Welcome to our Home for the Holidays
How did you like the Christmas Tablescapes on Monday and Tuesday? Below you will find the tablescapes for Wednesday. Today I’m so excited to welcome you to our Home for the Holidays Blog Hop, hosted by Jenna from Wife in Progress. But that’s not all: the Christmas Tour of Homes is also here for you. So grab your favorite beverage (sweet iced tea for me), find a cozy place with your device of choice and pretend that you have just received the biggest, most beautiful magazine in the world. Settle in for a wonderful experience viewing beautiful decorations for the holidays. Remember that if you don’t have time to see every blog, please Pin them for future enjoyment.
If you are coming are from North Country Nest, I know you enjoyed Kelly and Brett’s home tour. I’m happy you’re here today. Since I’m welcoming you to our home for the holidays, we’re starting at the front door, peeking in the dining room, and stopping at Sweet Shark’s bar before enjoying the entry hall and and our staircase.
Welcome to Our Home for the Holidays
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The Front Door
Inviting friends into our home for the holidays is truly a pleasure. So we’re friends, right? Come on in. Let’s start at the front door. When we go to the Christmas tree lot, we always buy a fresh wreath for the front door. I add a shimmery bow and this year 2 strands of timer lights (That way we don’t have to go outside if the weather is chilly.) Some sparkly stars, which I used in the dining room last year, finish off the wreath.
Next to the door is our sled, which we found in the attic of a home we purchased years ago. A simple length of fresh garland (Bought by the yard when we buy the tree.) and multi~colored lights give a welcoming signal day or night.
Come Inside to our Home for the Holidays
When you come into our home, if you glance to the left, you will see the dining room. I shared this dressed~up room Monday on the Christmas Tablescape Blog Hop.
Straight ahead is our entry console. Once again, I’m using the magnolia wreath that I ordered from Lowe’s and decorated for fall. I added one of our Mark Robert’s elves and some gold glitter leaves which I already had. These lights are the remote~control ones that I bought at Pier 1 in September.
On the console, I created a vignette with another Santa on a wooden sled surrounded by gold Christmas packages (a DIY from last year’s Christmas tablescape.) and gold ornaments that I bought on the spur of the moment at Target. The 2 Christmas trees were a Target dollar section purchase that I sprayed with snow (I used that stuff a bunch this year.) and wrapped with lights. The trees were set in galvanized pails, but I wanted a gold theme. Years ago I made a gold runner and tablecloth that I had not used in a long time. I just cut pieces of the fabric to fit around the pails and secured them with a large rubber band.
Sweet Shark’s Bar
To your right is Sweet Shark’s Bar, which truly is a guest~magnet whenever we have a party. This is our 5th Christmas in our home and every year, the bar is decked with garland and lights. (The lights are wrapped tightly around the garland and never come off ~ these are not battery~operated.) The top of the bar is the perfect place for more of our Mark Robert’s elves. We’ve been collecting them for years and usually buy them in New Orleans when we visit there the day after Christmas. There are now 7 elves up there.
We call this guy Cowboy Santa; he sings “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” and does a little dance.
The curio cabinet where we keep most of our crystal and barware also gets some garland, lights, 2 gold reindeer and 3 more elves. We bought the rug at Pottery Barn years ago just for Christmas time.
We’ve added 1 of these quirky little Santa figurines for a few years. Lori Mitchell is the designer and she is a super talented primitive folk art artist from Georgia. In addition to Christmas figurines, she makes this whimsical ones for Halloween and Easter.
The Staircase
The staircase is definitely a focal point when you enter our house. It’s always decked with garland and lights. We really don’t have a convenient place to plug in lights, so last year I used multi~colored lights, but finding the lights to turn on and off every evening is a chore, so this year I used white timer lights, which has made life much easier. I think each side has 4 strands. This year on the stair steps I gathered more of our Santas.
I did add some new bows this year for the bottom of the banisters. I love the mix of plaid and glittery gold.
And I thought some shine was needed on the garland. Another box of large ornaments from Target in red, green, golds and whites provided just the right look. I tied different color combinations in groups of 3 with florist wire and attached them to the garland. (Can you see me in the reflection taking the picture?)
On the outside of the staircase on the treads, I placed most of our collection of Christmas “characters”.
This was our very first Santa. We bought him for our first Christmas in the house that we remodeled together 18 years ago.
On the “back” side of the staircase, we have a 6~foot tall metal candle stand that I bought at a silent auction several years ago. It gets wrapped with lights and another Santa holds on for dear life.
And next to the candlestand is a lantern that I bought at charity benefit. Last year it was in our living room on the sofa table, but I moved it into the entry this year. I filled it with more red and gold ornaments and a strand of lights.
Past the entry console and closet is a vintage cabinet that we inherited from Sweet Shark’s mom. It was gold and I painted it in a grey chalk paint. I gathered more of our Christmas characters in here with a string of lights.
That’s the tour of the front part of our home. Welcoming you to our home for the holidays has been a pleasure. There is much more ~ the living room, kitchen and the tree, but that will have to wait. I’ll be sharing that part of the house on the Christmas Tour of Homes on Friday.
I hope that you will hop over to visit Lindsay at Aratari at Home. I can’t wait to see what she has in store. And don’t forget to take a stroll through the fabulous Christmas Tour of Homes offered today and the gorgeous Christmas Tablescapes. All the links for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are below.
You are going to have so much fun.
December Giveaway
Before you start visiting the other bloggers on the tours, be sure to enter my December Giveaway; the prize is an AUTOGRAPHED copy of KariAnne Wood’s So Close to Amazing. The contest runs through December 15th and I’ll announce the winner on Monday, December 18th. Click on the image below and you are entered.
Hi Carol and Merry Christmas! This is my first visit to your lovely blog, so glad I found you. Love that staircase. I’d love to invite you to visit me at bringingfrenchcountryhome.blogspot.com. Enjoy your beautiful home this holiday season. Hugs from Colorado, Pat
Pat, thanks so much for visiting and I really appreciate your comment. Will definitely visit you. Have a Merry Christmas.
Carol! You continue to amaze me! Your home is so festive – and I want to find a sled exactly like the one you have on your porch! Super cute! What a joy it has been to be a part of these fun home tours with you – merriest of Christmases to you and your family!
Jen, thank so so much for the compliment. That means so much. As for the sled, we literally found it left in the attic of a home we bought in 1988. The couple we bought the home from had grown kids so who knows how old it is or how long it had been forgotten. My kids made occasional use of it through the years on the rare times it snowed in Dallas. Until one of them says they want it, it’s mine. Have a great Christmas and enjoy your beautiful home.
So many festive touches throughout your home! I aboslutely love all the santas you have everywhere. They look so perfect perched on the stairs with the festive garland 🙂
Best,
Kelly
Kelly, Thank you. Great to be introduced to you all. Great blog. Hopefully, we can do this again next year.
Your home is truly magical, Carol! I think my hubby would die over your bar, too!!
Everything is so PRETTY! I was just telling my husband I want an old sled to decorate with. I love how you used yours! I bet its gorgeous light up at night!
Very pretty, Carol. Such a delightful Santa collection. And snowmen, too! I don’t get the snowpeople out till after Christmas, no room, but I do love yours!
Wow what a bar! I’m sure it’s party central during the holidays. Love all of your festive touches!
I love all the garlands around your home! So beautiful & welcoming for the holidays!
I love all of your traditional Christmas touches, it’s truly festive and very welcoming. xo
The sled on your front porch is my favorite! 🙂
So pretty, Carol! Love your staircase especially! Merry Christmas!
Kendra, thank you so much. I’m really pleased with it this year, too.
Carol, you’ve been a busy girl. Everything is just gorgeous!
Stacey, you’re darn right! All worth it now because we can just sit and enjoy.
Your home is beautiful! I love all of the festive touches you added to it! Merry Christmas!
Lindsay, happy to have you here and thanks for the response. Merry Christmas, too.