As most of you know, I love the holidays and I LOVE decorating for Christmas. However, this year we’re heading to Calgary to spend the holidays with Justin’s family (then taking off to spend NYE in Arizona with my parents!). So, I haven’t actually got around to any decorating yet, but this year will be a similar theme to last year, and, since we aren’t actually going to be “home for the holidays” I’m not going to go all out like I did previously and decorate every room, but, I’ll certainly decorate our main living space and put up a tree!
Last year I decorated the house like crazy and had so much fun doing it!! I wasn’t working and I only had Leo running around so I felt like I had a bit more time and energy to decorate … plus, we had Christmas here at our house so I wanted it to be festive and cozy for everyone!
Since the holidays are quickly approaching I thought I would share our festive holiday home tour with you! Yes, these photos are from last year but I didn’t end up sharing them and I really want to give you a look inside and show off my new holiday decorating style with you.
Instead of going out and buying new items for my holiday decorating and trying to have a new look every year, I’ve started finding good, quality, pieces that we can use forever. Sometimes this means they’re a little bit of an investment up front but in the end, they’ll reduce the number of items going into the trash and will ultimately reduce spending as well!
I absolutely loved the way our home looked last Christmas. It was much different than what I normally would do. Typically I would stick to all neutral colours, whites, creams, etc. However, last year I introduced a pop of RED! Normally the only red item I have in our home is my Wild at Heart photo but everything else is neutral. However, when you have a home that has lots of whites and creams, it makes it extremely easy to inject a pop of colour in without anything clashing.
I love the way a pop of red immediately adds a nostalgic feel to our home! Red is the quintessential holiday colour and it’s so easy to incorporate into your home by adding pillows, throws, slipcovers, napkins, etc to your existing decor …
1. Santa Pillow | 2. Wreath | 3. Garland | 4. Merry Christmas Pillow | 5. Star Tree Topper | 6. Stocking | 7. Deer Wall Decoration | 8. Nutcracker | 9. Sleigh | 10. Wreath on Stand | 11. Holiday Greens Buckets | 12. Burlap Base Tree | 13. Candle Holders
Last year so many people asked about our stools, they are from IKEA! Justin painted the legs white and I had some red check slipcovers made for them by a local seamstress. I love having different slipcovers available to swap them out throughout the seasons.
Pro Tip: If you can find fabric in the discounted section and have a seamstress sew them, they are pretty cheap to have made!
Our friends at Better Earth Gardens helped us with the fresh greenery on our railings, mantle and around the kitchen window. In my opinion, the key trick to making a home feel festive is by incorporating fresh greens into your space. It adds a nice subtle (and classy!) pop of green, plus, they make your home smell amazing!
Last year we ended up going out and picking up a real tree from a local tree farm, which was a fun family activity! This year, I’m looking into renting or borrowing a faux Christmas tree as we won’t be here and I don’t really feel like purchasing one of my own and storing it (everything takes up so much space! lol), plus, we want to get another real tree next year!!
When it comes to holiday decor, I love using real fabric ribbons, yes, they’re pricier, but I constantly reuse them and I love the fact that they don’t end up in the landfill. I love adding little pops of silver in addition to pops of red, I’m a huge fan of nutcrackers, little faux Christmas trees, and faux snow is also a great staple when it comes to holiday decorating.
I’m so excited for Christmas this year as Leo is really starting to grasp this whole “holiday” thing. He started to understand Halloween this year and he’s started saying “Ho ho ho” already!! Not to mention, we’re already bribing him with good behaviour … because, you know, Santa. LOL.
Speaking of that, we recently purchased an Elf on the Shelf and I really want to know how some of you introduced your toddler to this as we’re not quite sure how to do that yet!! If you have any suggestions for us, please leave them below in the comments section!!
Have any of your started decorating yet?? If you haven’t and you need a little help getting into the holiday spirit, there are two things you must do. One, crank that Christmas music UP!! Second, whip up a batch of mulled wine and sip on it! Check out my delicious (Europe inspired!) Glühwein recipe here!
Ps. If you’re looking for some holiday decor inspo, make sure to check out my dedicated Christmas shop page for some adorable ideas, along with my gift suggestion shop pages for the men, women, and children in your life!
xo
Jilly
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5 Comments
I introduce the Elf on the Shelf to my class each year! I’ve done it with kids from K-2 and they LOVE it. Actually most of the teachers in our school have an elf!! We wrap up the elf in its box with its book and address it to our school. We then put all of the boxes into the freezer so they are nice and cold when they are delivered by our principal and admin assistant. After the initial surprise, I unwrap the box and read aloud the book to my class. For the next couple of weeks before Christmas, our elf does all kinds of funny, cute and somewhat naughty things in our classroom and my kiddos have an elf journal where they write and draw about what our elf did that day. On the last day of school before Winter Break, all of the elves in the school are found in a different room I’m the school having a huge party! It’s so much fun!! Pinterest has so many great ideas as do some teacher IG accounts. Hope you and Leo have so much fun with your elf!
Thank you Jillian. We are going to Vancouver for Christmas so I am not decorating this year. I was not feeling very Christmasy and it was making me feel sad. Now I think I will bring out a few things to help put me in the spirit. Thank you for the inspiration! I hope our Christmas in Calgary won’t be too cold for you so that you will be able to enjoy some outdoor activities with your family! So far we have a little bit of snow on the ground here and it’s Chinooking.
Try leaving the elf on the shelf under the tree wrapped with a gift tag that says to Leo and Annie from Santa. Then read Leo the book and fill out the little card that certifies your elf. Leave him in the box until Santa moves him the next night.
Your holiday decor is my absolute favourite!! What a dreamy, classic holiday palette! Where did you get the stockings that are in the photo? (specifically the traditional ones with the Santa and tree) They are amazing!
Hi Jillie,
Wear can I buy the chandeliar (white washed) in the bedroom with the santa claus sheets? Love your home decor.
Thanks
Liz