Holiday Home Tour

I was so excited to decorate for Christmas this year, y'all. This is my first Christmas in my first home with my first big-girl trees and it was hard to hold out until after Thanksgiving but I did it...for the most part. This year, I wanted to create a classic Christmas feel with some touches of glamor and femininity--this is a bachelorette pad, after all. So, there are traditional and rustic elements like burlap and fresh pine mixed in with faux fur and lots of glitter. Of course, it wouldn't be me if I didn't incorporate leopard print and a pineapple or two. Also, I'm linking up with a small group of other Christmas decor-loving bloggers for Christmas Trees on Parade, hosted by Terri Steffes at Christmas Tree Lane. At the bottom of this post, you'll find a linkup to everyone else's beautiful trees and decorating tips! Let's start the holiday home tour at the front door:

My front door has two external screen doors that need replacing (for aesthetic rather than functional reasons) so I hung this fresh boxwood wreath, from Trader Joe's, on the inside with a large command hook and bow I made from a roll of leopard-print burlap ribbon I found at HomeGoods last year. To keep the wreath fresh, I spray it with water every other day or so.

I purchased a bunch of these little faux saplings a few years ago and they made an appearance in last year's budget holiday table styling post. You'll see them throughout house. My wifi sign is linked in this post. The next stop is my traditional tree, which is a 7.5 foot artificial Donner Fir I picked up after Christmas last year. Decking your halls can get expensive but my decor items are a mixture of recent finds and post-Christmas clearance scores from years past. I'm working on a guide to after-Christmas shopping to share with y'all soon!

A crown is my tree topper of choice! This one is made up of five glittery picks from Wayfair's Christmas decor section.

This 2017 cylinder bell ornament is from the Magnolia Hearth & Hand collection at Target. I wanted something to commemorate the first Christmas here and this little bell fit the bill. Here's another option at the same price (only $5!). And, because it's impossible to leave Target with just one thing, I also picked up a few glass pineapple ornaments.  All ornament sources are at the bottom of this post. 🙂

This tree is in the tradition of the one I grew up with in my parents' home--cascading ribbons, moderate ornaments, and a theme. My mother preferred holiday home decor in deep jewel-tones like burgundy over bright reds and greens and I do, too. So I kept to a color scheme of burgundy, champagne, and gold tones. There's probably a science to tree decoration but I'm not a scientist. I will share this tip, though: You can always start over if you don't like it. I trimmed both my trees twice but would have hit the reset button as many times as necessary to get the look and feel I wanted! Play with the placement and layering of your decorations until the tree is to your liking.

I don't have a fireplace so cozy, Christmas-scented candles are about as lit as it gets. Tis the Season from Bath and Body Works is my all-time favorite scent for the season. I also like Spiced Apple Toddy, Champagne Toast, and Cinnamon & Clove Bud.

This pineapple snowglobe was a HomeGoods find that I had to grab when I saw it. Pineapples are symbolic of hospitality, which is why I have them all over the house year-round. It's only right that there be dedicated Christmas pineapples, as well. 🙂

Fresh pine garlands (also from Trader Joe's) contribute to the smell of Christmas in absence of a fresh tree and are simple to incorporate. Like the boxwood wreath, I spray these with water to keep them looking lively. All of my living room details and sources are all in this post.

I dressed the dining room up with another fresh pine garland and glittery champagne icicle ornaments. On the table are gold chargers, brass candlesticks (Goodwill find), red taper candles, another faux sapling, and this wine cork garland I made with all the bottles I've popped this year. The tutorial is super easy and something you can use year-round, especially in your home bar area.

There's a room between the dining room and kitchen, which I've dubbed the cocktail parlor. It houses my home bar (will share the DIY tutorial soon), bar cart, and now, a feminine Christmas tree. P.S. How many pineapples can you spot in the photo above?

This tree is a 6.5 foot artificial Jackson Spruce I also purchased during after-Christmas clearance last year. It is currently on sale, though, for just a little more than I paid. 🙂 I adorned this tree with ornaments in blush, white, and silver. From fuzzy picks to sparkly snowflakes, this is definitely a girly tree inspired by memories decorating the Victoria's Secret stores I worked at during college. The decor was everything over the top, pink, and glamorous and I loved it but couldn't commit to decking all my halls that way. Maybe next year?

Christmas action in the kitchen is mostly via baked goodies but I had to pick up this cute towel when I spotted it at my local Jo-Ann Fabric. Here are my favorite things to bake this time of year: candy cane cookies, bourbon-glazed gingerbread, tahini sugar cookies, applesauce quick bread. Thanks for reading!

Decor Sources:

7.5 Foot Traditional Tree | 6.5 foot White Tree | Burlap Ribbon (no longer sold), similar | Mini Faux Saplings (no longer sold), similar | Pineapple Ornaments (sold out online), similar | 2017 Bell Ornament, similar | Tis the Season Candle | Merry Christmas Towel (sold out online) similar | Silver Glitter Picks | Gold Glitter Picks | Brass Candlesticks: Goodwill find, similar | Michael's: Pearl Globe Ornaments, Blush Snowflake Ornaments, White Fuzzy Picks, Blush Ball Ornaments, Large Gold Ball Ornaments, Large Iridescent Ball Ornaments, Champagne Glitter Ribbon | Dollar Tree Finds: Gold Chargers, Red Taper Candles, Champagne Icicle Ornaments, Gold Ball Ornaments, Gold Bow Ornaments, Large Champagne Star Ornaments, Large White Star Ornaments, Silver, Gold and Burgundy Berry Picks | Trader Joe's: Fresh Pine Garland, Fresh Boxwood Wreath | Wine Cork Garland | HomeGoods Finds: Leopard Burlap Ribbon, Pineapple Snow Globe | Living Room Decor | Dining Room Decor

Christmas Trees on Parade Linkup