We decorated our house for the Holidays over the weekend and I must say, the coziness level is through the roof. We always wait until after Remembrance Day to start decorating so on Sept. 12th, we pulled everything out to deck the halls. I was especially excited for the beginning of the holiday season this year since we’re in the new house and I just knew it was going to feel very festive in the main area of the house with everything being open concept and finally having a mantle to decorate (a dream!).
My Thoughts on Holiday Decorating
In my opinion, less is more when it comes to seasonal decor. Someone asked me over the weekend if we do different decor every year and my response was that we definitely do not. My whole ethos with home decor in general is to invest in things you love, that you’ll want around for a long time. And that is no different when it comes to holiday decor. We have taken it very slow when it comes to collecting holiday pieces and honestly, that’s because our home decor budget was going towards things that would serve us year round for the first few years of being married.
When I think about decorating for the holidays, I want to create moments. Moments will stay with us so much longer than more stuff. Every year, as we take out our holiday decor, I want to love every single thing that I pull out of the box and feel like it’s a curated collection because that is a moment.
So practically speaking, what does that look like?
It means we go without certain things year to year while the collection grows. I aim to purchase 2-4 new holiday pieces per year and that’s all. The first year we were married, we purchased our Christmas tree and a boxwood wreath for the front door and that was all. No tree ornaments, no tree skirt (I just used a throw blanket), no garland. We purchased this pre-lit tree from Costco and it is the highest quality one I’ve ever seen – I think it looks real. Then in years two and three, we collected a handful of small things: stockings, a couple of smaller strands of garland, ornaments for the tree, a few tiny bottle brush trees. And then this year, I purchased my first higher quality garland and a tree skirt. And that’s all.
Do I desire to have more pieces? Of course. Do I feel pressure to buy things because of my presence on social media AND the constant pressure to have the “perfectly curated home” during the holidays? Yep. But do I know with confidence that I won’t be happy with a bunch of lower quality items if I rush the process and buy a bunch that fits the budget right now? 100%. So instead of focusing on what I don’t have, I savour the things I do. And I think about what my 2-4 items next year are going to be because I get so much enjoyment out of the process of planning, dreaming and hunting for the perfect items.
I realize this whole post is a bit indulgent and from a place of privilege, but I also think it’s important to chat about these things. Because I know I’m not alone in many of my struggles and sentiments around this topic and that sometimes things like holiday decor can make us feel “less than”. So let this be a gentle reminder that the way your home is decorated this season, does not in any way increase your worth or need to impact how much you savour the season.
My Approach To Holiday Decorating
Coming full circle, I do want to share a few ways I approach holiday decor from a practical standpoint. Earthy seasonal decor, textiles, and warmth are the stars of the show in our home. I put together the mood board at the start of the post with a look/feel that leaves me feeling inspired. You’ll notice if you stop and look at it, that there is fairly minimal decor, minimal clutter and a very natural feel.
I like to prioritize real-looking greenery (tree, garland, wreaths, etc.) and then build out from there. Beautiful candle holders and tapered candles (these also work throughout winter, not just at Christmas time); thicker blankets and throw pillows in darker colours that make curling up with a great book extra cozy; tableware, serve-ware, and glassware that I love to pull out and set up; vintage-looking wrapping paper and velvet ribbon. I’m not interested in having any signage, the commercial “Christmas” look, or an explosion of knick knacks. I’m drawn to black, bronze, gold, cream, green and rose coloured accents so try and stick to that colour palette as well when I’m decorating for the holidays.
When thinking about how you want your own space to look, I’d recommend creating your own Pinterest board for the holidays and after some time spent inspiration hunting, go back and look for any themes in what you pinned – colours, textures, style, etc. And then make a plan from there of what you want your space to look like and what items would be in line with that when you’re purchasing. Do not walk into Homesense with no game plan or you’ll walk out with a bunch of pieces that don’t coordinate and that you don’t truly love. Those types of stores are meant to overwhelm you and make you think you want things you don’t. You need to have a game plan if you want your space to look a certain way so impulse purchases are a big no.
I hope it was helpful to get a peek into my thought process and approach to decorating for the holidays. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or thoughts! I always love to chat with you! Oh, and don’t forget to check out my Holiday Shop for more inspiration if there are pieces you’re still hunting for this season.
