It’s so nice to be sharing with you again so soon, friends. I find my creativity and motivation to do more writing, photography, and blog posts really comes alive leading up to the Christmas season. So, hello! As my American friends are celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend, it’s an indicator that December is right around the corner. I can’t believe beginning next week we are only a mere 25 days away. For me, it does kind of become “Christmas month”, as I am decorating, baking, listening to beloved holiday songs, and making plans for the latter part of the month in advance. My husband usually takes some extra time off work starting the week before Christmas too, so that we can soak up the season together. I am so looking forward to all of these things. We also just arrived home yesterday from a snowy mountain getaway, which definitely brings on the holiday feels.
In Part 2 of my Merry & Bright Christmas Home, I’m including our front entry way, as well as my sitting room. Last week, I shared Part 1 on the blog, which revealed our living room and mudroom. I’m the kind of person who likes to have touches of Christmas all throughout my home, so as I move from room to room it still feels as though the holiday spirit is present. For the entryway, it’s a joy to be welcomed into the festive feel of the season the second you walk into our home. And while I curl up in my cozy armchair with a novel in hand in my sitting room, I can continue to enjoy Christmas decor and twinkle lights that I have placed around our house. Come along with me and tour through these areas of our home as you prepare your heart for the upcoming Christmas season.
I am so excited to have this console table here to style this Christmas. It’s my first holiday season with it - this used to just be a big, blank wall until the spring of this year. As is the theme for this Christmas, like I discussed last week, I’m keeping things quite simple this year, though still festive of course! Like usual for a change of season, I switched out my foliage, and chose to go with faux cedar and eucalyptus branches I had for the holidays this year. Then for some accents, I used more gold and neutral ornaments, as well as these mercury and bottle brush trees, and a few gifts, because why not? It’s amazing how we are able to denote the current season in our decor through just a few small changes! You can compare how this looks with how it was styled just a couple months ago for fall here. Subtle, but still very evident that it’s now Christmas.
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I’m really enjoying my greenery combination this season! Perhaps once it becomes available, I will pick up a bit of fresh cedar, that it may infuse the area with some of that lovely scent. But for now, I think this faux looks quite nice.
As you can perhaps see in the mirror in the above photos, my sitting room is right across on the other side. I also sometimes call it my reading room, as it houses all of my books behind the cabinets, and is where I read during the day if I happen to have some time.
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I always love to spruce up these shelves seasonally in very simple ways. I again changed out the foliage, as well as updated my art print, and a few little decor pieces here and there, like these wood hand-carved trees.
I thought adding little ornaments to this bowl was a good way to bring in some Christmas festiveness as well.
You can see on my metal console table in here, I carried through a similar look from my entryway. Trees, a vase full of eucalyptus and cedar, and a Christmasy accent on some of my white books through this little village house, complete with flickering candle for a bit of warmth.
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This really is such a cozy room to come and enjoy some down-time in, through reading, journaling, and contemplating life. It’s a central little room to my daily life, so it’s a joy to share it with you.
I’m so happy you were able to join me today for the second part of my Merry & Bright Christmas Home. Are you like me in that you love adding Christmas decor and holiday touches all throughout your home? Or, do you prefer to keep everything to your main living spaces? I would love to know how you do Christmas in your homes!
One of the things I was most delighted about with my decor in these areas this year, is that all you see here are things that I already had either stored, or on hand, in my home. I didn’t have to purchase anything new to make these rooms holiday-ready, and that’s a big bonus in my books. Something I believe is important to keep in mind, and that I am learning and growing in every day, is being a good steward of what I have, and what I am given. A key way that I am beginning to practice this more and more, is through making do with what I have, and with less. Christmas is a time that consumption is at an all-time high, and while this can be fun in many ways, and I don’t believe it is always a negative in every aspect, it also becomes a time we can really benefit from practicing mindfulness in our approach to the season, and to life in general. I think the privilege of thinking of these things, and of having the opportunity to try and walk them, out can truly be a blessing to us, even if it is a challenge in the moment. Especially during a season such as Christmas, it helps us to refocus on what is truly important, and the reason we celebrate this time of year. So, though I have links throughout my blog posts, my aim is not to advocate a ton of spending at all, but it is always for inspiration as the primary goal, as well as understanding how we can create a peaceful home that feels like a respite from the chaos of the world. I always want to encourage an awareness to what we are putting our efforts towards, whether that is physical through cost, or emotional, mental, and spiritual as well. I love seeing what everyone puts together for their homes during the Christmas season, in whatever that may look like for you as an individual!
I am looking forward to sharing more with you in the coming weeks as we approach December 25th. I plan to add some Christmas decor to my kitchen, and perhaps work in a recipe and some easily printable gift tags for your presents as well. Stay tuned!
Thanks for stopping by,
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