As a Christmas tree maximalist, I was hoping to share more Christmas decorating content this year. It turns out that November and December were like the rest of the year for me here on the blog: very quiet. I shared a lot of vacation home decor on Instagram Storiesand even in Tik Tok, but my long-form writing and processing was mostly done offline. I hope to regain some balance in the new year. I miss it here and will always be a fan of the blogging medium. It’s always refreshing here, whereas social media can be really exhausting and a quick step into comparison territory.
We had family come and stay with us between Christmas and New Year’s, and it was really nice to have a full house. I love receiving people, even if sometimes I seem a little (or a lot) stressed about it. I want everyone to feel comfortable and have everything they need – Southern hospitality, I guess. I think the biggest hit of the week was the sausage balls. If you’ve never tried them (maybe they’re a Southern thing?), I definitely recommend them for your next get-together. They don’t look like much but they taste very good. I usually make them in the oven, but this time I tried one of the two batches in the air fryer and they were just as good. Keep an eye on the time in the air fryer – I found they cook a little faster. For an extra kick, add some red pepper flakes. You can also serve it with a creamy sauce if you prefer.
Now, on to the Christmas trees!
If you’ve seen my trees before, you’ll find some repetitions. To make so many trees, I had to slowly add items to my collection each year. That means the themed trees are pretty set in terms of the ribbon, ornaments, and accents I use. I can modify the way I add items, but it can be very expensive to make something completely new from scratch.
Last year, I was able to show a little more creativity when designing a new tree for a charity auction. I couldn’t commit to a full tree this year for that event (and only a week in advance), so I made a wreath to donate. I have very little practice with wreaths, but I love how this one turned out. It sold quickly, which I was very happy about!
I also made this wreath for the front door, which was fun. I fell into a deep hole of designer ribbons and bought way too many! However, this painting and this green were very pretty.
You can see it on the door here, along with 2 of the 9 trees (I know, I know… that’s a lot)
The window wreaths are something I bought the first year we moved into this house, and I quickly realized that they are too small for the size of the windows. Every year I say I’m going to buy bigger ones, and then I decide to make them last another year. After about 5 years, I finally bought some in a post-Christmas sale to add next year. These are 20″, but the new ones are 30″ – big difference! I also want to hang them higher, but the top of our windows won’t go down. I might have to try suction cups or something else if I want to raise them higher. When I was a kid, we had crowns like these and I always remember cursing the suction cups because they were unreliable. Then again, I was like 15, so maybe there are better options these days.
Cream and Gold Magnolia Christmas Tree
This tree received a major overhaul this year and I was delighted with the results. This is the first themed tree I wanted to make years ago as a tribute to my late mother, but I was never satisfied with the results. It always seemed messy to me, even though I spent most of my time decorating it and investing in the elements.
First, they gave me a 9-ft. thin tree Christmas King. Previously it was 12 feet. tree here, but it was a full width tree that projected 76″ into the room. The thin tree worked much better for the space and required much less decorating. The tree took less than 13 minutes to set up and fluff – I was delighted.
The biggest change here, besides the tree, was the ribbon. I added about 70 yards of this beautiful designer ribbon, which gave the base I needed to add all the larger embellishments, oversized jeweled magnolias, and more sparkles. I also pulled out the long needle pine I used earlier; it felt more hairy than elegant on this particular tree.
The fireplace used my favorite long needle pine garland, along with some magnolia clips and a crystal garland. See my fireplace garland tutorial here.
Christmas tree in jewel tones
This tree also got a major overhaul this year, thanks to more tape. This is one that I find difficult to photograph because the light is challenging in our entryway. It was spectacular and joyful in person!
The bright plaid striped ribbon was everything! It was the biggest splurge I spent on decorating this year, but I paired it with some purple ribbon from previous years and some leftover ribbon from the magnolia tree. Most of the ornaments are inexpensive, unbreakable balls from AtHome.
Blue, White and Green Chinoiserie Christmas Tree
This tree is exactly the same as in previous years: no new elements! He is always the crowd’s favorite.
Animal Print Christmas Tree
This year there are no changes to this animal print Christmas tree. It’s Steve’s favorite because “it’s so different.” He usually has no opinion on decorations, so I’ll take that as a win!
See the tutorial/more information behind this tree.
I got some more ribbon for this tree after the Christmas sale, so it will have a little more flair next year.
Silver and Pink Tinsel Tree
This little tree lives in my office and always makes me smile. I also love it because I can just put a trash bag on top and store it fully decorated!
Simple with glass decorations
This tree is in our bedroom and I love how simple and clean it is. The only decoration she has is a bunch of glass ornaments from Target.
Family tree
The family tree is the home of all collected or inherited ornaments. They mean the most and I love having them all together. Years ago (when I had just one tree), I shared some of my favorite ornaments.
Ruby says Happy New Year!
View previous vacation home tours:
If by chance you haven’t taken down your decorations, here’s a breakdown of how I store mine.
I took down 4 trees on New Year’s Eve and the rest on New Year’s Day. I keep this meme in my camera roll because it’s true every year:
