Welcome to my home! I’m thrilled to say this year I’ll be HOME for Christmas. After the long challenges of the past couple of years, being able to say that feels incredibly special.
If you’re new here, this is our new house. After a two-year stretch of unemployment for my husband, a move to a new state, and our old house sitting on the market for a year, we finally closed on this place about eight weeks ago. Happy dance indeed.
There’s still plenty to do—painting, curtains, and a few other finishing touches—but it’s wonderful to be able to settle in and make this house feel like home.
Even though I’m relieved to be home, I kept the Christmas decorating simple this year. My focus was on sanity and comfort rather than perfection. This is real life at our house: we decorate for ourselves, not to create magazine-perfect displays. Our home isn’t flawless, and that’s okay.
I won’t pretend everything is immaculate, and I hope you’ll embrace imperfection in your own holiday decorating. That relaxed spirit makes homes feel more welcoming and less stressful, which is exactly what Christmas should be about.
On the porch you’ll find a bit of greenery and some colored lights to welcome guests.
To the right of the front door I placed my epsom salt candles—though I forgot to light them this time. Oops!
Welcome! Come in and get out of the cold! It’s been freezing here at night, around 4 degrees, and daytime highs near 20, which feels extra chilly for Washington. Brrrr…
Step inside and you’ll see my ever-changing apothecary jar display on the familiar cabinet in the entry. If you’ve visited the blog before, you know I’ve shown this cabinet many times, and this season it’s filled with Christmas balls.
I skipped heavy greenery on the stair rail this year for simplicity, but added a ball wreath to each post for a festive touch.
To the left of the entry is the living room. I picked up those mercury glass candlesticks at Costco. We’ll return to the living room at the end of the tour.
A small table in the entry holds a scene of the wise men offering gifts—just a tiny vignette to greet visitors.
Now let’s move to where we spend most of our time before heading into the dining room…
Here is our family room fireplace with refurbished cabinet doors repurposed as shutters above it.
Pulling back a little, this is where we gather most evenings, all cozy by the fire.
While I’d like to say we spend every evening reading holiday classics by the fire, reality is a bit less idyllic. The photos show the honest, everyday look—SpongeBob on the big screen occasionally included—but it’s still warm and welcoming.
Red candlesticks and candy canes—most of which have mysteriously disappeared—add a splash of color to the recently painted green hutch in the kitchen.
I tucked bits of leftover greenery here and there to make the existing decor feel a little more festive without overdoing it.
From the kitchen and the family room you can see the tree clearly, which is perfect for our house. We cut down the tree one cold night and discovered its charming quirks in the daylight. It’s a beautiful blue-green and fills the house with a lovely evergreen scent.
At our previous home the tree was more tucked away, so I love that this house lets the tree be visible from almost every main-floor room.
We’re hosting a small get-together this week, so I set the table with chargers instead of a tablecloth for an easy, casual look. The centerpiece is a last-minute effort made from items I had on hand—simple and practical. I just hope no one mistakes the moss for food.
The everyday buffet in the dining room received minimal holiday touches: a snowflake garland and a jeweled glass ball on a candlestick make it feel seasonal without fuss.
We positioned the tree in the dining room so it’s visible from nearly everywhere on the main floor and stays out of the way during gatherings.
See the light wires hanging down on our tree? My husband usually handles the lights, but this time he didn’t finish. They’re a bit haphazard for now—we may straighten them, or we might leave them as they are. I’m leaning toward leaving them; it suits the relaxed vibe.
I love our ornaments. I didn’t use every ribbon or strand of lights this year, but the tree is still beautiful in its simplicity. A real tree doesn’t need a lot of extras to look lovely.
Some of the kids’ memorable ornaments have moved to their own small trees in their rooms, which is a sweet little tradition.
After planning to use a unique container for the tree, we remembered this tree drips sap—so a tree skirt (or quilt) is a practical choice!
Here you can see the tree from the living room. The photos here capture different times of day, from daylight to night, which gives a cozy sense of the season.
I made a felt garland this year—an easy, handmade touch I repeat annually. It’s a simple craft that adds a soft, homemade feel to the decor.
The green glass jars always sit on the living room windowsill; this season I added a glass ball wreath for a subtle holiday accent. Just a quick peek upstairs and we’ll wrap up the tour…
This is our little bedroom tree. I’ve wanted one for years, and this was the year to have it. I kept the decorations minimal and added a sparkly monogram ornament for each family member (and Winston, of course).
Thanks for stopping by!