Folks, I am your last stop for today (wednesday) on the Winter Eclectic Home Tour! You are probably coming here from Monica‘s glam and gorgeous house. We are a bit more casual around here, enjoy the tour!

Christmas for me is a very nostalgic time. Growing up my home was kinda crazy and not always the most stable, but the one thing we did well was Christmas and its traditions. My mom stored over 20 boxes of Christmas decor and decorated our house to the nines.

Kitchen with Lego wall decorated for christmas with small wreaths on the cabinets and a lego mistletoe

My parents downsized a year or two after I established a place of my own, so I inherited a lot of their decor, and have used it for years because it felt like home. It wasn’t until last year that I realized I didn’t need to use all of it. That I could pick and choose which pieces I liked and it could still feel like Christmas.

Christmas tablescape with tree in the background

My childhood tree was full of oversized bows, fake berries beautiful gold and red ornaments. None of which I love. But what I really loved were all the personal ornaments we collected over the years: a silver Snow White from our Christmas at Disneyland, a Harry Potter ornament from the year the first movie came out. Ornaments handmade in elementary school. These are the ornaments that adorn my tree now, and every year we add to them by giving the kids an ornament that represents a memory from the past year. Every year when we unpack them we reminisce. It’s by far my favorite.

 

Christmas Tree in front of Rainbow Wall

 

Close up of two ornaments, one handmade by a kindergartener.

Aaaaaanyway. This year I have been enjoying trying to figure out how to make Christmas feel like me. I added in colorful Christmas bulbs that I DIYed. Popcorn garland for texture, painted pinecones.

 

Mudroom with geometric wood wall has a Christmas Wreath hanging with colorful bulbs and pinecones

 

The biggest thing for me though, is greenery. Christmas tree, garland, swags. I move all of my normal plants out of the way and bring in all of the northwest greens. One of the best things about living in the PNW is the abundance of pine and cedar growing all around. All you have to do is keep a set of clippers in the car and you can clip-and-dash like nobody’s business! When in doubt, you can always go “faux”. When I go faux, I go all out–full plastic Legos or none at all!

Stockings hanging from a fireplace

 

 

What are your Christmas go-tos? How do you balance nostalgia and style?

Thank you Jess for inviting me to be part of this tour! Check out the other beautiful spaces as part of the Eclectic Winter Home Tour below.

Monday

Domicile 37 | Bright Green Door | Jeweled Interiors

Tuesday

House Homemade | Made by Carli | At Home with Ashley | Casa Watkins Living

Wednesday

Designing Vibes | The Boho Abode | Monica Wants It | Banyan Bridges

Thursday

Brit & Barclay | Blake Hill House | Au Petit Salon | Up To Date Interiors

Friday

The Rath Project | House Haus Home | Domicile 37