Welcome, sweet friends! Couldn’t be the only blogger without a Holiday Home Tour, 12.2019 post! As of this afternoon, the decorating is done with the exception of my cocoa bar. And I will put that together this week. I grabbed my phone and snapped some photos real quick to share with you before the holidays have come and gone.
My Holiday Home Tour, 12.2019
Going to take you on a whirlwind tour of my house. Grab my hand and off we go.
The Den
This is the room where we spend almost all of our waking hours and yet it isn’t as festive as some of the others in the house. Probably because it is too full already to accommodate anything more!
I made a garland for the mantel and the swag that rests on top of the mantel piece. Otherwise there are just some odds and ends set about.
Lizzie High Santa among the trees. And a snow globe given me by my brother- and sister-in-law who know how much I love snow.
Arranged this old wooden bowl from Panama full of goodies – pine cones, yucca wood, ornaments.
Guess I didn’t take a photo of it, but I always have a menorah on my sofa table. Today is the first day of Hanukkah, so happy Hanukkah!!
The Kitchen
Most of my seasonal decorating is displayed above the cabinets in my kitchen. At Christmas, I use a lot of snowflakes and snowmen because I like to keep everything up through January.
Having the decorations on the tops of the cabinets helps to keep my counter tops less cluttered but still allows me to deck the halls.
Found that flocked tree at Big Lots on sale for $6. Put some in my wheelbarrow out front, too.
That little red chair on the left was my childhood chair. The red wire bicycle planters were given to me by a teacher friend.
We haven’t participated in a sip and draw or I Painted That! painting activity in a long time. It’s something I always enjoy. Need to check their calendar for holiday painting opportunities.
That’s a blackboard on the tummies of the snowmams on the right. Probably should write a festive message on them.
This little stuffed Santa was a gift from my sweet sister. Years ago when we were very little, our uncle and aunt gave us similar velvet-suited Saint Nicks. But in one of many moves as an adult, my Santa was lost or destroyed. I think maybe the heat from being in storage for months probably got the better of him.
My sister found an almost exact replica of the original jolly old man and sent it to me a few years ago. He is doubly precious now.
Tiered Tray (Which is in the Kitchen)
Have had so much fun decorated my tiered tray this year. Bought it just before Valentine’s Day so that was the first holiday for which I decorated it. Would like to get a few more cutesy Christmas things for it…maybe I will find something on sale after the holidays. But for now, here it is.
Our Dining Table
Our poor dining room only gets used as the way to get from the kitchen to the stairs or front door. It’s more like a hall with a big, dusty table sitting in it. Except for at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I set the table for Thanksgiving, though, and we got our plates, filled them and sat in the kitchen!! Ha. Hope this one day we can actually sit at the dining room table to eat.
I’ve never had china. But who needs it when you eat at the kitchen table all the time? At Thanksgiving, I got smart. Bought Dollar Tree paper plates for the holiday table. And for Christmas, smarter still with plastic ‘silver’ware.
Made the center piece with birch branches, and several holiday picks, all from AnnieMo’s Holiday Shop.
And how about those Dollar Tree brushed silver – I use that term figuratively – chargers?
The Living Room
This is another room that is more like a hallway between the stairs and the kitchen. Sometimes I sit on the couch in here and talk to my mom on the phone. Otherwise, this furniture is pretty much only used by our kitties. Except for Christmas. The living room becomes the Christmas tree room.
I have begun using photographs taken from past years to decorate each season. These are Santa photos of my granddaughters from several years ago. Wish I could get a photo of both girls together with Santa this year.
Can you see the pajamas hanging from a branch on the right side of the tree? Those are for Cami. I bought the same pjs for Lucia and Cadence. We are hoping we won’t meet Cami until her due date of 01.15.2020. But just in case, she needed some gifts, too, under the tree. Or, hanging from the tree!
I made this fabric garland several years ago. Shared the steps in a DIY post, here. The Santa at the bottom of the stairs was made by the mom of a family of students I had. When we babysat Lucia this week, she hugged him and said, “Oh, Santa!” every time she went up or came down the stairs.
The Outdoor Decor
One of my mini Christmas bucket list activities was to spruce up our Christmas decorations, especially those outside. We went with this inflatable nativity scene.
I continued the snowman theme on the porch by the front door.
Another Big Lots Christmas tree paired with Hobby Lobby snowmen. I made the “Baby it’s cold outside!” painted pallet in the photo below. The snowman has features and buttons down his middle but the lights around his face make them hard to see. I like the way the bird on the lantern in front of him is silhouetted in the light.
Made the swag on the front door a few years ago. It’s just greenery and a pair of metal ice skates so I can keep it up beyond the 25th.
And my wheelbarrow. Found this cute sandwich board advertising Christmas trees ‘for sale’ at Big Lots. This is beginning to read like a commercial for Big Lots and Dollar Tree!! It was 25% off so I snapped it up along with the artificial trees.
My Nativity
When my girls were little, we began collecting Lizzie High dolls. They are primitive wooden dolls made in Pennsylvania. The dolls are pretty expensive by my budget standards so we always had to put them on layaway to pay for them. I had taken many of my dolls to school to decorate my library. When I retired, I was so sad that I gave away many of my decorations, including my Lizzie Highs. Lauren loved her Lizzie Highs from childhood and has begun buying for their house. And last year bought a nativity for herself and Brennyn.
My nativity is one of the pieces I didn’t give away. I set it up every year on my buffet. Inside the manger, there is also a little angel tangled up in a string of holiday lights that represents my nephew Andrew.
The simplicity of these dolls and their humble manger reminds me of what it must have been like for Mary and Joseph on that very first Christmas as they celebrated the birth of their baby. The first silent night.
Today and tomorrow, I am going to be cleaning house, doing laundry and beginning the holiday baking. Lauren and I are going to have a manicure in the morning after we take Cia to school. I pity the nail tech who works on this hands of mine. They are in terrible shape. It has been months since I’ve had a manicure. Looking forward to having my Brennyn home with me on Thursday. It’s been too long.
Your Turn
So that’s my home for the holidays. Used to dream of having beautifully decorated themed trees, and a holiday color scheme. But let’s face it, that just isn’t me. Why, today I had on my jacket backwards and inside out. At 61, can’t even dress myself. So of course a perfectly decorated home is quite beyond the realm of possibility.
Hope to write one more post before I set the laptop aside for a few days to just enjoy being with my family. But just in case all the remaining preparations get the best of me, let me wish you a merry Christmas now. Enjoy your holiday by making memories to warm you the whole new year through.
Hugs and kisses,
Nancy
Lovely! You are ready! Lol. Have a merry Christmas has dear Leslie.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, Nancy, happy new year!
Deb
I love seeing inside other people’s homes! You’ve decorated everywhere so beautifully, mine looks very bare in comparison (must try harder next year!) I quickly realised this year that anything at Rosie level was never going to last so we can only have the tree (decorated in the top two thirds only), mantelpiece and table top.
Have a lovely Christmas, and enjoy having the family together x
Juhli
Your home looks lovely and very ready for celebrating Christmas with your family!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, Juhli. Fifteen minutes after the gang descended on our house, it was a disaster but bursting at the seams with ove.
Em
Your home looks perfectly decorated to me! I love everything, from the sweet, simple decorations (most reflective of Christmas’s true spirit), to the darling snowmen throughout, to the elegant mantle and table setting (wouldn’t have know the plates were paper…that’s a bonus)! You look plenty ready and will no doubt be festively and fashionably attired.
Merry Christmas to you and yours, friend! 😘
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Oh, Em, your comments are so special. Thank you! I think my best bit of decorating was the paper plates for dinner. They were very sturdy and held up beautifully through dinner and dessert. The plastic ‘silver’ware was almost too pretty to throw away. Love that you said ‘elegant mantel’. I don’t think I have ever had that word used as an adjective to describe anything I have. Thank you for the sweet comment.
Bri
Oh, Leslie, your home looks BEAUTIFUL! What a special season, and I am sure everyone loves coming over when you have it so welcoming. Merry Christmas!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
You are so sweet!! Thank you for the kind comments. My daughters both commented on the holidays decorations which warmed my heart.
Patricia Doyle
Your house decorations for the holiday are amazing!! My two biggest thoughts reading this were – 1) how can you belittle it at all – it’s pinterest quality decor! and 2) where do you store everything off-season! LOL. Seriously, it is absolutely lovely. I love snowmen decor and snow flakes… so I was looking extra closely at those. This year, we are traveling to Florida on Dec 28th. Which means packing on the 27th… so I decided no holiday decor at all. It would be too crazy getting it all put away on Dec 26th. All I have out, literally, is a Charlie Brown Christmas tree and the gingerbread house I made. Next year, I am hoping to be in Florida for Christmas, so your warm weather decorations were certainly being perused for reapplication! And your bench by the front door… I think our new house will have a similar opportunity at the front door. I’ve never been a front door decorator, but I’m thinking I might become one. I always love seeing other’s doing it.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
You are so dear. I think both you and I have some self-esteem issues. Nothing I have at all is fancy! It is all cheap – or inexpensive. So proud of you for having made your gingerbread house. One year, PC was in Ohio and I was at our home in Texas and the decorating was pretty sparse that year. It is hard to want to go all out when your heart really isn’t in it. Hope you have had a wonderful trip to Florida. Looking forward to seeing your new home there and how you make it yours.
Helen
Your home looks so festive and welcoming. Thank you for sharing your Christmas preparations with us. It’s certainly very different but also very similar to Christmas in Australia. Have a wonderful Christmas with your family.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you so much, Helen. I am curious, do you guys use snowmen to decorate at Christmas? Can’t imagine!!
Allie Mackin
Oh wow what wonderful job you did with the decorating. So whimsical and charming. Your table setting is delightful and the garland came out great. And what you have the lawn. Such a festive time at your house!
Allie of
http://www.allienyc.com
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, Allie. I almost didn’t share my decor. Nothing expensive or especially nice so didn’t know whether to bother with a post. But comments like yours warm my heart and make me happy that I shared!!
Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom
I didn’t do a holiday home tour this year, but I didn’t change up a lot. I’m going to try harder to do one next year. I love your home, Leslie! Those blow up decorations outside are so cute and I love the wheelbarrow and easel sign! Your Christmas tiered trays are SO cute and I love that you have two! I had to laugh when you said the kitties use the furniture the most in that one room, lol! Merry Christmas!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Hey sweetest friend!! Missed seeing your house decked out but I can kind of relate to what you said about not having a lot of different decor to share. I didn’t do much different inside the house but did love our inflatable. And the trees in the wheelbarrow were like an 11th hour bit of decorating. Almost didn’t put my wheelbarrow out!!
Thank you for the sweetest comment.
Dara
Very pretty and cozy! Merry Christmas to you!!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Happy Hanukkah to you!! Thank you!
Laura Bambrick
Your little flocked tree is so cute and such a deal! Your entire home is very cozy and festive looking! I love taking a peek into blogger’s homes! Thanks for sharing! Hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, darling girl! I almost didn’t put together my wheelbarrow but glad I did. It was one of my favorite bits of decoration this year. Happy new year to you and yours!!
Jill
Your home is so festive! Love the birch branches on your dining table and your tree is beautiful! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!
Jill – Doused in Pink
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you so much, dear friend. I liked my birch branch arrangement, too. Now to figure out where to store it!!
Anne/The Cajun Couple
You have a lovely home. I loved the saying, “Hearts come home for.Christmas”. Isn’t that the truth? I hope the New Year is a great one for you and PC!
Blessings,
Anne
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, darling friend. I was so glad to have our family/hearts home for Christmas. It was nice to have little ones excited about opening presents. We ate too much and slept too late, but boy, was it nice. Happy new year!
Nancy Dobbins
Hi Leslie,
It looks beautiful! When we downsized I gave every Christmas item in my collection to the kids so we really have nothing now. I broke down and bought a tabletop tree and decorated it in tropical Florida colors. And our stockings are a mermaid’s tail and a shark’s tail! LOL.
Merry belated Christmas and wishes for a happy and healthy 2020.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Wow!! Was it hard to give the kids all of your stuff? How did they react? That would be an interesting blog post. I gave my kids two old, old pieces of pottery from Panama (their father’s homeland and where we lived for 6 years) and both girls looked at me like I had lost my mind. But I need to do more of that. And then if they want to throw the stuff away, they can. Happy new year, dear one.
Daenel T.
Love love love the decorations. We have a nativity set that looks like kids in a church program. I love it because it reminds me of the Christmas pageants of my youth.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
OH MY, I know your nativity scene is darling. I was mama-proud to see my youngest daughter adding more “Jesus sets” as she calls them, to her decor. She has a number of Mexican or southwest-flavored nativities. Would like to add to my collection next year.
Shugunna Alexander
Beautiful decorations! Merry Christmas Leslie, hope you’re enjoying the holidays…
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you!! Had a blessed Christmas!