Seasons greetings and welcome to our home for the holidays!
If you’ve seen previous holiday seasons here at the home of Tina’s Chic Corner, then many of the decorations might look familiar to you. I like to re-use my decorations in different ways and in different rooms in order to give the items new life. Plus, I have fun creating new looks. One of the reasons why I start decorating the week before Thanksgiving is because I like to move bits and bobs around until it feels right.
The entry way greets you with a warm winter feel. I used a variety of candles, textures, and elements to help create a cozy and welcoming vibe.
I adore greenery on the banisters, the faux kind. I used live greenery once and that was the only time because it was such a mess to take down. (And it was super expensive for a thing that I could only use for one year.) I can tolerate the mess when we take our Christmas tree down (sort of) but not in the entry way. Especially since there are so many fantastic faux garland options out there. I’m not usually a ribbon or bow person but this year I went all out with this beautiful plaid ribbon on the garland. I think it adds a lovely detail to the garland.
This year I bought a faux tree for the kitchen. I have to admit that it was not love at first sight. I guess I didn’t realize how much branch fluffing one has to do to it in order for it to not look like 6 ratty branches. After hours of fluffing, adding lights, and decorating it, I love it. Finally.
I feel the most Christmas spirit when I see a Christmas tree all light up so this addition has been my absolute favorite. I just love going into the kitchen with this beauty all lit up.
I don’t usually do themed trees so I had a lot of fun with it on this tree. I wanted a natural and antique-y kind of feel.
I kept the kitchen table very simple with a bowl of pine cones. The candle holders are little tartlet tins (very kitchen appropriate).
If you’d like to check out how I decorated our dining room, then click here. I had to make it a separate post because there were so many pictures. Hehe.
Let’s move on to the family room. I wanted a rustic and natural look. I placed my white ceramic village in this corner. It might be hard to tell in the daylight but there are tea lights in each of the houses. I added a tall candle in the middle and surrounded the village with a variety of white trees to add some height. The green foliage softens the white village area and completes the look.
As much as I love a decorated Christmas tree, there’s something about the simplicity of a tree that only has fairy lights on it. In fact, I’ve loved it for years and have used these same trees over and over again. I might keep one of them in my bedroom all year long. 😉 This corner glows at night from the houses, candle and trees.
I loved the moss in the glass jars. It’s not a traditional holiday decoration, but I think it works, and it’s a nice contrasting texture to the ceramic white decorations. Be aware that moss is kind of stinky, so if your husband has as ridiculous a sense of smell as mine does, keep that in mind.
Here is the pièce de résistance, our live Christmas tree. After two years of small trees, I was determined to go back to a big tree for the family room. I have nothing against small trees but they simply don’t look as impressive when the room has 12 foot ceilings. At almost 11 feet tall, it’s one of my favorites. It took us at least 5 hours to decorate it with lights and ornaments but it was worth it. I used a variety of ornaments that we’ve collected over the years.
The branches go in all different directions and it’s actually quite full in the middle which is unusual for a tree of this size. In fact, the first day we had it up I kept hearing noises and I had pretty much convinced myself that we had a squirrel in it but we couldn’t see it because the tree is uniquely shaped. Of course there was no squirrel. It’s imperfectly perfect.
I like to keep the décor on the side tables and coffee table to a minimum. It’s a room that we use all day long so it must be functional too. I used a variety of textures to keep it interesting even though there is not a lot going on.
I love to start my mornings in this corner of the family room. I cuddle up with blankets and pillows and read for a few minutes. You can’t get more cozy with candles, blankets and pillows. I did add a little bit of color with the plaid blanket. I thought this corner needed a little pop and so it did the job (plus it’s soft and warm).
As with the other areas of the room, I wanted to have an organic look with a focus on the greenery by the fireplace. I used two garlands and a variety of different branches to make it full and look interesting. I was happy with how the garland turned out but it needed something else and I didn’t know what. My husband suggested adding candles and he was right. In fact, he placed them where you see them and I didn’t even move them an inch (which is something I would normally do because I’m picky like that sometimes).
I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing our home for the holidays. My husband and I wish you all the happiest of holidays and a happy and healthy new year!
