Decorating for Christmas is one of my greatest joys. Even with renovations, busy schedules and holiday chaos, carving out time to decorate is always worth it.
This year felt like the first time Arlo would truly notice the little touches of holiday magic, so I used that as my excuse to go all in. Right now he’s obsessed with anyone who looks like Santa — anyone in red, wearing a hat or sporting a beard — which has made grocery shopping pretty entertaining.
Here’s a peek at what I like to call “a tour of four rooms that are somewhat put together.” There are, admittedly, other rooms still under construction or a little messy, so please ignore those!
Yes, our tree is in the bedroom. We don’t have a ton of space in the living room, and the bedroom has higher ceilings (I love a tall tree) plus it’s easier to keep Arlo away from it. We’ll probably move the tree to the living room next year, but it’s been so cozy having it in the bedroom these last two years.
It isn’t flocked, but I still love it. I swapped the garland and bows to better match the warm tones of our bedroom. We watched the NYC Ballet’s Nutcracker on Netflix and decorated the tree together as a family.
On weekend mornings Arlo climbs into our bed to watch cartoons, so I added a festive touch by making paper snowflakes and hanging them along the canopy with fishing line. It turned out so magical.
Master Bedroom Christmas Decor Sources
Tree garland, star wands used as tree toppers, striped tree skirt, felt garland with added stars, feather trees and fluffy trees. I also made DIY ornament pillows to echo the decor.
The dining room became our pastel Christmas zone and the home of my Christmas village. Arlo helped with the village this year and I added a few new houses. We don’t have a single large surface that fits all the pieces, so I cleared some vases from the dining shelves and arranged houses on the shelves instead. A few bottle brush trees spilled over into this room as well.
I borrowed a simple idea from a friend: tiny Santa hats on photos and art. It’s an easy, last-minute way to make your home feel festive. You can buy them or make them from paper.
Dining Room Christmas Decor Sources
DIY colorful Christmas village, disco snowman, fluffy tassel garland, green bottle brush trees and colorful bottle brush trees, wooden and wool reindeer. Many of these items were paired with DIY projects to personalize the display.
We’re redoing the living room soon, but I started by replacing the fireplace mantel with a white one and the difference is already huge. My bottle brush tree collection is one of my favorite things — I add a few every year and tuck them into nearly every room.
Living Room Christmas Decor Sources
DIY felted stripe stockings, a felt tree wall hanging, ornament pillows and bottle brush trees. I also used a few garlands collected over the years to finish the look.
Arlo’s room got a bunch of little festive touches. I recreated his decorated door from last year and he absolutely loved decorating his own tree. He directed where each ornament should go and kept asking for more decorations, more garlands and more lights. Watching him get so invested was adorable.
Last year I bought ornaments on a whim, not knowing what he’d like. Now cars, giraffes and elephants have become some of his favorite decorations.
I may have a garland problem, but I couldn’t resist adding Christmas to his cactus and rainbow wall hanging. Small touches everywhere make the room feel playful and festive.
Arlo has been more into his advent calendar than I expected — he’s so proud when he places a little present on the truck each day.
A few of his stuffed animals and books got tiny Santa hats too. I also placed our small Christmas forest on the ledge in his room for an extra whimsical touch.
Arlo’s Room Christmas Decor Sources
DIY truck advent calendar, DIY wooden Christmas tree forest, various light and felt ball garlands, bell garland, red felt ball garland with felt stars, DIY plush reindeer head and a Santa sack. These small, handmade touches help make his room feel merry and personal.
Photos by Jeff Mindell
That’s the tour! How elaborate do you get with holiday decor? My mom used to fill every cabinet and shelf with trinkets, so I guess it runs in the family. This is honestly only half of what I wanted to do, but I’m already so happy with how it turned out — it really is the most wonderful time of the year.