Kevin and I are always early birds when it comes to holiday decor. Since we were newly married last year, simple things became very special to us… moving in our first home, our first Holidays, painting our home, buying our first bedroom suite and the list goes on.
We actually got so excited about Christmas last year that we decorated the day after Halloween!!
(Yeah, we were just a bit wound up)
Last year we went with a pre-lit colored tree which was sprinkled with beautiful wedding ornaments, aqua, silver and red ornaments and our childhood ornaments we saved. It was cute, it was us! Since we are big fans of aqua, a theme emerged almost immediately when we were picking out our ornaments (which by the way we purchased before we even got engaged… it was meant to be).
OK, so this year,we are not quite on that same path as far as schedules go, but we are definitely plotting our holiday decor options! We are thinking about a more cohesive look and maybe even more than one tree!! We enjoy all kinds of Christmas decorations, from the vintage all the way to the country Christmas look!
Our color scheme…
We picked up these Christmas canisters on sale last year and it matched perfectly with out stockings, tree skirt and other accessories. I love the feeling of being at home on Christmas and for some reason, this color scheme and these types of decor items just make us feel all warm and fuzzy inside!
What about you? Do you prefer the white lit Christmas trees? And while we are on the subject, do you like a fresh Frasier fir or do you prefer the Christmas tree that keeps giving every year… you know the fake trees?
Do you have a theme? Maybe all silver and gold? Or are you more of a modern Christmas kind of family? Do Tell Us!
When do you plan on pulling out all of your Christmas Decor? Have you ever had a hard time trying to decide the best “tree location” in your home? Here are a few tips we came up with to help you…
– Select a room where people naturally gather
– Look for a place that doesn’t obstruct traffic flow in the room
– The tree will be a focal point regardless of where you put it, but try positioning it in front of an existing focal area to make a more powerful design statement.
– Position it in a place that you can sit and enjoy the sparkles, twinkling lights and shiny ornaments!
We put ours in the corner of our living room that way we can enjoy it while we are hanging out playing games, enjoying friends and watching TV. It’s a plus because we can also see it from our breakfast table and our neighbors can enjoy its lights from the window too! It’s a win, win!
Are you ready to get into those storage bins and start the holiday decorating? Tell us all about it!
We have big plans for Christmas here at A Design Story, so stay tuned for some exciting posts!
Wanna get your name out there?
30 years ago we were into the wooden country decorations in traditional red and green. Those original decorations and the ones our daughter’s made and a few other traditional red and green decorations are now at our LOG cottage. We can have a 10-11ft tree as we have a cathedral ceiling there. LIGHTS…LOTS OF MINI LIGHTS are a necessity. Every year since our 3 girls have been babies ( now 25, 23, 20), we have given them a Christmas decoration to open on Christmas Eve….so our tree at home is is full ot those decorations plus I edit and add as the mood stikes….last year we had cobalt blue, aqua blue, tangerine, lime green etc….to match the decor in our living room.. I still have some traditional red balls to mix in. We ALWAYS have a real trees, for the smell (and the mess) and it will be a long time before I can convince my husband that fake might be the way to go at home since we are not there to water at Christmas. This year i might forgo the tree at home, but put all the decorations on garland throughout main level. This might not fly with the family…..will let you know.
Maureen,
What a great idea… your tradition is so sweet! I might borrow it for our future children… Love that!
We just got married last year as well, and one of our family members brought us to Bronner’s (the ultimate Christmas store check it out at http://www.bronners.com). They let us pick out all the ornaments we wanted. It was wonderful!!! Our theme is really a classic look with champagne, silver, frosted, and a few metal and wood ornaments. It is absolutely gorgeous! (In my eyes anyway, and that is all that matters 😛 ) My husband and I have a split decision when it comes to the lights. I love the white lights. I just brings a song to my heart. However, my husband loves the colored lights. Unfortunately for him, I win the white lights on our main tree in the living area, but he can have the colored lights outside on the garland. 🙂 I guess I will just have to compromise! We have to have a real tree, as his family as a Christmas tree farm (http://www.michiganchristmaswreath.com/ is where you can order garlands and wreaths. If you live near there you can pick up trees, but they no longer deliver trees, just wreaths and garland.)
I LOVE decorating for Christmas!!!
Hiedi,
Yay! Other newlyweds! You are going to have an absolute blast this year! My mother in law has been to Bronner’s and we actually saw a tv special about the place… incredible! I love silver’s white and champagne shades for Christmas.. classic and elegant! Yeah… my husband likes colored and I love white… I let him win last year so it is my turn this year!!
We go with classic red and green with a little nature thrown in. We add pinecones and things with our red, green, and white ornaments. We use all white lights and no garland. Unfortunately, we have a fake tree maybe someday we will get a real one.
I have a strict no Christmas decorations until December 1st policy. Growing up we didn’t put our Christmas tree up until the middle of December. So putting it up before December seems crazy to me! haha.
Last year our dog was still a pup and got into the presents and ornaments… I’m hoping this year he will be better.
Michelle,
I love classic color schemes for Christmas! Eventually we want a “pretty” tree and then our “personal tree”… you know for all the Gator ornaments and handmade ornaments from our Childhood…
I love your strict policy.. last year we decorated so early that by early January I was kind of over it!
Oh gosh! Im already getting stressed out thinking about Christmas, haha.
Up until last year we always had a real tree. We would wait until a really cold day to go out and buy it. I loved that tradition and the wonderful aroma of the tree in the house. Last year, we finally broke down and bought an artificial tree. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. We invested in white lights, red, gold and clear ornaments and decor and it was beautiful. After certain “developments” this year, I am very grateful we will not have to pay for a Christmas tree this year.
I have always LOVED decorating for Christmas! I usually start in December, but have found that it is such a busy time of year and with traveling and what not, it just isnt enought time to just sit and enjoy the house. Last year I started after Thanksgiving. But this year we are thinking of starting a new tradition of setting up the Christmas tree the night before Thanksgiving and then decorating it Thanksgiving day evening.
In my wildest dreams I see all our family sitting around full of turkey and dressing, drinking cocoa, Christmas carols in the background and my great-niece and great-nephews helping us hang ornaments while the adults look on and just enjoy each others company. My brother used to always tell me my expectations were to high for the holidays. We will see what transpires, though. We have our house on the market, so I guess really, everything is up in the air for now. =) Whatever happens I hope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Jennifer…
I know what you mean!! When I was growing up we always had a “real” tree! I love the smell and the look! Real trees aren’t very practical in Florida because by the time Christmas rolls around, there are hardly any needles left on it!! I love the idea of decorating it on Thanksgiving… fabulous idea! Let me know how that goes!
Every year it is a constant battle between my wife and me as to when to put up Christmas decorations. She is adamant that once the Halloween decorations come down, Christmas stuff needs to go up. We usually have a compromise on what goes up, but I still feel like I come out on the short end.
When it does come time for the tree, we prefer natural trees. It’s fun to go out during in the snow and picking out a great tree (although we’ve been going to tree lots for the past few years). We don’t really take the time to color coordinate our tree, but we do buy an ornament each year that represents something we did or went. For example, this year we bought a Chicago Bears ornament http://www.christmasornaments.com/chicago-bears-football-player-product-p3855-c91.asp because we went to a bunch of games! The end result is a tree with memories.