Merry Christmas my friends!  I hope your holiday season has been all you could have possibly imagined!  This is such a busy time of year for all of us, and as I have discovered, working full-time (after being very part-time) can present so many challenges of its own.  As crazy as it has been, I’ve been determined not to let those challenges steal my joy, which in turn could affect my entire family.

“Christmas now surrounds us,
Happiness is everywhere
Our hands are busy with many tasks
As carols fill the air.”

~ Shirley Sallay

I took a different approach in decorating this year; instead of stressing myself (and my litle family) out to create a house over-filled with Christmas, I focused on only two rooms, settling for two themed trees with a touch of garland on my banister & a little whimsy to remind us of the innocence of Christmas.  It was simple, but very effective.  It’s also what worked best for us with an overwhelming schedule.  There is no need to add chaos in decorating for the holidays when you already have so much going on!

And believe me, a little can go an awful long way.

Although I’m way behind & “late to the party”, I wanted to share our living room with you, so please accept this late invitation to take a peak into our home!

As Audley and I spent several days putting everything together I kept thinking of the words “warm”, “cozy”, and “peaceful”.  While these are words that are definitely associated with this beautiful season, they are also words I have tried to focus on each and every day lately as I try to create an atmosphere that is welcoming to both my husband and children, as well as all who enter our home at any time of the year.

“For centuries men have kept an appointment with Christmas. Christmas means fellowship, feasting, giving and receiving, a time of good cheer, home.”

~ W. J. Tucker

  Without a doubt the living room is definitely the most common room in the house, so I put a lot of thought into how I wanted it to look.

For the most part I am such a traditionalist when I decorate for Christmas.  I love red and green sprinkled all around accented with Santas I have collected over the years.  Our living room tree this year was filled with vintage and rustic touches combined with  Santas and fairies for a touch of whimsy.

In our tree I used plaid ribbon (purchased at Costco), deer antlers, pine cones, evergreen filler, and berries to create the rustic feel; then added a combination of ornaments from old-fashioned red and green balls to mercury bulbs to complete the look.

There is something about those vintage-looking ornaments that make my heart feel warm and happy as I long for the simplicity of days gone by.

I used some of the same elements for garland around the fireplace screen (it’s been as high as 70° around here, so it wasn’t needed!), and on the wreath above.

I created two small vignettes in the living room: one using Bradley’s “Thomas the Tank engine” from his days as a little boy (I was feeling nostalgic), and another scene using a porcelain Santa and reindeer we received as a gift our first year of marriage.

We’ve displayed these beautiful pieces every year for 21 years now!

We ran garland intertwined with lights down our banister from the loft.  Our garlands have become thin from the years of use, so we filled them with fresh cedar branches to give them a fuller look.

A few throw pillows and I had a space that didn’t feel overdone or over-the-top, a little nostalgic, as well as cozy, warm, and peaceful which has been most needed and appreciated by all of us this season.

Thanks for visiting our home today.   I do hope you found a little bit of holiday joy as well as felt the mood I was trying to create.  As I leave you today, I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate each and every one of you!  Thank you so much for stopping by!

I would love to hear from you and how you are spending this blessed season.  Feel free to share in the comments if you would like, or check in with me on Facebook.  I often post there when my days are too short for blogging.

Merry Christmas Eve, Eve!