My Last Minute Christmas Home Decorations: It’s a Blog Hop

Welcome to this year’s Holiday Housewalk! Organized by Jennifer Rizzo, it includes four blogger homes (mine included) all dressed up for Christmas. I’m sharing my Christmas home decorations that I decided to put up at the last minute. I say “last minute” because I used to decorate right after Halloween – so it’s a bit late for me. (This post contains affiliate links – see my privacy policy.)

 

Thanks to Jennifer for putting together this year’s scaled-down housewalk (aka blog hop) that lasts today only. The Holiday Housewalk used to last an entire week and included over 20 blogger homes. Today there’s only four, but they’re all pretty special. For those of you coming from Jennifer R’s house to mine, welcome and I’m sure you enjoyed Jen’s love of vintage Christmas. I’ve been following her blog for about 12 years. I hope you enjoy my home, too. Keep strolling and see what I’ve been up to.

 

When you cross the threshold stepping into my circa 1875 home, you’re greeted by an original contemporary folk art painting. The artist calls this work “prison chickens” due to their striped attire. A single poinsettia in in an aqua-hued round pot is the only Christmas home decoration in this space. I’m keeping things very simple this year. Notice anything unusual? There’s a wallpaper sample to the left of the painting. I forgot to remove it before taking the photo!

 

To the left of the entryway is my living room, which features a pair of poinsettias on the soft gray bench that’s being used as a coffee table. A few bottle brush trees gather on a round wooden plate on the console next to the staircase. The rug is fairly new and is so soft. I love it and enjoy the darker color.

 

Each Christmas I always have poinsettias in the house. There are so many pretty varieties, but my favorite is Ice Punch which has a little bit of white that looks like it’s been painted on the petals (which are actually leaves but looks like a flower).

 

In my humble opinion, Felix lounging in the basket is the best decoration in this room! That’s his official spot although our other kitty, Mignette, likes to steal it from him on occasion.

 

To the south of our living room is the family room which is casually comfortable with a large sectional sofa you can sink into while watching football or a favorite movie. A grouping of Ice Punch poinsettias creates a centerpiece in a low, hammered metal bowl.

 

A close-up photo shows the detailing of this beautiful Christmas plant.

 

Our Christmas tree cozies up by the corner windows so people can enjoy a view of the tree from both streets (we live on a corner lot). I almost didn’t put a tree up, but I was inspired by Christmas home decorations I saw on Instagram and on a whim, I asked hubby to haul it out of the attic.

 

I call this my lazy girl’s Christmas tree since it doesn’t have a lot of ornaments. I bought two spools of velvet ribbon in burgundy and gold and tied a bunch of bows on the branches. I added some orange slices, and then finished it off with some faux pearl-studded balls I found at HomeGoods. It’s the fastest I’ve ever decorated a tree.

 

Here’s a view from the family room, looking through the living room into the dining room. Since our house is old, it doesn’t have a traditional floor plan which is fine by me. It took me several years to get the layout of furniture just right for functionality, appearance, and traffic patterns. Old homes are always a challenge! And Felix is still in “his” basket.

 

Since the last time I shared my dining room, I purchased four new wooden Windsor-style chairs. I still have the cross-back chairs in the breakfast nook.

 

My wooden Christmas trees create a small yet festive centerpiece, with another poinsettia in the background.

 

The colorful table runner was a HomeGoods find. I wasn’t even shopping for one but when I saw the color and pattern, I had to have it.

 

I love these Windsor chairs and think they pair better with the rattan end chairs. Not to mention they’re extremely affordable for their quality.

 

A more panoramic view from this side of the dining room reveals the front door leading to the entry and living room. The blue arm chair is also a new find since I last featured a home tour on the blog. The hydrangea artwork is made by piecing painted pieces of paper together to make the flowers and leaves. It’s by a local artist who specializes in this form of art.

 

My dining buffet features black candlesticks and tapered candles with just a touch of greenery.

 

In the kitchen, you’ll see that I painted the cabinetry and trim in Dutch Tile Blue, a historic color by Sherwin Williams. I was tired of white and it took me a while to settle on a color that would complement the green Mexican tile flooring. A faux, cedar fir wreath adorns the window.

 

The table is set for Christmas breakfast for hubby and me.

 

I hope you enjoyed the simplicity of my Christmas home decorations. And it all started with the tree, which is always the centerpiece of holiday decorating. The best part of keeping things simple? There’s not as much to take down and put away once the holidays are over.

 

I’ve used candle lights on my trees before, but found these remote-controlled lights on Amazon this year and love that you can control how fast they flicker. They’re the best ones I’ve found.

 

Next up on the Christmas home tour is Annie from Zevy Joy. Her traditional Christmas home decorations blend so beautifully with her tasteful home. I know you’ll love what she has to share.

 

Thanks for joining in on today’s Holiday Housewalk! If you want to start the tour at the beginning – visit Jennifer Rizzo’s main housewalk page.