Home for the Holidays: Styling Tips & A Christmas Home Tour

It’s the most magical time of the year. It also means time with family, hot cocoa by the fire, building Gingerbread houses and baking Christmas cookies. So join me as I give you a tour of my home for the holidays. I want you to feel welcome in my home so put your feet up and grab a hot beverage. 

My biggest piece of advice is to make an investment in items that will become timeless- garland, a Christmas tree and some framed decor (you can always change out the art). This season is supposed to be about joy and happiness. Do a little decorating at a time so it doesn’t overwhelm you. Start with one room instead of doing the entire house in one day. 

I needed to decorate early this year more then ever. I needed to see the twinkling lights on the tree and take out the family ornaments. I always put so much effort into decorating that it is also nice to enjoy it for a little bit longer. 

My decor consists of greens, brass tones, faux fur and natural wood textures. I opted for faux greenery throughout the house. It makes clean up a lot easier. I have less trees in my house this year, but I do want to add one more to my collection for next year. 

Entry

I want to make every visitor feel welcomed when they arrive at our front door. While the only visitors lately are probably only Fedex, UPS and Amazon Prime. 

What a perfect time to share with you a holiday outfit. I just loved polka dots and this adorable green skirt couldn’t have paired any better. I was so excited to get to dress up from head to toe. My fabulous stylist, Meg was kind enough to do my hair to make me feel fabulous for the day.

If you are going for comfort this holiday season, which is my daily look, then you will surely love this outfit. I paired my “Mama Claus” crewneck sweatshirt with my most comfortable jeans, some short rain boots and cozy socks. 

I found this beautiful wreath and added a strand of brass bells cascading down the side. I used two planters for the front door in different shapes and sizes. I love using different layers to draw your eye in. 

For the doormat, I created layers here as well. Both of the doormats were reused from prior seasons. 

I still would like to use some pine above our entry and string some lights. 

Entry

Welcome to  our home. To the side of the entry wall is all of our family photos. 

Upon entry, I added a neutral toned rug. I am in love with this rug. It really tied all of the neutral tones together.

I added a tree in a planter in the corner and layered some gifts around it. In past years, the kids have opened by gift boxes. This year, they didn’t even make an attempt. I think they are really starting to understand what I do for a living. 

I used my favorite faux greenery on the stairwell. We used to have textured wallpaper on the steps, but this summer I removed it, filled in the holes and applied some new white paint. I wrapped some wooden beads down the railing, which made it all come together. At the end of the railing, I added my favorite brass beads and a string of ivory ribbon tied to a bow. It really sealed the look.

Kitchen

I love having the kitchen window be the focal point of the room. I used a faux pine garland to create an arch over the window. I used a wide ivory silk ribbon to hand the berry wreath. To match the wreath, I added some greens into my vase. To the right of the kitchen sink, I purchased a rosemary tree from Whole Foods. 

I made some hot cocoa cupcakes, which were devoured within days. I made them gluten free and you wouldn’t even know the difference. I had my sweet yorkie Bella with me. We wish we could share them with all of you. 

I usually mix some of my metal and wood cooking utensils in a kitchen crock, so I simply added some greens to it. On the kitchen island, I added some black reindeer and a champagne tree as a centerpiece. 

Dining Room

I wanted the dining room to flow into the living room so I incorporated some natural elements of wood and pine. 

One of my most favorite pieces in the room is my framed artwork. I love how the art and wood trees go together. It is from my absolute favorite local frame shop.

I took my potted olive tree from my bedroom and put it in the corner of the dining room. It made an empty space more inviting and complete.  

The jute placemats under the black plates made the table pop. I wanted a touch of green at each place setting, so I added my “merry” table napkins. To incorporate a hint of gold, I added the pears. In recent years, I would have the garland going straight down the table. This year, I made the garland curve around the wood trees and candle sticks. I love how it added some movement to the table. I always get caught up on where to place the decor when the garland goes straight down the table.

Living Room

When I was growing up, we would always put the tree up after Thanksgiving. Our tradition is a little different with setting up the tree weeks prior to Christmas. I usually fluff the tree, put the lights on and then trim it a week later. The kids will put the ornaments on to their liking and then I will secretly arrange them later. Do you do that too? 

I kept with the same decor for the living room by adding green, brass and brown tones throughout the room. I added some ribbon to my stockings, which added a little texture. I used hooks (not nails) on the fireplace to attach my wood beads and brass bell garland. To give the garland a more realistic and fuller look, go to your local home depot or Lowe’s for greenery stems or berries. 

The same textures were used throughout the tree. i cut pieces of ribbon and tied one strand to the branches. I used wood and metal beads cascading around the tree. I had a few new additions of ornaments this year including the glass stars. I just love how the lights reflected off the stars on the tree. 

I also added a tree topped this year. You do not need a topper to complete your tree. This is the first year I found one that really completed my look. I do have a secret though. The tree was too tall for the star, so I nestled it into the beaches and no one would be the wiser. 

I changed out some of my pillows with velvet covers and used brown and green tones. I added a brown faux fur blanket and draped it across my chaise. I wanted the room to be sophisticated but comfortable. I really feel the comfort of home when sitting in this room. 

Master Bedroom

We painted the back wall this year and I could not be more happy with how it transformed the room. I wanted the room to be inviting and cozy. Let me tell you about this faux fur throw, not only is it incredibly warm, but it is equally soft. it gives me all the feels of Christmas. 

One of the things I miss most in this room this year is a Christmas tree. i opted for the tree on the bench with some pillows. I really wanted to use this mini tree in a basket and thought a standing Christmas tree would be too much. 

I added a wood tree to the nightstand and put some pine cones in my favorite bowl. 

The bed had layers upon layers of comfort. I love a quilt not only over the sheets, but on the foot of the bed as well. To complete the look, I always put a throw to the side of the bed. 

With touches of white, green and brown, it helped keep everything looking fresh and modern.

Children’s Room

Welcome to Santa’s workshop. Read the full blog post dedicated to the children’s room here. I am a true fan of neutrals and greenery for Christmas and rarely have any red around the house, so I wanted the kids room to have all the feels of traditional Christmas. The kids have always had their own tree in their room filled with whimsical ornaments. 

I added bell garland to their bunkbed and hung their stockings at the end. 

To complete the overall look, I made a sitting area for “Santa” to eat his milk and cookies and for the elves to wrap their presents. 

Nursery

Walking in a winter wonderland. This tour concludes in the baby’s room. Her room has tones of silver and gold. I added a sweet little tree to her room and a wreath above her bed. When she gets older, we will add more, but for now I just love the simplicity of it all.

This post is dedicated in memory of my beautiful yorkshire terrier, Bella. She passed away the day after Thanksgiving this year. She was 14 years old and had cushings disease. She climbed up our deck stairs every single day and was an absolute fighter. I will love her forever and always remember the wonderful girl she was.

That is the conclusion of my Christmas Blog Tour. I welcome you to take a look at my friend’s blogs and see their beautiful homes! Click on the pictures to get your tour started. Thanks for coming by and Merry Christmas!!

xoxo Amanda

And be sure to check out all the other Christmas Home Tours below!