Our favorite time of year is upon us. Our family welcomes it with open arms and enjoys every minute of it. Decorating and preparing a festive house is one of the joys of being a Farmgirl.
When the kids were little, our house may have looked like the dollar store version of the North Pole blowing up. We had every little tchotchke we could find with a Christmas motif, the walls covered in art projects from the children, faux greenery everywhere (not the pretty, expensive kind…more the spindly, cheap kind), and lights anywhere they would hang. With Christmas music blaring all day, it was a respite from the outside world. One that smelled like cookies and pine candles.
Sometimes I wanted more grown up, sophisticated looking décor. A couple with a large house hosted a party after the kids’ choir concert one year. We oohed and ahhed as we entered the foyer to the house with huge vaulted ceilings, and an enormous faux tree. I went and sat by the tree with my punch to admire the decorations. The tree had been decorated by a professional, our host told me. Each ornament was exactly alike and in perfect symmetry to the next. There was one child’s ornament tucked out of sight in the back. It was dreadful. I appreciated our current decorating style a bit more.
Our tree is covered in funky ornaments the children made over the years. Doug and I purchase an ornament everywhere we travel. Our tree is covered in memories of the Caribbean, Taos, and Glenwood Springs. Each of us have ornaments with our names on them. We have ornaments for the kitties that all passed away at the same time one year. We have ornaments from friends. I still have my ornaments from when I was a child. When Doug and I were married, being Jewish, he obviously had never celebrated Christmas, never cast his eyes on a tall, lit tree with childlike wonder, never hung an ornament on the tree. Never had an ornament! I had to catch him up, so for several years he received an ornament. He has plenty of his own now. This year Maryjane received her first ornament to put on the tree.
One good thing about closing our shop is that I now have two Christmas trees. There are no laws saying you may only have one tree. I wonder if I could fit a third…
Most of the trinkets and small items were given away over the years. The house resembles more Pottery Barn meets a farm then the blown up version of the North Pole. But it still isn’t pristine or perfect (why is that cat on the table?). We have baby items everywhere, last night’s coffee cups on the coffee table, and a few dishes undone. A house should be livable, comfortable. But, it is easy to create a beautiful landscape within your home with only a few touches. Beautiful garlands laid over antiques, the television armoire, the bookcase, makes furniture instantly festive while keeping a stylish appearance. Place a wreath in the center of the table and put a candle in the middle. Red or white candles scattered around the house create the perfect ambience to counteract the earlier dusk outdoors.
A wreath on the door to greet visitors is a must! The one thing you can do to create holiday cheer.
A holiday collection is fun to behold and bring out around the holidays. A grouping of old Santas, or sleighs, or even photographs are fun to look at. I always wanted to collect these Christmas houses, but they are a bit pricey. Once Doug and I figured out that if we had collected even one a year, we would have had a nice display by now, so we began purchasing one a year. Our piano is now full and overflowing onto other pieces, so we didn’t get one this year. Our tiny village is complete for now.
Little woodland creatures peek around greenery. Owls, and reindeer, polar bears, and squirrels quietly make known their presence.
A bit of whimsy is always in order and our collection of wooden animals don their best during this season. This is Juniper. My first bear that Doug gave me for Christmas many years ago.
A Nativity scene is fun for the kids to rearrange (ours is a bear nativity), a countdown calendar to know when Santa is coming, and pine candles complete the festive air. Even though the kids are older, they still love the season, and I intend for Grammie and Papa’s house to always be a stress free and magical place to visit.
Other ideas:
Poinsettias or amaryllises (my poinsettia lives year round in the south facing kitchen window)
Decorate a tree in the yard with inexpensive ornaments
Keep cookies in the cookie jar
Christmas inspired throw pillows and finger tip towels
Wrap a fake present or just put a real present on bedside table or coffee table
As always, lots of candles and oil lamps!
Farmgirl School 
Love this post! Christmas time is a great time of the year to see everyone’s creativity!! You have an abundance!! Loved it!
Thank you so much! And thank you for sharing my posts. It means so much to me. Merry Christmas!
I have to agree with you about the people that had the extravagant decorations and the pitiful tree doning the lonely homemade ornament. That seems too cold and shallow.
I also wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blogs over the past year. You have helped me understand the country way of life as my family had just moved to the Elbert area from the city about a year and a half ago. It’s been quite an adjustment, but a good one. I certainly don’t miss living right next to neighbors on both sides and the smoggy air, traffic and all the noise.
Danean, thank you so much! Glad to have you out here!
At one time, my goal was a tree for every room in the house. Considering I have a 5-bedroom house, that was a lot of trees. I never reached that goal but for a couple years 3 trees adorned our home. This year we have 2 trees up. One in the living room holds the nicer ornaments and one in the family room with all the whimsical and homemade ornaments.
I love this time of the year as well and the way you describe your holiday brings a wonderful vision of the magic that seems to come this time of the year.
I think I want to do a few clustered together next year! (I could get rid of the couch…)
I absolutely love you post as it brings back lots of memories of not having enough money to buy those expensive ornaments, using ones that the kids made. This year, I am sending one back to my son that he made in kindergarten, back in 1986. I hope he keeps that forever, just as I’ve done. We have trees in almost every room, all decorated in a different motif, most whimsical, but while the main tree in the living room is pretty, the kitchen tree is the most fun, with cookie cutters hung on ribbon, chicken ornaments, a couple of crows that I put red and green scarves on. The more, the merrier. Merry Christmas to you and yours!
I love the idea of the Christmas tree in the kitchen with the chickens and cookie cutters! How fun!