I meant to wait. I was sitting on the sofa with my husband, and I casually mentioned that I felt like getting 'just a few things out for Christmas.' He looked at me (with fear that I was going to ask him to help) and asked the logical question, "Don't we usually wait until December?"
IT’S NOT JUST ME, RIGHT?
Well, he's a guy... and I'm pretty sure he doesn't care at all how our house looks, as long as he gets to hang a few taxidermy decorations of his own every once in a while. It just doesn't excite him like it does the kids and I. Um, it's almost CHRISTMAS! Let's get this party going!
That's the problem with Instagram and social media (well, one of them, anyways!). You start to see sneak peaks popping months before the next season, planting seeds of a new pretty idea in your unsuspecting head. You plan to decorate after Thanksgiving, but the next thing you know, you give in a little. I tell myself that I’m just going to bring one box of decor up from the basement. But then I grab another, because it’s fun. Pretty soon, you might as well recruit a few of your kids and set up the tree.
I have a lot of thoughts about Christmas and how to approach it with intention and a grateful heart, but I’ll get around to posting about that later. So, here’s what happened at our house over the weekend!
Our home sits in the middle of the rolling Kansas prairie, surrounded by pastures and agricultural fields. We can see our neighbors homesteads in the distance, but we have plenty of space to roam.
As the holidays approach, we tend to have more friends and family drop by for visits. With the boys getting older, it feels like we have nonstop activities and events going on. I really wanted my Christmas decor to be something that I could enjoy styling, PLUS enjoy for a few weeks longer than normal. Busy schedules tend to steal a big chunk of my time!
I’m trying something new this year and getting my holiday decorations out extra early. Hopefully I can enjoy them a little longer this way!
As an amazon associate, this post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
CHRISTMAS DECOR ROUNDUP
I will do my best to link sources, but as I am adding them today (October 2021), some might not be available anymore. Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to find something similar!
- CHRISTMAS TREE The tree in these photos was from our local Walmart. It was an insane bargain at $48 for a six foot tree! Total transparency, once I had it in my house it felt too small for my space. I ended up selling it on Facebook and purchasing the 7.5” tree and have been using it ever since. If I’m being honest, I’m not completely in love with the newer one, either. It photographs well, but in person it’s not that impressive. This FLOCKED CHRISTMAS TREE from amazon looks very similar to mine and is a better looking tree, IMO.
- The GLASS VASES are from IKEA and I filled them with wooden garland from Hobby Lobby.
- I bought my ROUND MIRROR from Target, as well as the basket hanging on the wall and the brass gallery frames.
- My favorite decor is the ARIA DIFFUSER on perched on the corner of the tv stand. She’s a beaut. I’ve got a discount code I can share if you are interested in getting yourself one for Christmas (wink, wink)
FUNCTIONAL CHRISTMAS DECOR
My house is very well lived in and well loved. We need everything to be efficient and functional, and I love when I can sneak a little pretty style into it!
The sea grass basket is from Pottery Barn and holds our extra blankets and pillows. I also store my light weights and exercise equipment in it!
I keep the boys' christmas books in storage, then bring them back upstairs at the start of the season. I love how excited they get to rediscover their favorite christmas stories! I try to keep them contained in this wire basket, but let's be real... it will get cluttered and mixed into the normal book rotation very quickly!
Try not to worry about that sad little aloe vera plant on the bench. I'm well aware that she's not a Christmas decoration, but I'm letting her live there for now as she recovers from a near death experience of falling off a bookshelf in the basement... on to the white carpet.
This bench normally doesn’t live here in the entryway, but with snow boots and winter coats, I needed something to make guests a bit more comfortable when they arrive. There is nothing worse than struggling to untie wet boots while balancing on one foot! Aaron made this bench using build plans from Ana White.
Our kitchen is truly the heart of the home. I cleaned it up for this picture, but you can still see the kombucha and sauerkraut fermenting on the counter. Most of my favorite homesteading tools are included in my post GIFT GUIDE: THE HOMESTEADER. Check it out for some gift-giving inspiration!
Have you put up the tree yet, or will you wait? I have to know!!!
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