Our Home For The Holidays

Today I’ll show you around my home, decorated for Christmas. I decorate outside with fresh greens and inside with faux ones and a few fresh ones tucked here and there. Decorating was always my favorite thing to do at Christmas - that and wrapping gifts and playing Christmas songs on the piano. The cookie baking and cooking and entertaining, just came along with it. But when we went through our hard times, I stopped all of it. The first year after Whitten died, we didn’t do anything. It took years for me to want to involve myself again. But I am back in the swing, so here we go…

I had hoped to get this out to you right after Thanksgiving, but my best laid plans just laid there, till I could get to them.

I have said this before, we live near lots of colonial areas - Williamsburg, Jamestown, Monticello, Mount Vernon, Montpelier and others. So white lights in windows is still very popular here. Also, I do not have a decorator tree, I have an “heirloom” tree - chock full of family ornaments and gifts from friends and trips and events. So it stays the same, more or less, from year to year. And now it has all of Whitten’s ornaments too.

So here’s a pictorial of vignettes, one room at a time, with resources for some things. And my best holiday playlists at the end!

The Family Room | Den

I got a new lights strand this year - I need another one next year - if I want an all over look. As is, it looks like a lighted garland - I think that’s what it really is. We got a bigger tree, after several years of too small ones, and the star barely made it under our 8 foot ceilings. I have two garlands - a silvery crystal one and a gold chain. I have had the Moravian star for years.

Terrain Lights (sold out) :( | Moravian Star (similar) | Gold Crystal Garland | Gold Chain Garland | Ornament Storage Boxes

The ornament boxes are the best ones I’ve had. I splurged last year and got two. They are adjustable. I love them. I threw out four old ones and fit it all in these two.

I made the ones on the left for Posh. I live in Midlothian, outside of Richmond. There is an antique book called The Heart Of Midlothian, by a Scottish author, and my mom had a copy of it. I used the pages and decoupaged ornaments to sell in our shop. I made the ones on the right, in a similar fashion, for Whittens’ friends and family, using old articles of his at The Breeze - the JMU school newspaper. He was an editor there and wrote for the Opinion column. And just like me, he was into fonts, so I used his favorite.

I use a wool antique coverlet for my tree skirt. And I do use the “magic water cup” to water the tree. (The picture on the left.) It works really well, if you cannot get to your tree stand easily.

This year’s presents so far...our grand-nephew Jackson, is getting Whitten’s little tricycle with a handle.

My nativity is by Patience Brewster. I bought a piece or two a year for a long time. I love it. You will see I have two competing aesthetics - one is very serene and classic; the other is very whimsical with a wink and a nod. 😉

The bells under my folk art angel were from the Polar Express hey day. We would “find” them in the fireplace on Christmas day! I put these lights in all our windows and surround them with boxwood.

The faux greenery is all from the shop, as is the gold glass garland. I got it all wholesale from market. We sold a fair amount in the shop too. I think the most realistic faux greenery these days comes from Terrain, Frontgate, or Park Hill.

In the 90’s I made us stockings, and they were used for many years. I couldn’t look at them for 3 or 4 years after Whitten died, so we just didn’t have stockings. The cream stockings were used after that, for 5 or 6 years. I got them from Anthropologie or Pottery Barn. This year, I am able to hang our cross-stitch stockings that I made. You can see how my aesthetic has changed, but I will use them anyway!

our Little Foyer

This is two faux garlands with some fresh inkberry stuck in there, a little glass garland and some gold ribbon. The sugar cones came from Etsy! (sorry for the blurry pic - not sure what happened there?!)

I got this wreath from Terrain (similar) a few years ago, and I just love it. It has wonderful color and texture - velvet, metal and glass. I hang pearl garland on it for the holidays. The feather tree is antique and the tiny balls are also from Terrain (sold out).

The Music Room | Library

The glass garland and paper tree came from the gift market, years ago.

One poinsettia is real and the other two are faux.

My Santa collection is on top of the piano. Some of them are rather dated, so I think I will paint them and add some glitter and texture and update them, so they aren’t so 80’s looking. (Although, who knows, they might come back!?)

In the apothecary jar, I made a little snow scene and put another “heart of Midlothian” verse in there. I made them for local family and friends, the same year I made the ornaments for the shop.

The Dining Room

My pride and joy, as far as decorations go. This is one of the first wreaths Cackie at Glittermoon Christmas made 10 years ago. She custom made it for me in my colors and named it “A Posh Christmas”.

The Kitchen

The simmering spices on the stove smell heavenly - not fake or too strong. I just dump them in and simmer them on and off, for a day or two. After two days, you have to start over. Use cinnamon - ground and a stick, some orange peel, whole cloves, whole allspice, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and star anise is good too. Smells like you’re baking something wonderful.

The best diffusers/candles for holiday, in my opinion, are Frasier Fir, and Nest’s Holiday.

Glimpses Upstairs

That would be my bed, the mirror in Chip’s office, and the hall bathroom. Since the hall bath and Chip’s office need new paint, my master is still in progress, and the two guests are, well, let’s just say in great need of work - I will stop there!