It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at my house ♥️

I am someone who loves decorating for the holiday season. Every aspect of the holidays makes me so happy, from the cold egg nog to the pretty decor. I always decorate earlier than everyone else, but I like to be merry for more than twenty-five days! There’s nothing better than watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade next to your Christmas tree. I bought our new artificial Christmas tree over the summer from The King of Christmas (an online retailer), because it was on sale, and I was so excited to finally put it up a couple of weeks ago. It’s a six-and-a-half-foot, snow-flocked tree. I am a firm believer in using an artificial tree as opposed to picking out a real one, for multiple reasons, but of course, that’s a personal preference. I am just loving sitting on the couch and looking over at our tree every day. It’s the most magical time of the year and I am hoping to inspire all of you to enjoy your space this holiday season.

I would like to start by saying that it doesn’t matter the size of your home, whether you’re in an apartment or a house, because every home can be filled with beauty and magic for the holidays. I know so many people with tiny spaces that make their homes look enchanting for the holidays. I’m always so impressed with beautiful home styling in smaller spaces. I also know many people who have huge homes that take a lot of time and patience to decorate. I grew up in a large house and my mom filled every single room with a fully decorated, three-foot tree, Santas, and angels. We also had a huge, artificial Christmas tree in our front room, that was lit up with multicolored lights, and decorated with millions of ornaments. My mom made our home feel like Christmas and I have continued with that tradition.

If you don’t have room for a large, six-foot Christmas tree, that’s okay. You can buy a smaller tree, a slim tree (which is great for smaller spaces and there are some really beautiful ones available), or a tabletop tree. I also love adding some real pine trees and holly trees to my outdoor space (my deck and my yard), and I usually light them up with solar Christmas lights, and then we plant the trees in the springtime. I will be planting my two pine trees and my one holly tree at our farm in 2022.

If you have a smaller space, it’s important to make sure your home is organized before decorating to ensure that every bit of your space is functional. You don’t want your holiday season filled with clutter and a mess. It’s the perfect time to donate unwanted or unused items that you don’t need. I always clean our drawers, closets, and donate items in early November, before I decorate and before receiving Christmas presents. As a mom, I also donate some toys of Greyson’s before his December birthday and Christmas. As humans, we tend to accumulate a lot of stuff and it’s nice to cleanse our space.

I don’t have a fireplace with a mantle. I have a really pretty, farmhouse, electric fireplace beneath our tv, that I love, but I cannot hang stockings there. I know that a lot of other people are also lacking a mantle to hang stockings the traditional way, but that doesn’t have to stop you from hanging stockings. I started using a blanket ladder rack to hang my stockings a few years back and now I do it every year! Using a blanket ladder rack allows you to lean it wherever you’d like in your home, too. I use lightweight, plastic stocking hooks to hang my stockings on the ladder and the setup works perfectly. They’re easy to slide and move if need be and the ladder is sturdy so the stockings never fall or shift, no matter how heavy they become with stocking stuffers. I bought my stocking hooks on Amazon and they’re not expensive. I also love draping a Christmas garland on top of my electric fireplace, just like you would on a mantle. It looks beautiful and adds something special to our fireplace. Garlands are great because you can find one for every season and time of the year. I decorate on top of our fireplace every season, but winter is my favorite.

I love winter and I enjoy filling my space with winter-themed pieces for the holidays, opposed to just buying Christmas decor. Winter pieces can stay up until the end of the winter season, but Christmas decor comes down after New Year’s Day. If you’re me, your Christmas decor is packed up on January 2nd. I leave my winter decor up until the end of the winter season. I love snowmen, neutral colors, skiing decor, and pine trees that are not lit. I love every bit of winter and I always bring the beauty of winter to our farmhouse. I’m also obsessed with Nutcrackers and I have quite a few (I had to stop myself from buying more this year). My love for Nutcrackers stems from my love for The Nutcracker ballet, which I believe is the most beautiful tribute to Christmas. The music, the costumes, and the magic from The Nutcracker inspires me every year. I’ve always viewed Nutcrackers as protective soldiers that bring good luck during the holiday season, but they’re also really beautiful.

A few weeks ago, I had stumbled across a three-foot, indoor Santa that I really wanted, but I decided to wait on buying it. I went back a few days later with Andrew and Greyson to buy it and it was sold out. Greyson and I drove around for an entire day, to six different stores searching for one, but no one had a three-foot Santa. Andrew, who is the world’s greatest husband, decided to surprise me. He bought me the most gorgeous, three-foot Santa online. I almost cried when I pulled the Santa out of the box. It was so thoughtful and that’s what the holidays are all about…making the ones you love smile. I love falling in love with the season and soaking in every day spent at home. I love being home for the holidays and surrounded by my decor, Christmas tree, and my family. Take some time today to decorate, listen to Christmas music, and be inspired by the holidays. Have some egg nog and cozy up under a favorite blanket. It’s a wonderful time to relax, celebrate, and appreciate what you have. A home can be as magical as you make it. The magic lives within you.

Stay tuned for a special blog post (after the holidays) dedicated to transforming your Christmas tree into a winter tree, so that you can leave your tree up throughout the winter and enjoy it longer.

Xo