This is only the second year in our home. Last year, we had just moved in September, and since I hosted Thanksgiving, and two Christmas family dinners, there really wasn’t a lot of time for anything other than just getting the tree up.
This year has been a little more relaxed. I hosted Thanksgiving, but my brother is taking Christmas, and we are a bit more settled…so I had more time to think about these things. Actually I’m not ready for Christmas at all (eeek!). Maybe it’s because I’ve been too busy decorating! Meh. You can’t have it all!
First, I made a few ornaments, using lovely tips and tricks from fellow bloggers.
This paper wreath sits on the open railing divider between the kitchen and the stairs.
Then, continuing with the paper theme, I made these little trees.
They were sitting on the little smoking table by the front entry,
but then I moved them to the mantle.
I think they go nicely with my white antler wreath.
As well as a few little rusty elements that we already had including the barn star
…and the lid from the copper boiler that we use for firewood.
Add in some pine cones and a coal oil lamp, some bottles spruced up with some spruce and twine…
and the Christmas mantle is complete!
Our tree resides beside the fireplace in the corner and is a very traditional kind of tree with a lot of blue and silver and red and green. We are really attached to having all the different colours of lights as well. Some year, I may buy a second tree for trendy decorating and all white lights, but this tree is special as it has decorations given to me by my mom from the past 30 years. It has decorations made for me by my grandmothers and my son. Each one tells a story and it is always a joy to put it up every year and remember them all.
Here’s a star made by my dad when he was a little boy alongside a vintage Santa and vintage painted red decorations. The silver one is new.
It’s not really about a colour scheme or style. These ribbon balls were crafts we did with my Grandma about 20 years ago. I also like that, as a family, we have common ornaments.
She even embroidered ornaments for us. This is traditional Norwegian embroidery called hardangar.
These cute little cork horses were another family craft with her. She was a glue-gunnin’ machine long before her time!
Other decorations we have around are quite traditional as well.
Snowflakes on the window.
Greenery and snowflake candle holders.
A handmade little mouse.
And a little grassy deer.
Of course, here, Mother Nature takes care of decorating the outdoors.
You really cannot beat that. Here is our house from the road.
And here is our front step decorated for Christmas.
The willow hoops on the door were a DIY disaster (post to come) that turned into something kind of cool anyway. I just tied them together with ribbon.
I love the texture and colour of willow.
So much so that we just tied together big bunches of it and stuck them in the whiskey barrels on either side of the front door. Old burlap covers the styrofoam that we used to help it stand up.
I hope you enjoyed our holiday home tour and wish you a very happy holiday!
xo
Catherine
