The Christmas eagle has landed. We completed the TV wall in the St. Nick of time to decorate for Christmas. I have always envisioned a live tree next to the hearth and this year we were able to bring that vision to life.
Growing up, my family had an annual tradition of going down to the local firehouse and picking out a live tree two weeks before Christmas. My mom liked decorating in general but when it came to Christmas she was always good about letting us kids {there were four of us} have our way with the tree. It’s a tradition that HH and I are trying to carry on with our own children.
This year we found our 8-footer in the parking lot of a Halloween costume store for $40. Classy, I know. The story of how we found our tree isn’t all that sentimental but it’s the most beautiful tree we’ve ever had and the minute we got it home we started feeling sad about having to take it down after the holidays.
The tree is tall enough not to look dwarfed beneath the vaulted ceiling yet slim enough not to impede traffic flow. The size and shape are exactly what we were looking for. Just because of the sheer size of the tree, HH and I strung the lights and ribbon then let the kids hang the ornaments. I like the look of themed and carefully styled trees but they aren’t for us. We use the same bulb ornaments and tree topper that HH and I bought for our first Christmas together. Gifted ornaments from family & friends and ornaments handmade by our kids are scattered throughout. It isn’t too perfect and we prefer it that way.
Fun fact: There are seven strands of lights on our tree! Three regular strands that we normally use to light our tree + four strands of outdoor globe lights that we used on our dining patio this past summer. I love the mix. Also, an extension cord runs under the rug to power the lights. …because these are the things I think about when I see other people’s trees.
I don’t go too crazy with holiday decor. A few festive touches are all we need to get us in the Christmas spirit. A gold candelabra {Nate Berkus for Target} and a wood bowl filled with vintage silver bells dress up the coffee table. When Mabrey’s awake, the candelabra is moved out of toddler reach and the bells become LOUD toys. {!}
Next year I might add something above the TV but this year I’m just happy to have a legit mantel to decorate. I bought a live 25′ garland from Home Depot for $7 on sale. We have a stocking for every member of our family. It’s a first! I hung the garland and stockings with 3M Command hooks. The center stocking was HH’s as a child. The ivory velvet stockings are the boys’ and I bought them a few years ago. The outermost stockings are from Target this year. We remove the three centermost stockings when the fireplace is on. You know, to avoid fires and stuff.
The store bought stockings were feeling a little too generic so I embellished them with some pom action. I made large ivory poms for the herringbone tweed stockings and tied them around the stocking loops. They remind me of Santa’s hat. Maybe it’s just me. I found black pom trim at JoAnn’s and hot glued it to the ivory stockings for contrast. I glued the trim onto the back side of the foldover for a simple peek-a-boo look. So, there you go. Two super easy, no-sew ways to customize meh store bought stockings.
I may or may not have taken the pom thing too far. My gift wrapping motto this year? PUT A POM ON IT. Seriously. They are so easy to DIY and you don’t have to worry about them getting smashed or falling off. I loosely followed this video for the making of my poms but traced the bottom of a bowl and tea light to DIY my own cardboard disc. If a present adorned with a gray pom ends up under your tree this year, chances are it’s from me. The plaid and red wrapping paper is from JoAnn’s on clearance for a $1 / roll.
The boys helped me paint the paper maché letters that made an appearance in our holiday cards. I bought the “JOY” letters from JoAnn’s several years ago. They come as cardboard brown but I painted them a light lavender the first Christmas I displayed them. This year the boys and I gave them a few coats of cheerful red and placed them on the windowsill above the kitchen sink. Aren’t they the happiest lil’ things?!
Needless to say, the kids are stoked for Christmas. The first thing they do every morning is turn on the Christmas tree lights. At night, I like nothing more than lighting candles and staring into the Christmas tree abyss. Is it insane to want a Christmas tree in one’s house all year long?
images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking
budget decor, DIY, family life, kid-friendly