?  What’s your favorite things around your home?