Brrrr!! It’s so cold out there! Stomp the snow off your feet, take off your jacket, and come on inside!
And welcome to my Christmas home tour…
When the cold, winter weather began settling in over the last few weeks, almost instinctually, I started switching things around to make our house feel warmer and cozier inside. I switched out most of the bright colors for warm neutrals and brought in more soft textures and snuggly blankets.
This wreath is an Anthropologie knock-off that I made a while back using this little tutorial.
Since a full size Christmas tree wouldn’t fit anywhere in the upstairs, we got a mini-tree for this room. I wanted to keep things somewhat simple, so I stuck the tree in an old bucket that I had wrapped in burlap and tied with a ribbon and then I made some finger garland and wrapped it around the tree like a warm scarf. If I had a short strand of white lights, I would probably wrap the tree in lights too, but I don’t have one, so this will have to do for now.
This year, I am drawn to natural décor, so I used some pinecones and a lot of greenery around my house.
My swinging chair got a soft, cushy bean bag seat, a new throw pillow, and a furry stool to prop my feet up on. I think it’s pretty much perfect now.
And the faux mantle, got a simple little makeover…
Now we’ll head downstairs to the basement, which happens to be a little bit more fun and colorful than the upstairs. We put our main Christmas tree down here this year because, like I said, there was no place upstairs for it to go. And since this is where our fireplace is, it works out well. On Christmas morning, it will be fun to open presents by the fire.
Most mornings, I get up before the kids, tiptoe over the creaky wooden floors while I sneak past their bedrooms, make a beeline straight to my Keurig, and then it’s down to the basement to start my day off with coffee and Jesus. I turn on the Christmas tree lights; and on some mornings, I even build a fire in the fireplace. Then, while sitting on the couch, wrapped in a warm blanket and holding a hot cup of coffee in my hands, I enjoy the twinkly lights and the crackling, flickery fire while I read my Bible and talk to Jesus. It’s so cozy and peaceful. It’s my favorite way to start the day with Him. And I’m pretty sure He likes it too!
Tim put a mantel up last week just in time for me to decorate it for Christmas.
In the ten years that we’ve been married, this is the first year that I’ve ever had a real wood-burning fireplace with a mantel to hang stockings on and decorate for Christmas. So I am happy, because it’s been on my wish list for a long time! And I was so excited to get to make colorful felt wool ball garland to hang on the new mantle. Isn’t it fun?!
And the stockings were hung by the chimney with care…
Peace and joy… what amazing gifts! They aren’t of this world and they can’t be found in this world. They are planted in our hearts by Jesus, gifts from Him. I’m so thankful He came so that we could experience His unshakeable peace in a shaky world and in His presence we could find true eternal joy.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
