Merry Christmas Eve, my sweet friends! I thought I would share with you a little holiday tour of our home decorated for Christmas. And since tomorrow is the big day, why don’t you stop by for a visit? It’s a Christmas House Tour!
My husband and I decorated our front entry a few weeks ago. I”m pleased to say the greenery around the door is still fresh and fragrant! I planted small Rosemary trees surrounded by tiny pansies in the urns for a baby shower a few weeks ago. They still look and smell great, so I left them! Lacey says, welcome!
I decorated the front double doors with flocked wreaths, vintage ice skates and bows. Simple and fun!
This is the Great Room. This year I added two trees and this large lighted wreath, which was hung by my handy hubby.
The gas logs don’t work so we did the next best thing~turn on the Yule Logs on the television!
The logs on the tv supplies the visual ambiance while Christmas music plays in the background.
This silver Nativity Scene is new this year. Well, new to me. I bought it at a consignment shop. The large scale is perfect to sit atop the secretaire.
I placed this painted Nativity under a glass cloche and set it all inside a real wreath on a tray. Because we use artificial trees, I enjoy using fresh greenery and wreaths so we can appreciate the amazing scent of cedar, pine and fir.
This little area is to the right of the front door. The chest got a few decorations and flowers.
The kitchen got a splash of color from a garland made from real pine and cedar. (from Costco)
I used staples from my staple gun to hold the garland in place. After Christmas it will be simple to remove the few staples and pull down the garland.
This Nutcracker stands at attention in the kitchen and guards my homemade goodies!
For our Christmas gathering the other day, I put together a few snacks and dips. Green and red peppers are perfect Christmas dippers!
The dining room was set for several days. Once I wash and iron the table cloth, the table is off limits until the big dinner.
This vintage wreath is my favorite! I found it at an antique store years ago, then found the Merry Christmas sign and added it to the wreath. They look like they belong together! It hangs on a Command Strip hook on the window in the dining room. It looks like something my Grandmother would have had!
My sideboard is decked out with my silver reindeer (from The Bombay Company years ago) and a big urn filled with red poinsettias.
I planned on doing a monochromatic color scheme this year and just use whites, creams and gold. But once I saw the red poinsettias, it was game over. Plus, my husband LOVES red and green at Christmas.
I set each place at the table with a gold charger, a white plate and small Christmas salad plate. The poppers were found at Costco. They were a set of 8 for $19.99 and I admit they had some pretty cool prizes inside. My husband got a green’s tool and I got a wine opener. Everyone got a small gift. Perfect!
I used the other half of the garland from the hood range on this over-sized mirror in between the Great Room and kitchen. The shape of the mirror was perfect for hanging the garland. No staples needed. (Thank goodness, because I wouldn’t have!)
The powder room got a little christmas love with some small wreaths, ribbon and a crystal mistletoe hanging from the chandelier. This mirror from Anthropologie was a Christmas gift last year from my sweet husband. I”m hoping for its big sister this year! (fingers crossed!!)
The Butler’s Pantry is the perfect spot to showcase my Nutcracker collection. They stand atop the cabinets over the washer and dryer.
I added some faux greenery from Target to add a little color. And may I say that faux greenery has come a LONG way? It looks practically real and doesn’t shed or turn brown like the real stuff tends to do.
When we entertain, we like to set up our food in the Butler’s Pantry so the kitchen stays neat and clean. A few weekends ago we had a few friends over for coffee and dessert, so we set up the coffee station in the pantry. We served decaf coffee and a variety of creamers and liqueurs.
I decorated the guest rooms in the basement for our children. Then I found out they were not coming home this year for Christmas. So, kids, here is what you have to look forward to NEXT year! Mark your calendars!
I added more of the faux greenery in my younger son’s room.
I found these sheets this year on sale at Bed, Bath & Beyond and couldn’t resist! Aren’t they darling? They are flannel and since they won’t be used very often, they will last for years to come! I bought a king-size set for our other guest room too.
And here is Miss Lacey, looking very sweet and innocent. Yesterday my husband and I felt guilty because we had not gotten her anything for Christmas. So, we took her outside to go potty in the rain before we went shopping for her gifts. When we got home our wet, muddy dog was curled up on our white sofa!! She is not allowed on the furniture so I don’t know WHAT got into her? We scolded her and cleaned the sofa as best as we could. It came pretty clean, but I hope this doesn’t become a habit! And we did get her several gifts which are now wrapped and under the tree. (If she jumps on the sofa again, she’s getting lumps of coal instead.)
Well, that’s about it for our house tour! It was fun having two trees in our great room this year so it might become a new tradition! And I think I am finally ready for Christmas!
My husband and I are going to church this evening then over to a friend’s house for dinner. Then tomorrow is the big day! So, Merry Christmas my friends. Let’s all remember the reason for the season! God bless you every one! Much love, Dell