Every year when it’s time to unload the Christmas bins and dig into the tinsel I throw on the Christmas music and get to work full force. Generally, the décor process takes me about a week. Yep, five full days of moving this and rearranging that to get everything looking the way I like it. However, with a full schedule and two little kids, this is completely unrealistic.
That’s why this year we are switching things up. I’m getting rid of the glitz, the glam, and clearing out at least half of my décor to embrace the farmhouse look. This trend has held strong for years and it’s not going anywhere. I love it because it’s easy and imperfect is ideal. Any style that embraces mistakes is my kind of style. With a farmhouse vibe and a shabby love, easy Christmas décor can be just as beautiful without all the hassle.
If you’re ready to embrace a country Christmas, here are a few tips on getting started.
Don’t limit your trees. Sure, we all love a decorated Christmas tree in the corner of the room, but that doesn’t have to be the only one. Bring trees in for the hallway, side tables, centerpiece, and of course the front porch. Small tabletop trees can be real or faux, and keep the décor simple. Add all the trimmings to your Christmas tree in the corner while the smaller trees work perfectly with a simple strand of lights or pom-pom garland.
Whatever you do, don’t leave the staircase naked. Wrap it up and tie it with a bow. You can keep it simple or go over the top with draped garland, but make sure you deck those halls.
Use things you already have. Got buckets in the shed? Ribbon in the basement? Now you have front porch décor. That’s the beauty of farmhouse Christmas, it’s all about homemade, repurposing, making do with what you already have.
Just add green. Not sure what to do? Just add greenery, it usually solves the problem. This simple white vase is beautiful but looks out of place until you add a sprig of green and a holly berry. Instantly transformed into farmhouse holiday décor.
Keep things neutral. You don’t need to worry about coordinating colors when you keep things neutral. Black and white and cream and ivory with a splash of metallic work perfectly. Of course, red and green will make an appearance, everything else is just too much.
Look for unexpected spots to decorate. Perhaps there’s usually a painting above the piano, take it down and see what you can do with the space to bring a different vibe to your home.
Because there are so many décor options at Christmastime, I like to start by taking down as much as possible. I mean, I take stuff down to the point that people may think we’re actually moving out. This gives you the perfect blank canvas to decorate with. If you just add Christmas decorations over the stuff that’s already there, it looks really cluttered really fast. Instead, clear out anything that’s not nailed down (and even maybe a few things that are), and start from there.
When you’re all done, grab a cup of cocoa and the Hallmark channel to relax and enjoy your own personal winter wonderland.
