I've always been one of those people who admire and envy folks who have
collections of holiday decor and bits and bobs. Throw pillows, wreaths, garlands, artwork, you name it. Up until this house I've always moved around - usually every 12 months as leases would end. Having the constant desire to just up and go made it pretty difficult to keep up with a lot of holiday decorations. Now that we've been in this house almost 4 years (
!!!!!!) and there's no move in (my immediate) sight, I've started to feel comfortable acquiring little things here and there that I'd love to use over the years. Since I don't currently have anything really, we're starting at the bottom! Rather than throw myself full force into a bunch of
stuff I don't "need," I'm finding subtle ways to bring the holiday cheer into our home. So far so good! If you're looking to decorate without your home shouting "Welcome to The Christmas Shoppe!" then check out these slightly more low-key options!
Decorate with candles in holiday scents
CANDLES! We all know how much I love candles,
for real. Not only does the soft light that comes from them instantly relax me and make me feel all cozy, but the seasonal scents really put me in the holiday spirit. My absolute
favorite scent for this time of year is anything evergreen - like
the Balsam Fir candle I've been burning in the living room. I got this candle all of a day or two after putting up our Christmas tree so it really couldn't have come at a better time! It smells
HEAVENLY! I usually light it anytime I turn on the Christmas tree because they complement each other so well. I have a few other awesome seasonal scents from
Chesapeake Bay Candles including:
Vanilla Biscotti (tends to move from bathroom to kitchen every so often),
Cinnamon Spice (My mom was such a big fan of this one and it's rustic metal tin that I gave it to her), and
Cypress and Oak (!!! - this 3-wick candle has been burning on my nightstand lately and the scent coupled with the bright, warm glow gets me alllll kinds of cozy in my bed) You can't beat decor that does overtime! All of the ones above are from
the Heritage Collection by CBC - but if you're shopping for someone specific and want some other options, check out
this gift guide.
Spin some holiday tunes
I
love Christmas music! I rarely seek out any of the traditional holiday music because goodness knows we all get enough of that in the stores starting November 1st haha! But dedicated Christmas albums covered by my favorite artists are totally my jam. Every single year (!!!) I listen to '
Punk Goes Christmas' while decorating the tree. Hearing some of my favorite pop punk bands cover holiday classics brings an instant smile to my face. This year I also scooped up Kacey Musgraves'
A Very Kacey Christmas and it. is. fantastic! It doesn't hurt that the vinyl is a translucent green, too. It looks fun and festive when spinning on the record player. Of course there's always
the golden tunes from She and Him if that's more your speed. (Did you know
they just released a new Christmas album?!) Something about hearing holiday classics performed by someone unexpected gives it just the perfect amount of whimsy and intrigue. (BTW, you can stream most of those above if you have an
Amazon Prime account! - and if you don't have one, you should. #AMAZE!)
Add greenery around your home
Garland, wreaths, random pine boughs, whatever. You don't have to scatter poinsettia plants in every corner to get that fresh, winter look. Instead you can opt to go for a
simple green garland or a
plain wreath. I love to lay lighted garland along the shelf behind my couch because it brings so much color and life to a random part of my house. I also like to swap out my wreath on the front door for the seasons, and drape pine boughs on smaller shelves and decorative pieces like my moose above the tv. (Poor moose just broke one of his antlers though...)
Fill glass bowls and jars with
festive bits and bobs
Like cranberries! or pinecones! There are a few things that instantly make me think of the holidays and pinecones and cranberries are totally up there. The cranberries can bring such a fresh pop of color to any glass container. Scatter them around tea light candles, or fill vases with them for centerpieces. If the warm red color doesn't work with your decor, consider getting crafty with some pinecones! You can do all sorts of fun things like: glitter them, paint them, dip them - get creative and messy! This would be a rad project to do with any kids in your life.
Utilize wire "fairy lights" to
spruce up any area
I can't even tell you how many strands of
these copper wire lights I have in my house. Like seriously. I have them wrapping around the mirror in my bedroom, donning the top of my headboard and even a cluster of them strung along the top of my bedroom window. In the living room I've wrapped them around both of my faux trees, this handmade dollhouse, and even some live plants too. My
favorite thing about these lights is that they have 2 "ON" options: 1) Turn on until you turn off and 2) Turn on for 4 hours, automatically turn off,
and then turn back on 24 (well, 20) hours later - for another 4 hours! I
looooove this about these lights because the ones in my living room come on automatically each evening at the same time. It's such a small thing, but it always makes me happy. You can use these everywhere though. If you don't have any, get you some! (BTW, you can wrap these lights around
the plain garland or wreaths up above and boom! Your garland instantly looks expensive! Then when the holidays are over, you can use the lights elsewhere!)
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Holiday decor doesn't have to (and shouldn't be!) hokey - you know, unless that's your thing. In which case, get on with yo' bad self! ;) Decorating for the seasons should be fun, and light hearted - not a chore. Home decor is also such a relative and personal choice, too. While I may not be lounging on throw pillows with Rudolph's face sewn on them now, who's to say that won't totally be my jam down the road? My only real goal with our home is to create an environment that is welcoming, cozy, and representative of our silly little trio. I'm sort of excited to see how it evolves as the boys get older, too. For now I'll stick to my candles, wire lights and bowls filled with random stuff haha! Sounds like a solid plan, right?
How do you decorate for the holidays?
Tag me in photos on Instagram (@kaelahbee) if you'd like to share!
xo KB