I can't believe Christmas is nearly here. My first Christmas tree this year went up on Halloween, then I worked on my second one (a new one to my collection this year!) while we waited for election results. The third went up the weekend before I learned I had COVID, and then I puttered out after coming out of isolation. I did finally get up the final tree for the year, which is the sentimental/family tree. This year missing from the lineup are my 12 foot magnolia tree, and my silver office tinsel tree. To see last year's setup, you can see the post and a video here.
I really started getting into Christmas decorating after my mom died. She loved the decorations. My collection grows a little bit every year.
As I said last year, I want to point out that I understand no one needs all of these decorations! This year since the season felt super short and no one other than Steve and I are seeing them in person, it felt a little bit like a lot of effort for not much enjoyment. Yet, I really enjoy putting them up – it was a nice distraction from the internet and 2020 general stink. It's a good escape. Now, onto the photo dump! I have a really hard time photographing indoors – the photos never look as good as they do in person! Yet, I guess that's true for a lot of things.
Royal Christmas Tree in Burgundy, Royal Purple, and Gold (Foyer)
This 10 foot tree is in the entryway. I went in a slightly different direction with this tree from last year when I only used gold ribbon. This year, I wanted to add more color that matched the ornaments I have for the tree. I picked up some inexpensive burgundy and royal purple ribbon to use with the gold I used last year. I made the mistake that I tell people not to do, and didn't buy extra ribbon, and now it's sold out. Hopefully it will come back in stock before next year and I can add it to the stash so I can also use it in the staircase garland.
I also added some really pretty red berries, which I think made a lot of impact.
From the entry, you can see 3 of the 4 trees in the house. Not intentional! Just now it worked out for where I have a place to put them.
Animal Print Tree (Formal Living Room)
This animal print tree is pretty much exactly the same as I had last year, with a few more ornaments. (I have a full rundown and sources for this tree here.) I noticed some of the glittered animal print ornaments I used last year went on sale in the middle of the year, so I stashed them away. Steve has learned to stop asking how many more things I can fit on a tree. To which I answer: is that a challenge? The limit does not exist!!!
Blue, White, and Green Chinoiserie Christmas Tree (Dining Room)
This tree is my newest addition to the fam, and my first fully flocked tree. I bought the tree on deep discount the day after Christmas on Home Depot online. I envisioned it in our bedroom, but once I finished my pandemic decorating in the dining room (see the full overhaul here – that wallpaper removal was so therapeutic), I knew exactly what I wanted to do with this tree. I love a theme!
A chinoiserie-themed tree that matched the blue, green, and white in the room was just what the room needed. I found some gorgeous blue and green velvet ribbon from my favorite store for all things holiday, House by JSD. I found a lot of ginger jar ornaments and similar things online, but I didn't want to spend too much on them. Instead, I used my friend Monica's tutorial as a guide to make my own chinoiserie print ornaments using napkins from Amazon, inexpensive plain ornaments from At Home, and Mod Podge.
I added some magnolia flowers and leaves (also from House) and used inexpensive blue At Home ornaments in clusters as filler. Old pearl floral picks (an impulse clearance buy from Pier 1 years ago) finally found a home with this tree. Since I scour the holiday sales as we get close to Christmas, I lucked out and found a set of 6 ginger jar ornaments from Frontgate, marked down from $229 to $29! I ordered 2 sets, and excitedly threw them on the tree when they arrived last week.
With the big dining room table, I contemplated doing a garland down the center, but then found this huge footbath (from House, natch) and knew I could use it all year, changing out the florals for the seasons.
I also added a couple of my smaller Fancies to the table. A Fancy is my name for these shiny reindeer with fur collars. A nickname for these glittery reindeer that popped in my head in 2015 and never left. They made me smile every time I saw them during a rough time. So now, there are several Fancies throughout the house. The originals came with their own fur collars – I made collars for the rest, like this one:
Pine, Magnolia, and Cedar Fireplace and Back Staircase Garlands
This is the family room where my giant tree usually goes. I didn't have the energy in me to get it up this year, but it will be back next year. Instead, I amped up the mantle and staircase decor. (See last year's large magnolia tree here.)
There is a lot of greenery here that usually goes on the large magnolia tree, so I was able to add cedar and magnolia to the mantle and staircase. You can see my fireplace garland tutorial here.
I also used some leftover greenery around the house by making some small swags to use over mirrors. Really easy to do, and adds an extra festive touch. The huge tree normally goes where the mirror is, so it was nice to have the greenery in that spot still.
Family Tree (Basement)
Ever since July, I told myself I needed to share our basement glow up, but I've not gotten around to it. We never used this space before 2020, and I love having it put together now so we can enjoy it. Maybe one of these days, I'll get my act together to share everything we did down here to get it to this point! In the meantime, this is where our “family” or sentimental tree goes. Nothing fancy here, but it's the one that means the most since it has our collected ornaments on it. Putting up these ornaments felt surreal. I'd just gotten a little energy back after COVID and was so thankful, and then I was putting up our travel ornaments realizing we didn't have anything new to add. 2020 has been a trip, but not the fun kind!
Some of my favorite ornaments. I shared the stories behind some of them back in 2016 if you want to check that out.
And as you can see, since there is quite a bourbon theme here, we also have bourbon ornaments on our tree. Eagle-eyed bourbon lovers: can you spot the 2 brands represented on the tree here?!
Kitchen Area/Miscellaneous
And finally, a few other photos from the kitchen area, where my original Fancies are hanging out!
I was so bored that I even made a swag for a bathroom mirror – haha! It's cute, though?!
7,000 photos later, and we've reached the end of this year's festive decor. If you have any questions about anything or need sources, just let me know. I'm wishing you and yours a safe and happy holiday. Steve and I are going to cook at home – I'm attempting to make a standing rib roast. It could go really well or turn into an overpriced piece of overdone beef. Fingers crossed!
Do you have a favorite tree?
