Christmas Home Tour 2016

Hey, Friends! I’m so excited to be joining up with Organize Nashville and a bunch of my blogging friends to bring you our Simply Seasonal Holiday Blog Hop! We will all be sharing what we love about Christmas, our best tips for getting your home ready for the season, as well as glimpses into our holiday homes!

I look forward to Christmas all year long! It is always so exciting to go get a tree the weekend after Thanksgiving and pull out the Christmas decor! Here’s some of my holiday decorating tips… and a home tour along the way!

Look for Deals

For the past ten years or so, after Christmas, we scour the stores for Christmas decor on clearance. Almost all of our decor was purchased after Christmas on steep discounts. I also love to hit up the Target Dollar Spot when they first put out their Christmas items. I can’t tell you how many things I have gotten from there! Just in the picture below, there are five things–the silver candle holder, silver bottle brush tree, the ribbon on the mini tree, the mini tree, and the red votive holder. #obsessed

These stocking were a steal from Kohl’s after Christmas a couple years ago. They didn’t have many left and they all had an initial on them. Most of the initials were R’s, but that didn’t deter me from scooping them up! For the first couple years, I simply turned them the other way so you couldn’t see the initials. This year, I got fancy and ordered monogram patches from my favorite embroidery guru, ZigZagz Embroidery. I took off the old initial patches and attached the new ones! I love how they turned out!

Get Personal

I love to bring in personal decor in the way of family photos and artwork. It’s easy to change out the art and photos in your existing frames for the season! Isn’t this print from Pen and Paint so beautiful! As you may remember from my fall home tour, I love love love her artwork!

Get Crafty

One way to save money and get the exact look you want is to get crafty. I made the three middle trees four years ago and still love them so much! They were super easy and inexpensive to make! Over the years, I have added two more trees to my collection that I found on the cheap- one on after Christmas clearance at Walgreens and one from the Target Dollar Spot. Of course. 😉

This glittered reindeer wreath was a super easy craft, too!

Getting crafty doesn’t always mean breaking out the glue gun and doing a super involved project. Sometimes, it’s something simple like this little tree in a mug. I found the tree at the Target Dollar Spot, but I didn’t like the concrete base it came in. I simply twisted it until it snapped out of the base then plopped it into this mug I found on steep discount at Michaels. I finished it off with some Dollar Spot ribbon and bam! Cheap and easy little DIY!

I love this sign from Par la Grace! And, guess where the little truck came from? Ding ding ding! You’re right! The Target Dollar Spot! This is getting ridiculous!

Light it Up

Don’t underestimate the power of lights! I add battery operated twinkle lights to my fireplace garland, the garland on my stairs, and the outside wreath for a touch of magic. I just love the way they look! One of my favorite pieces of Christmas decor is my joy sign. I love seeing it all lit up and sparkly at night!

Create a Spot for the Kids

Every year, I pull out this basket and fill it with our Christmas books and the play nativity set. The kids love it and use it all season long! For some reason, it makes my kids want to curl up in my lap and read books all day long. Loooove! 

I usually add a couple pieces of decor to the playroom as well. I always put the little Christmas diorama I made on the desk so it’s low enough for the kids to enjoy. This year I added this little Christmas truck by Par la Grace to the bookshelf and it looks perfect!

Get Sentimental

My last tip is to bring out the sentimental decor! I love using ornaments my kids made at school, plates with their hands and feet shaped into mistletoe and reindeer, ornaments our family has picked out to represent the year, and decor that has been passed down from my grandparents! These little snowmen were the very first Christmas decorations I ever purchased back when Jeremy and I were first engaged.

Hope you all enjoyed the tour and got some helpful tips along the way!

Be sure to hop on over to Love My Simple Home tomorrow to hear how she readies her home for the holidays. I’ve added a link to everyone else participating {and the day they post} so you can be sure to check out all the amazing blogs in this series!

Monday, December 5

Organize Nashville

Creatively Homespun

At Home with Zan

Uncookie Cutter

Tuesday, December 6

Timeless Creations

Craftivity Designs

Green with Decor

My Life from Home

Two Purple Couches

Old House to New Home

Wednesday, December 7

Our Crafty Mom

A Purdy Little House

Roots North & South

Pender & Peony

Organize & Decorate Everything

Thursday, December 8

Flourish & Knot

Rocky Mountain Bliss

Pocketful of Posies

Recreated Designs

Knock it Off Kim

The Interior Maven

Little Bits of Home

Friday, December 9

Love My Simple Home

Brooklyn Berry Designs

Simple Nature Decor

2 Bees in a Pod

Country Design Style

Finding Your Joy in The Journey