Welcome, friends, I’m excited to have you here! There’s something special about decorating for Christmas in a new home. This will be our first Christmas in our new country home! It’s been a fun puzzle to figure out where and how to use the decor from our previous house. Some things have fallen into place easily and some things (very tired thrifted garlands) have gotten an upgrade.
A Whimsical Woodland Christmas Tree
Here is the living room clean and ready for Christmas cheer! Obvioulsy, the first consideration was: “where will the Christmas tree go?” We decided to place it on a round skirted table in front of the big picture window. It’s a real tree, as usual, full of fragrance and imperfect charm, and we’ve tucked it into a large blue-and-white Chinoiserie planter I found at an antique shop two years ago. We’ve loved our woodland themed Christmas tree so much and setting it up in our new home is so special!
Before setting out to pick the tree, Matt measures to know what size to look for. We always get a since they have a pretty color, great shape, and supple limbs (which is perfect for decorating!).
Matt has a knack for choosing pretty trees and this year was no exception! It is a little bigger than last year, which I think is more proportionate to the size of the planter.
Mixed in with the woodland themed ornaments are sparkly hand-blown glass icicles, glimmering whenever the lights catch them. Every tree throughout my childhood was real and had twisty glass icicles, so this is a bit of sweet nostalgia for me. To tie in the planter (and my love of blue and white) blue glass balls are scattered throughout the tree.
I probably say this every year, but this is the prettiest tree we’ve ever had! It has been a joy this year to create the same (slightly tweaked) version of our blue woodland tree in our new home as we had in our previous home.
A Mirror Dressed for Christmas
From the tree we moved to the mirror. To give the room a sense of cohesion without feeling over-styled, I added blue velvet ribbon repeats across the garland and the wreath on the mirror.
This year’s living room is a blend of thrifted finds, simple handmade touches, and the familiar Christmas decor. The large mirror above our English rolled arm sofa has the typical garland we’ve used every year, except that the lights weren’t all working. Instead of replacing them, we decided to remove them and let the lights on the sugared fruit wreath shine as the focal point.
On either side of the wreath we hung our special vintage hand~painted Christmas eggs. They appear to float since they are hung with clear fishing line. These gorgeous eggs hold a special memory. One year, while Matt, his Mom, and I were antiquing, she & I came across these gorgeous eggs. I admired them, but left them behind. After our visit was over, I couldn’t get them out of my mind and asked if she could check if they were still there
& I’d pay her back… she went back and bought them and shipped them to us as a gift. So sweet of her! Now every year when I hang these eggs I remember that shopping trip and Mom’s kindness.
Dangling from the garland, these little treasures catching the glow of the lights just right. They’re delicate and magical adding Christmas nostalgia under the twinkle lights.
A Snowy Alpine Village on the Buffet
On the buffet, my sister and I created a small Alpine village that is one of my favorite Christmas vignettes in the house. Every house in the village was thrifted over the years, each one with its own quirks and charm. We nestled them into a snowy landscape, and behind them hangs a thrifted tapestry that I found after the season was over, for $2! The tapestry looks like it was made for this village and tells a quiet winter story from long ago that feels timeless.
First Christmas in our New Home
Standing back and looking at the room, the whole space feels cozy, homey, and full of anticipation, exactly what Christmas should feel like! It’s a mix of thrifted and antique pieces, sentimental finds, childhood nostalgia and a few new touches that make the season feel fresh and familiar.
If you’ve started decorating for Christmas, I hope this gives you a few ideas for creating something cozy and meaningful. There is something comforting, reassuring about using the same decor every year with all the beautiful memories that come with them. Until next time,
Enjoy the most wonderful time of the year!
Rachel
