christmas at home

this christmas, after much indecision and debate, we are staying here-- just our little family of five-- and celebrating our dear Savior's birth with a quiet christmas at home. it's hard to have our parents and siblings out of town; ryan's are the closest at a drive time of about 12 hours. we usually alternate between seeing them and my family every year, which usually means we travel. we never used to mind that a bit, but now that our kids are getting older they have their own voices and opinions about the holidays (what?! who said they could have that?!) and they begged us to stay home this year. they actually have never known a christmas in their own house-- the last time we were home was 2007-- and we want them to grow up with memories of the holidays here. unfortunately, our families aren't able to travel to join us, but at least for this year we're going to hunker down and stay put. i'll hardly know what to do with myself with a two week holiday break and no travel, but i am quite looking forward to relaxing and enjoying time with the kids.

my holiday decorating has been getting simpler and simpler each year. in fact, this year, i let the kids decorate the tree-- entirely on their own. as much as the stylist/ control freak in me wants to perfectly place every one of my thousand ornaments (only a slight exagerration, sadly), i know it's important to let them build their own traditions and participate. and it should come as no surprise that my children have their own, very strong, design aesthetics!

i didn't really know if i would post about my holiday decorating at all, but when emily from table and hearth emailed to ask if i'd participate in a holiday home tour she was pulling together with some of her favorite bloggers, i said yes immediately and was soo excited! but i also warned her my decorating could be a little underwhelming; i definitely do not go "all out" anymore like i used to. my husband, at one time in our lives together, had to rearrange all our furniture and string garlands from 100 feet of railing spanning two stories, (poor man!) but now it's much simpler, and that's better. emily was so sweet and even supportive of me not going bananas, saying "ain't nobody got time for that." ha! a girl after my own heart! so this will be more a peek at some vignettes and favorite moments around the house than a full home tour. (that'll be easier on your eyes anyway- this place has been a mess lately! oi!) i hope you enjoy these little touches that are making the house feel festive and ready for a christmas the kids will remember.

family room

i promise i didn't move a single ornament on the tree! the kids did a pretty good job didn't they? we won't zoom in on the yoda figures or bright purple ornaments i usually try to hide toward the back that are now front and center. :)

the "o come let us adore him" print from chalk full of love was the first thing i put up this year. 

my office

i did the most in here, not really on purpose but because this room is the catch all for christmas blog-projects, santa organizing, and gift-wrapping. it's a festive mess, isn't it??

kitchen table

this centerpiece lasted a long time and the eucalyptus is still going strong two weeks later. it spent time on the table, and in the hutch, and finally came to rest on the mantle.

this spot definitely feels "unfinished" but the truth is this table is filled and cleared at least five times a day (anyone else's kids eating them out of house and home?) and it just isn't worth "decorating." i also thought i'd make that branch canopy into something sparkly and spectacular, but it turns out i really love the simple bare branches and the lonely wreath. against the new white kitchen paint (yes! i completed the whole list!) it's just a perfect quiet moment that i look at every morning as i sip my coffee.

kids rooms

my sweet sweet cousin, christy, sent the kids early gifts this year that i know they will enjoy for years to come- flannel christmas sheets from pottery barn kids!! they are so cozy and darling, it totally inspired me to hang a garland above each kid's bed. my littlest one just laid in his bed (when i shot this) for about half an hour snuggling his pillow and talking to himself when i first made the bed up. it was so cute!

master bedroom

apart from the kids and the dog on my bed, sadly my room doesn't look like this too often. (i'm not going to lie to you, i had to crop out some pretty big laundry piles, and i almost never get a matching combo of sheets on the bed all at the same time). but after seeing these idyllic shots, ryan and i immediately put "make bedroom relaxing" on our 2015 list of goals. i mean, who doesn't want to jump into a bed like this at the end of the day? i'm definitely motivated to make our room more of a retreat and less of a toy/ laundry/ furniture dumping ground. hold me to it!

and that's my christmas house tour! i hope you enjoyed it, and i hope you'll stop over at emily's to see her lovely home decorated for the holidays as well. all this week she's invited the talented bloggers below to share their spaces. i'm so honored to have been chosen to participate, and i can't wait to see what they're up to! thank you again emily and thank you for reading!

Monday December 15th

Table and Hearth

Avery Street Design

Average But Inspired

Paper and Fox

Petite Modern Life

The Rustic Willow

The Domestic Heart

Wednesday December 17th

New House New Home New Life

Mrs. Fancee

A Nurse and a Nerd

Dandelion Patina

Elizabeth Joan Designs

Friday December 19th

Churchill DIY Mill

DIY Passion

Fresh Crush

Little House of Four

Home Remedies Rx

Dwell Beautiful

The Big Reveal

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