Short days and long nights this time of year make the warmth of Christmas lights even more special. And that was the inspiration for this year’s holiday decorating at our place…making things cozy and sparkly with lights.
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We stayed with the “snowy forest” theme for the main level of our home, which we’ve done for the past couple of years, but added more lights – and a few tweaks here and there – to make that forest glow!
The Hallway
New this year is the garland on the stair rail and newel post. Finally, we found one that worked and wouldn’t scratch the wood. Because real garlands can ooze sap, we decided to avoid potential messes and go faux.
This Norfolk Island pine garland looks real, is soft to the touch, and was easy to work with – yay! It’s nice and drapey, too. I decided not to add lights, as the area it’s in was already pretty bright, despite the photo, which looks a bit dark. (But I may add some fairy lights for a subtle twinkle – there’s still time!)
Underneath, I added two faux boxwood “gifts” that light up. These were a score from Home Goods at the end of last season (I found one on eBay, if you’re looking for something similar). They’re intended for outside, but I love them in the house.
At the end of the hallway, I added a grapevine reindeer and flocked tree – all lit up and happy. (I flocked this one myself, so the link is to the unflocked version).
A length of burlap serves as the “ground” they stand on. It reminds me of brown grass in winter.
The Living Room
Around the corner, two smaller trees flank the piano.
These are a pair of three-foot flocked trees. I added a dusting of faux snow inside the container of each one and strung them with lights for more sparkle. Next year I’ll flock the cords to camouflage them a bit better.
A tall, gold candlestick with a battery-operated pillar candle is flanked by two silver colored pails filled with greenery from around our property. I love how fresh and simple they are. Paintings by my Godmother hang above. The one on the left is my favorite – a charming winter scene.
Moving into the living room, the fireplace mantle received a similar treatment to previous years. Norfolk Island pine boughs stood in place of the usual balsam branches for greenery. White tipped pine cones, glittery white berry sprigs, my trusty gold deer, and a couple of bottle brush trees complete the look.
Across from the fireplace, the credenza decor repeats the forest theme with frosty bottle brush trees, faux birch trees, and pillar candles.
I love the mix of textures and natural color palette. The small cow bells add another hint of sparkle and they sound so sweet when you ring them.
The gold bottle brush tree (Dollar Tree) offers just the right amount of glam.
Of course, the tree is the star of the show. We stick with the same theme each year – vintage glam – because it’s my once-a-year opportunity to use all those beautiful vintage and figural ornaments I’ve been collecting forever!
For the tree this year, I added these darling dove ornaments. They clip onto the branches and are so sweet. I was worried they might look cheap, but I think they are perfect.
The Dining Room
For the adjacent dining room, we kept things simple. On the door, we hung a wreath accented with a gold-colored bell and red velvet ribbon.
For the centerpiece, a small wreath accented with the same velvet ribbon, pinecones, flocked evergreen picks, and gold berries encircles a large pillar candle.
Finally, on the mirror, we hung another simple wreath adorned with a bell and red velvet ribbon.
And that’s a wrap on our holiday decorations for the downstairs – hope you enjoyed the tour!
For more holiday cheer, here’s a look at last year’s decor.