December is that time of year when homes are transformed into festive settings complete with evergreen trees, twinkling lights, and Frasier fir scents. We all have special traditions that evoke warm memories of this magical season. In this post I want to share my Christmas decorating ideas in two very different homes.
Christmas Decorating at Highover....
Highover Stairs
In our Highover home, we had a beautiful staircase first viewed when you walked through the front door. As always, I like to make a statement when entering a home (see my post Make a Statement When You Open the Front Door) so I attached white lights, pinecones, cranberry picks and lovely faux greenery purchased at an after-holiday sale at my favorite store, Tonkadale Greenhouse.
My advice is to use wire (20 or 22 gauge) and twist it around the railing to keep the greenery in place. Or, you could use black zip ties.
Over the opening leading to the kitchen, I hung an array of beautiful round ornaments with a gauzy ribbon tied to the spindles above. A bow out of sheer white wired ribbon finishes the look. I worked hard to create varying heights, so I numerically labeled the ornaments making for a quick install each year.
In the foyer niche sits Secretariat (I love to name my treasures) sporting a Santa cap over one ear.
To the right of the foyer is the office where I placed dried hydrangea flowers from my garden, red picks, and a tall tree of poinsettias on the mantel. The tree was found years ago at Target when shopping at 7:00 AM the day after Christmas. I liked it so much I bought two, but I didn’t dare leave my shopping cart unattended as so many people asked about them and I had nabbed the last ones. 🙂
Another year the poinsettia tree was moved to the right and pinecones replaced the hydrangea. The Terry Redlin print sits above the fireplace all year, but the snowy scene is even more fitting at Christmas time.
Frosty greets you at the base of the stairs and gives you a glimpse of the Christmas tree and other festive touches in the Living Room beyond.
On the coffee table, moose horns were lined with evergreen and red ornaments were nestled on top.
The dancing Jesuit Priests and the gentle resting elk get in the spirit with burgundy and gold ribbon.
In the Dining room window sits a collection of Hallmark house ornaments. When my daughter, Kate, was little she loved gazing at the different designs and checking the inside for tiny Christmas trees. This particular series was started years ago in 1984. We do not have them all, but we are close. Kate will inherit my collection someday but meanwhile, each year, looks forward to her gift with the newest house ornament.
Speaking of Hallmark….. Decades ago my mother, Elaine, sold Hallmark ornaments out of her Drug Store in my hometown (Oshkosh, Nebraska) of 1,000 people. She had so many friends hooked on collecting Christmas ornaments that the company could hardly believe she sold that much in such a small town. Each July, we would get the “Dream Book” and place our pre-order. Years of collecting has resulted in my Christmas tree having 95% Hallmark ornaments. I would like to shake it up with coordinated ornaments and ribbon, but the kids will not have it. Our Hallmark tree is one of those special family traditions.
In the kitchen behind the sink, I paired this frosty reindeer with a white wood tree topped with a sprig of burgundy berries. The outdoor winter evergreen pot with white birch branches can be seen through the window beyond.
The kitchen island is a perfect place for a simple centerpiece. At Christmas I featured these leggy metal reindeer with a candle surrounded by greenery and pinecones. I liked the whimsical reindeer so much I got a pair for my mother, my sister, and my friend, Diane.
A bakers rack in the kitchen has a little Christmas on every shelf.
The book and tiny matching tea set were given to me by my mother-in-law, Vonnie, and are one of my favorite momentos. Each year when I read “A Cup of Christmas Tea” it brings tears to my eyes. The red, “Book of Christmas”, beneath the tea set sets off the tiny porcelain perfectly. The flocked pinecones and brown pinecones in apothecary jars adds a woodsy element to balance the red color.
On the next shelf beneath the pinecones is a red “Nutcracker” book. Can you not just hear the fanciful “Sugar Plum Fairy” music and see the ballerinas floating across the stage?
The pink tinged poinsettia sits on the “Littlest Angel” book where the blue color plays off the Nutcracker hat.
One year I displayed a vintage tray with old-fashioned candy and flocked pinecones in the two apothecary jars. The red calico mouse is a Hallmark miniature from 1978.
Large red ornaments under the arched opening into the Great Room looked as if they were floating in the air.
Actually, they were hung with wire on tiny Command hooks. I made silver bows to dress them up a bit. As with the foyer, each ornament was labeled so I did not have to re-think the varying heights the next year. The clear plastic Command hooks were left all year round as they were practically undetectable.
The Great Room mantel with lots of greenery and lights sparkled above the Christmas stockings. This particular year I featured three red reindeer.
The festive red picks played off the deer and the wire string with white pearls gave it an airy feel.
The outside vintage signs were moved inside and displayed with greenery and a couple of wood trees. A little mouse peeks around the corner.
Christmas Decorating at Elshire.....
Our Elshire home is quite different from Highover. It is an open concept versus separate living areas. However, I was still able to re-purpose many of my Holiday decorations.
When I saw this little cloth church mouse at my sister, Christie’s, house I had to have one of my own. He is very strange and was a little scary to the kids when they were younger, but I like him. He is paired him with greenery and a wood star tree topper with burlap wrapped around the spiral coil.
The 1989 Hallmark porcelain creche is beautiful in its simplicity. It’s striking white color stands out against the faux greenery, copper picks, and brown pinecones.
Once again my Jesuit Priests sport holiday ribbons around their necks. I have placed greenery at the base of their feet and copper berry picks which play off nicely with the patina of the dancing figures.
I found a doorway to hang four of the nine beautiful round ornaments displayed at Highover.
I love the rich coconut wood trim atop this transom window, but at Christmas, I wanted to add a little extra, so I hung miniature green wreaths (found at Hobby Lobby) and tied sheer silver ribbon to the top. Daryl calls them cheerios, but I rather like them. The red stars glow in the evening when I light them with remote-controlled candles.
Creating this Christmas village in the center of my dining table was great fun! I used wood chargers, birch tree stumps, pinecones, tall flocked evergreen cone trees, 2 leggy reindeer, an abstract deer, and lots of greenery.
The ceramic houses and church were a Christmas gift from my friend Diane. I inserted remote candles in all three and when they are lit I can just picture families gathering inside.
I placed this unique deer, found at a flea market years ago, between the two trees as I wanted to create the illusion of him running through the evergreen forest.
Originally I thought I would have to move my village to make room for dining at the table, but actually we had plenty of space and it made for quite an interesting conversation piece.
In the dining window, I hung crystal snowflakes with white gauzy ribbon. However, it was difficult to photograph and I could not capture the beautiful sparkle when the winter sun streamed through the window.
I have spoken about my extensive Hallmark collection, but my most cherished holiday decorations came from my grandmother, Vlasta. I can still see these Noel cherubs and stain glass church in her Nebraska home all those years ago – a wonderful family memory.
These three wooden angels are paired with a very real angel, my daughter, Kate.
I looked high and low for a Christmas pillow before I fell in love with this stately reindeer.
No more hanging electrical cords connected to an outlet for my mantel lights. I discovered these battery fairy lights. Now if they could just create a string with a timer…..
In my breakfast niche, I flanked the wall of glass with the dark red poinsettia towers I had closely guarded in my Target shopping cart all those years ago. The sparkly blue trees (also from Target) on the table work nicely with the blue cabinets.
The ‘bird in flight’ figurine from Pottery Barn gets in the spirit with a simple red ribbon.
My Elshire island contains the kitchen sink so I had to place my island centerpiece on the far corner. The white Amaryllis nestled in rocks adds a soft touch to the frosty reindeer and white stick tree. The entire arrangement was ground with greenery and pinecones.
Once again the vintage tree farm signs found a home. Because the backsplash was tile I attached the oval signs with Command strips.
Twenty-some years ago I purchased four of these shiny red reindeer, but alas only two have survived to sit in my office window.
My son, Sam, mentioned that he missed the garland and lights on our Highover stair railing. I did too, but I have to admit it was much easier to decorate this short railing leading to the lower level. The trains on the console are, of course, Hallmark.
Instead of the sprawling suburban town in the Highover window I created a densely populated city center in our Elshire window for the Hallmark house series. To give it height variation I placed several pieces on old wood.
The holidays can be such a fun and festive time, but I want to always remember the real reason for Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ. To remind me, this nativity tin from Hobby Lobby is purposefully placed so it is viewed every time I entire our home.
I hope you have enjoyed my Christmas decorating ideas. I would love to hear what traditions make your home special during this beautiful season. Feel free to tell me about them in the comments below.
And, check out my other posts, Festive Exterior Christmas Decorating You Will Love! and How to Create Beautiful Bows for Stunning Christmas Packages.
So beautiful Cheryl, all your decorations make your home so warm and welcoming.
Thank You Karen!
I like how you recreated Christmas in the new house. It has fond memories, but gives s different vive. Christie
Thank you Christie!
Oh my, Cheryl! So so beautiful!! The photos of your Highover house bring back warm and wonderful memories of the brunches you treated our Women of Thunder to for so many years. You definitely gave all of us a special gift, to be able to gather together and enjoy the spirit of Christmas in such a loving and joyful setting. And now we have those memories forever! Thank you so much for all of your sharing!!
I love your new house decorating also. You have such a gift! It just brings me joy to browse through your photos and narrative. Thank you! And Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Just beautiful Cheryl and I love seeing the Hallmark, such memories of our childhood and your Mom.
That was a wonderful tour through Christmas land! You have such an eye for combining cherished Christmas decorations with new pieces to create lovely scenes. And I learned something new…I did not know you can control lights with a remote. Thank you! Barb Long
Great content! Keep up the good work!
You do an amazing job with your Christmas decorations! Beautiful in both homes!
Thank you, Brenda!
What a gift you have Cheryl!! Your house is absolutely beautiful!!
Thank you Linda!