Christmas Home Tour 2013...

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! Our Christmas started early with my ladies party on December 15th, my husband's family on the 23rd, our own Christmas on the 25th and my family is coming up on the 28th. It's wonderful when the holiday lasts a long time to be with friends and family to celebrate the season.

I started decorating right after Thanksgiving and it takes a solid 2 weeks to finish. I just love filling each room with Christmas trees and holiday touches. I use and re-use decorations that I've had for years in different places throughout the house, so it feels like I have something new…just in a different way! I do add to my collection each year with after Christmas sales or bargain buys from the dollar stores or Walmart.

My biggest tip for your holiday decorating is organize and label. When you take down this year's decorations, organize and label everything in storage boxes. If you know where things are next year, your time will be well spent when you start taking things out. You can click HERE for a labeling tip for your Christmas storage boxes.

Let's start the tour for this year's decorations…at the front door.

Welcome to our home!!

and come on in…

My old sled, skates and a wooden shovel are by the front door. A little bucket of "snowballs" are there to add a fun winter feel.

The inside foyer is our nativity set which the first thing we set up.

Our family tree is in the family room and is 12 feet tall. It's a great pre-lit tree and takes one whole night to put up and decorate.

It's chock full with every ornament we have given our girls Courtney and Kelsie and all the ones we have received as gifts.

This year's special ornament was Courtney and Courtland's engagement!!

Everyone has a special meaning…like the graduation tassel ornament. Click HERE for that tutorial.

For the Christmas party, I had punch bowls set up on a buffet and my Snowman water dispenser.

It was labeled "Melted Snowman" and was filled with ice water!!

Even had the carrot that fell off the snowman's nose!!

I served a yummy Grinch Spritzer at the party. I'll share the recipe in a different post.

This is the wine bar we have in the family room and I added little touches here and there.

Crystal Christmas trees that were my mom's…

and little Christmas bells from the Dollar Tree added to the lamps.

The beer station was a hit at the party too…Reinbeer! The fabric chalkboard was an easy project that you can click HERE for!

You can make Reinbeer for yourself in that post too!!

Little paper straws I bought at Target adds a touch of Christmas red to the bar too.

The candles are glass containers that I buy in thrift stores for $1.00 or so. I think they are from floral arrangements. I just add a little Epsom Salt and a candle. The Epsom Salt adds a white snowy look with the perfect sparkle!

Snow and jingle bells from the dollar store are great for the coffee table too.

I found these signs at Marshall's this year to add something to this space over a desk in the family room.

Coming up from the family room into the kitchen and the coffee bar was a candy cane theme.

This theme started from that one little candy cane sign on the counter. It says…"Candy canes 5 cents". I bought it for 50 cents at a thrift store.

I found these large candy canes at Michael's Craft store on sale for 50% off and then another coupon for 25% off. Best buy ever!! I love them…

I zip tied them together and then zip tied them to the banister. Add a bow and other fun candy sprigs to finish.

The top of the coffee bar are some of my canister jars that I filled with red and white candy ornaments I had on trees last year!

The Santa tree is in the dining room, which is really part of our kitchen and not formal at all.

I put all the red and white ornaments I had on this one tree. Some where white snowy theme and some were red Santa themed.

Underneath the tree is the old tricycle and radio flyer wagon I bought 2 years ago in a thrift store.

Perfect for wrapped gifts, a teddy bear, blocks and a little red ball.

Red and white ornaments in every shape and size.

Ornaments from the dollar store, Walmart and some I even made myself.

White sprigs from the floral department adds a touch of snowy white and dimension to the tree too.

A special ladder made by my neighbor Betty's dad years ago makes a great addition to the tree and the perfect spot for our Elf on the Shelf.

A little Santa and sleigh on top of an armoire fills in little corners here and there.

Under the dining room table is decorated too. When we have a party, the chairs are moved away for seating throughout the room. The blank space screamed for something.

I used an old toboggan filled with wrapped packages and large ornaments.

One of the tables used for serving food had a wreath and cloche filled with ornaments for a pop of color.

The fireplace in the dining room was decorated this year too. I took the mantel down a few years ago, but wanted back up again this year. I painted it black and I love how it looks again.

I placed a 9 foot piece of artificial garland on first, then added a set of lights.

I had a berry garland from last year's red tree that I used here this year.

I filled the back with a glitter "Believe"sign and a big glitter star.

I then filled in with different ornaments in all shapes, sizes and textures.

The white curly cues were added for dimension.

I loved how it looks when the sun goes down at night.

Four glitter stocking for the kids and the letters I found at Walmart.

Even the wood bin gets some evergreen, lights and berry garland.

My old Santa Bucket is used for lighters and matches for the fire. Click HERE for that easy project.

The sugared fruit tree is next…

In the past, I used the sugared fruit for the end of the banisters.

Now they fill the tree with all the hydrangea I dried this year.

A simple ribbon is used as a garland.

The corner cabinets in that room are filled with my Dicken's Village set.

I can't forget the kitchen and my Tea Tree!!

I found this white teapot planter at a consignment shop…perfect for a tea theme.

The ornaments are all from my tea ball collection with glitter white stars for sparkle.

Can't forget the little post I did on decorating your kitchen canisters!

Add trees to your sugar flour and powdered sugar to look like snow! Click HERE to see that post.

Let's head upstairs…

To the candy tree on the landing.

It's all filled with colorful ornaments I've purchased in the clearance section over the last few years.

I used a large galvanized bucket filled with batting for a tree base.

I even covered a wreath form with candy dot paper strips for a "Joy" sign next to the tree. Click HERE for that tutorial.

In my husband's office is a tree like he had from his childhood.

Big colored lights and vintage ornaments we've had for years fill the tree.

I found the old garland in a consignment shop.

and we can't forget the tinsel!

 I've even collected vintage toys in thrift stores for under the tree.

I had left over garland, so I wrapped it around a styrofoam wreath form for an added decoration on the wall.

The master bedroom has our old 12 foot family room tree in there now. The ceilings are 9 feet in the bedroom, so I didn't use the first section.

The tree is in honor of my mom. It's filled with her wooden Steinbach ornament collection. I buy new ones every year to add to it. I also use the old fashioned candle clips to give it that old world look.

The tree skit is just a 2-3 yard piece of burlap I bought at the fabric store. I kept it folded in half for a finished edge and then just gathered it up around the base of the tree.

Simple decorations throughout the room for a natural look.

I still keep up the coffee filter wreath I made last year. Click HERE for that.

I also added wreaths to 2 old windows I had. I just attached them with zip ties.

Great to fill up a large wall space.

Trees and Santa for the top of the armoire.

Kelsie's tree is all silver and gold.

Different shapes, sizes and textures really adds to the look.

We also add the Christmas card ornaments we make each year.

Even the little wall boxes over a couch in her room are filled with silver trees ornaments.

Courtney's room is filled with furniture and there is no floor space for her big tree, so we used a half wall tree that I had. Perfect for over her desk!

My sewing room in the final tree in the house…#10!

It looks like a Dr Seuss tree. I sewed the pillow with fabric I had and used the left over fabric for a tree skirt.

I sprinkled the fake plastic snow on all the branches for a wintry look.

Fill in all the spaces with different greens.

I used sprays of fun flowers from the floral department for the tree topper.

Such a fun look for the top!

I'm so glad you stopped by for a visit and I hope you enjoyed the tour of our home! Don't forget to click on past tours in the side bar for other ideas.

On behalf of myself and my family, we hope you have a wonderful holiday season and safe and happy New Year!!

p.s…I've had a few emails about Christmas decor storage! Lol. For many years I stored everything in the attic, but the access is from a pulled down ladder from the ceiling. I'm getting way too old for that! A few years ago, I organized a corner of our unfinished basement to store everything. I used old kitchen tables to store tree boxes underneath and plastic tubs stored on top for each tree theme. I use coat racks to hang wreathes and all other items are stored in labeled boxes, so I can easily identify whats inside.

I will definitely do a post on it when I put it all away, so stay tuned!

~Karen~