Nothing makes a house (especially one that we’ve lived in for 6 months) feel like a home like a little holiday coziness. So along with decorating the front of the house, and setting up our tree, each year we love to document how we festive-ify the rest of the house (here’s that post from last year, two of them from 2011, one from 2010, one from 2009, and one from 2008). This year was an especially exciting year because it’s our first Christmas of living in this house… which means I have new spaces to play with – like a different fireplace mantel, and stairs for the first time in seven years of home-ownership!
For almost every other space I just used what we already had, but for the stairs I ran to JoAnn and bought some faux garland (and an evergreen sprig for my green HomeGoods jug). It was $14 for both of them thanks to 50% sales on the Christmas stuff. To hang the garland on the railing, I just used red ribbon from last year (I’m the girl who saves every ribbon when I open presents to reuse it) – one at the top, one at the bottom, and one in the middle. I also added a clear zip tie at the top (under that ribbon) to be sure things stay put.
The bench is a HomeGoods find that we’re planning to eventually use at the foot of our bed (once I recover it) so I tossed a furry blanket on it and plopped it in the foyer for now. I got the idea for the whole garland/bench thing when a few people showed me this photo from Country Living and said “I can’t believe that’s not your house – there’s even blue trim in the room next to the stairs!” – how funny is that? So it was definitely the inspiration for this little holiday moment. Although the first thing we did in the foyer has already turned into a new holiday favorite: The Christmas Moose!
We grabbed him at HomeGoods back in September for $9 (weirdly enough, it was John’s idea – I think I’m rubbing off on him) for the express purpose of hanging him up for the holidays. Basically John picked him up, declared that his name was Morris The Moose, and said “we should bring Morris home and hang him every Christmas, so he can live out his destiny as The Christmas Moose.”
Sold.
He’s pretty much Clara’s favorite holiday decor item ever (if live seals can’t be brought in for the roof, at least there’s a silver moose in the foyer). The best part is that I didn’t have to make any holes in the wall to hang him. I just used the screw that was holding up the Ikea frame that usually lives on that wall, so it should be easy to swap out that picture for a moose every December. And then I just stuck some remnants of ribbon and pom-pom fringe around his neck along with a few pink ornaments and called it a day.
Next we have the living room mantel, which has a bunch of stuff that we’ve enjoyed for a few years in a row. The green feather trees (they’re hand-me-downs from John’s sister, but she originally got them from Target) are nice up on the ledge, along with some wrapped presents. Those are my favorite no-fuss accessories to break out every year because they’re fake and I wrapped them back in 2010 but they’re such an easy way to look like I’m this master gift wrapper (meanwhile I’ve shopped for about 6% of this year’s gifts and wrapped 3% of them). Oh and our stockings are currently labeled as “Mommy & Daddy”, “Clara”, and “Burger” but we’re thinking when the bun comes along next year we’ll get five of them (one for each person) so there’s no more random stocking sharing going on.
My favorite detail of all in here is the cardboard Burger (a reader hand-made him at a book tour signing last year) who’s sherpa-ing a present. Cracks me up every time.
A few folks asked where our outdoor star pendants ended up in this house (you can see where we got those here), and the answer is that we finally got around to hanging them in the corner of the sunroom-turned-veranda, so we can gaze at them from the sofa in the living room every night.
The console in the foyer also got some casual cuteness, mostly in the form of leftover ribbons, and a homemade reindeer.
I have these little letterpress “love” blocks out year-round, but a pink ribbon and two tiny ornaments make it a little more cheerful…
… and this reindeer was handmade by John’s grandpa, so he’s hugely sentimental and we love seeing him standing on his ribbon pile when we come down the stairs.
Our leaning chalkboard in the office got a little holiday message on it as well. Clara asked me to add the birds and snow. Now I just need her help decorating a snowman down at the bottom (she loves to chalk things up down there). She’s also a fan of drawing bunnies these days, so we might get some of those in the mix…
Clara and I also got to do a fun little Christmas craft together, which was basically making a giant mess with fake snow (it was THE BEST and SO HILARIOUSLY MESSY). Otherwise known as making these two snow-filled boxes, complete with tiny trees and mini dogs.
Don’t mind Captain Barnacle’s legs in this shot (he still goes everywhere with Clara). This is what we used for the project:
I grabbed two of these glass boxes from TJ Maxx (I think they were $7.99 each) along with a bag of fake snow, a two-pack of little trees, and one package of tiny ceramic dogs from Michaels (they’re meant for those little holiday villages that people make under the tree with various buildings and skating rinks, etc).
Then Clara just had fun covering the kitchen with fake snow filling each of the two boxes with a mound of snow, and adding a few dogs and a tree. Now they sit on the media cabinet in the living room and Clara can usually be found standing about 2″ away just gazing at them. She even named a few of the dogs (Elmo is the one on the right, and the one in the top hat is Gru). The good news is that the hand-vac was able to suck up all the little glittering snow particles that exploded all over the table and floor during our little crafting session.
So that’s how we added a little more holiday fun to the house. It definitely feels homier with stockings and ribbons and a big ol’ silver moose. What have you guys done inside? Is anyone else having the best time ever decorating their stairs? I can’t be the only one walking in there every ten minutes just to smile at the railing.
Psst – Still in the holiday spirit? Here are nearly 40 other holiday posts from the past:
Update: You can check out all of our favorite holiday decor finds here – many of which are under $15!
Madeline @ Create . Bake . Celebrate says
This is our first year in our home too! We have stairs, but they go down not up so I have no idea what to do with them! I am having fun with a real mantle and real Christmas tree, though!
I even DIYed a Christmas tree sprig garland to have more Christmas tree around!
http://createbakecelebrate.blogspot.com/2013/12/life-four-favorites-holiday-decor-diy.html
YoungHouseLove says
So sweet!
xo
s
Kate says
Stairs that only go down but not up?! I have yet to see a set of these… :)
Kate S. says
Kate’s comment above (I’m a diff Kate) had me in stitches. I had to look twice to get what Madeline really meant. :D
Still dying over Captain Barnacle.
janetl says
If you imagine burger laying on a rug in front of the fireplace and not the ottoman/table…he looks huge! ;)
Everything looks great! I love the displays with snow and people.
YoungHouseLove says
Beware of THE GIANT BURGER!
xo
s
Michelle M says
What a funny optical illusion!
Beware the enormous pup!
Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says
Oh man, I’d give anything to have that fireplace/mantel area to play with for the holidays! So beautiful! Love all of the fun touches!
Naia says
I’m also very excited for this fireplace.I want to own that ASAP!!
Dana@chocolateandsunshine says
The stars outside your sunroom are so beautiful! I love to place outdoor things within viewing distance of my indoor couch. lol And the snow-filled boxes are sweet and unique. It’s fun, isn’t it to have new spots to decorate? Like your bannister? I just renovated my basement this year and it gave me another spot for a 4th tree. Have a wonderful Christmas season!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Dana! It’s so much fun!
xo
s
LeCheech says
And for once, you’re not MOVING IN on Christmas. That just has to be re-established. lol
YoungHouseLove says
Amen! Wahoo!
xo
s
Tania @ Run To Radiance says
I can’t wait until next year- hopefully we are done remodeling and are in more of the “decorating” stage. It seems never ending agh! Your house looks beautiful- how do you all balance time/effort of remodeling and time/effort of decorating spaces? I just want to get it all done!
YoungHouseLove says
I think in our first house we had this bummed feeling when everything took so long and the house took years to evolve, but at the end of 4.5 years there we LOVED it and couldn’t believe how far we had come, so it’s sort of like “when you look in the rear-view mirror at the end, it’s amazing!” – so having learned that we try to appreciate and embrace the whole “this stuff takes years, not months or weeks” thing, and remember each of our houses was a work in progress for a long time. It seems to keep us from feeling disappointed and reminds us to enjoy the journey, knowing that someday we’ll look back and won’t even remember the “before” stages of the house since the afters have come such a long way!
xo
s
Lydia K says
It looks great! I love the moose. I tried something different with my staircase this year – we’ve got one of those big angled ones that turns 180 degrees as it goes up, then continues down a hallway on the second floor. I too picked up four 6-foot garlands at Michael’s and instead of putting them on the railing, I put them along the bottom where the steps meet the vertical bars. It looks just as great but we can still use our hand rail – and as an added bonus, it keeps the garlands more in your frame of view! I’m tickled with it. Maybe next year I’ll add lights to it.
Happy Holidays!
YoungHouseLove says
Really cute idea! John’s mom lines the side of each step with little stuffed snowmen from over the years and they’re such a hit with all the kids!
xo
s
Jen R says
Hey Sherry….I was at Target yesterday and saw reindeer white ceramic miniatures. 6 inches high and immediately thought of you. Strange that I don’t even know you but when I see white ceramic animals… I think to myself “Sherry would love this!” Well check them out the next time you are in Target.
YoungHouseLove says
So sweet!
xo
s
Stefanie says
Love that moose. Such a good idea to only bring him out during the holidays. I’d love to see some ornaments hanging from his antlers! Haha
And speaking of Gru…have you guys seen Despicable Me 2 yet? It’s on sale at Target right now (plus there’s a Cartwheel!) and we bought it yesterday and watched it with the kids last night. Totally adorable!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, it’s so good! That was Clara’s first movie that she saw in the theater!
xo
s
Stefanie says
Awesome! If she did well in the theater with that one you should think about taking her to see Frozen. Man oh man was that freakin’ amazing! Took the kids Thanksgiving day and it’s such a throwback to old Disney (think Beauty & the Beast era) and it has THE BEST music. I don’t know who enjoyed it more..the kids or myself! haha
YoungHouseLove says
I keep hearing its awesome. Can’t wait to take Clara!
xo
s
Kaija says
So simple and festive! You guys sure know how to make a house a home! I think I’ll do the fridge ornaments from last year.
P.S. (“shocking” or “stocking”?)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, stocking sharing = shocking. All fixed :)
xo
s
Mary | Lemon Grove Blog says
Luurrrvvvee that banister. Y’all – your house looks straight out of the pages of pinterest :) Pass the eggnog! :)
Candice says
Very nice! I’m also a ‘ribbon saver ‘. Some of the ribbons are going on 12 years… I’ll buy $1 rolls of brown craft paper from the dollar tree and use the fanciest (70% off after holiday) ribbon to dress up presents. That moose makes me want to watch Christmas vacation. I made winter scenes from little glass domes and white salad plates, filled with bottle brush trees and fake snow-tex snow. And they too reside on the tv cab. Looks great.
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds so cute!
xo
s
Linden says
Looks great!!
Also, I’m still cracking up at Captain Barnacle. Clara really has a knack for names :)
Steph says
Decorating stairs is definitely more fun than it should be. There’s this big column in the middle of my staircase and last year I wrapped it in christmas wrapping paper. It was hysterical. I was like standing on the step stool meticulously measuring and cutting. It took me a good 30 mintues to do but it looked so cute.
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds so sweet!
xo
s
Allison says
I love the stockings! Where did you get those?
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks! Target a few years back!
xo
s
Laura @ Rather Square says
I think my favorite things are the star lanterns outside. Also a nice bonus that the star-shaped ceiling pendant in your entryway fits right in for the holidays as well!
We haven’t done much decorating this year since we’ve only been in our house for about seven months and things are STILL in boxes. (Wait, you just moved into your house too… okay, I have no excuse!)
Chelsea says
Where did you get your stockings? I’ve been looking for some for my family but I haven’t found any that I love. I LOVE yours!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks! They’re from Target a few years back, but they have similar neutral toned ones this year that I was eying. Really pretty!
xo
s
Alissa says
Merry Christmoose!
YoungHouseLove says
Bahahah!
xo
s
Laurea says
My mom has a little glass box like that from her childhood. It has a little caroler and snow covered pine tree and we always had to be really careful with it. Its one of my favorite christmas decorations. :)
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so sweet!
xo
s
Megan @ Rappsody in Rooms says
Your house looks so great as always! It’s been fun to see how you have used what you have in the new house. I am loving the look of your mantel and stair railing! So pretty! It sounds like you and Clara had such a fun time making your little craft!
Contempo Space says
Enjoy your time at home for the holidays!
Love the look of the ultra-wide mantel!
Claire says
Love the craft idea of snow scenes in a box! Thanks for sharing that one. May have to do one myself!
Keisha says
I immediately thought of our book Mooseltoe when I saw Morris! Merry Christmas!!
http://www.amazon.com/Mooseltoe-Margie-Palatini/dp/0439330408/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386861434&sr=1-1&keywords=mooseltoe
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! We’ll have to get that for Clara!
xo
s
Mallory says
I was going to post this same book! There are SEVERAL Christmas & moose themed children’s book on Amazon – including Morris the Moose!
Kristen says
Well you can apparently buy it used for $1000 so it’s pretty affordable! haha
YoungHouseLove says
Gah! Didn’t even see that! So crazy!
xo
s
Harma says
Love the post.
Coupla spelling mistakes:
“shocking sharing”
“sofa in the living room very night”.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Harma! All fixed!
xo
s
ang says
i love how you find things i’ve been looking for [for what seem like forever] the glass boxes- at places like tj maxx, and you’re so adorably nonchalant about it. [ooooh they’re like $7.99 and i’ll use them in the coolest way ever…]*i ad-lib(ed?!) a little there. <3
merry christmas!! house looks GREAT! and as always, lots of excellent take-a-ways. thank you for all your creativity you share with us!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! Now I bet you’ll find them! There were like 8 of them! Fingers crossed!
xo
s
Jessica says
it looks great! i love how you jut have so much fun with decorating! it’s all about family fun and enjoying the holiday. it doesn’t seem like you let any stress or frustration in with bins full of holiday stuff. awesome! i was just wondering, in your christmas tree post you mentioned you donated your old tree.. is there a reason you decided to be a 1 tree household? i just keep thinking a tree would be so pretty in your family room! is there a reason you decided against that?
YoungHouseLove says
We just don’t have room in there for one, so we think we might do a half-height real one on a table – since that’s lots of fun!
xo
s
Yvonne @ Dress This Nest says
I LOVE the Christmas terrariums! Totally stealing this idea! I have always wanted to do the whole Christmas village thing, but they seem to require a lot of space. This is perfect for just a tiny bit of Christmas village in our house. Thanks!
Kristen says
I would love to see a picture with the view of those outdoor star pendants looking out at them from the living room at night! Please, pretty please :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw that would be a fun shot! Will try to grab one tonight, maybe on IG!
xo
s
Natalie J. says
Can you guys do another post like this one? I would love to see what items you want to get Clara this year.
https://www.younghouselove.com/a-few-holiday-kido-gifts-2012-edition/
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, we’re trying to get that together for tomorrow! Wahoo!
xo
s
Laurel says
Looks great! I love the moose. Too cute! The green and neutral looks fabulous in the living room as well!! Maybe some green accents in the future??
YoungHouseLove says
Love that!
xo
s
andrea says
Love it all!!! So festive! Would you mind sharing where you got the brown/black mirror that’s hanging over your fireplace in the family room? I’ve been on the hunt for something similar.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Andrea! That’s from HomeGoods a while back!
xo
s
Alison says
I love your little snow scenes!! I’m going to try a similar thing but inside a big empty pickle jar. I just need to find the fake snow. I love your letter press letters! My Grandpa used to work on a real printing press. He was in charge of placing all the letters. I need to find some to put in my house.
Crystal says
Love the decorations! I made snow globes with my 4 year old and 2 year old this past weekend. We used clear, nice plastic cups and hot glued them onto cardstock after putting in some old village people (I already had them) and the same fake snow. Then we we put a strand of garland or mini-beads around where the cup where it met the cardstock. I love your glass boxes though!
My daughter asked “Where’s the button to make the snow fly?” LOL That was because everytime we go to Home Depot, we play with the musical/moving Christmas decorations (including the snow globes with the buttons that make the snow fly).
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I love that!
xo
s
Beatiz says
I absolutely love how you decorated. My favorite are is the mantle. Looks so calming and festive at the same time. Beautiful!
Doren says
Why the things you guys do is always sooooo amazing?! The holidays decor is just awesome! Love the deer in the hallway and the faux garland on the stairs, so beautiful!
Have a very merry xmas, full of peace and joy!
Greetings from Brazil!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Doren! Merry Christmas to you too!
xo
s
Sarah says
I love your decorating style – and that you don’t take it too seriously. It’s light, fun and colorful – so inviting!
Jennifer R. says
I laughed out loud when you wrote about stockings saying “next year we’ll get five of them (one for each person)” referring to Burger as a person without thinking twice. :)
I do this ALL THE TIME and it always makes me laugh. Our two dogs are people, and they certainly know what a Christmas stocking is! Little tails start wagging as soon as I hang the stockings each year. Precious.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! He’s a man in this house.
xo
s
Renee says
I mixed some of that fake snow with Epsom Salts last year to make it stretch and it was much less messy and stayed put….somewhat….we were still finding flakes of fake snow months later.
YoungHouseLove says
So cute!
xo
s
Geertrude says
It all looks wonderful! I love the mantle, and the stairs. I haven’t even started decorating yet. So busy doing lots of other stuff. But I’m looking forward to start next week. Sort of a reward that keeps me going ;-)
Rachel says
Except for a tree I am not really into Christmas decorations. However, I now really want a Christmas moose. As a UVA grad It reminds me of the taxidermied moose head in that Charlottesville diner (cannot remember the name right now, ask John I’m sure he’ll know) that they decorated for Christmas, Easter, etc.
Sarah R says
I love it! Everything is so cute and still so you guys. When are you going to take your Xmas card photo/ are you going to include the bump in there? :)
Can’t wait to see!
Sarah
YoungHouseLove says
We usually share that around Christmas (to make sure it gets to our relatives and friends before they see it on the blog – haha!).
xo
s
Donna Jean says
I LOVE the moose! You could totally change up his decorations every few days and surprise Clara when she comes down in the morning. Scarves, a Santa hat, gloves on his antlers, pretty much anything you can think of! I bet she’d get a kick out of it.
We are slowly getting things decorated, but we’re going to be out of town for Christmas this year, so as much as I LOVE having my house decorated for Christmas, I’m having a hard time getting it done. We got our tree up, but it’s not decorated yet (except for the one tiny snowflake ornament that apparently got left on it last year). But the kids are loving it even without the decorations (my 18mo points at it and says pretty every time it catches her eye), so that’s not really helping my decoration procrastination!
Jen @ Migonis Home says
Love it all! I love the snow in the boxes!
We decorated casually and with a lot of mercury glass, cut greens and neutral colors…
Here’s our Christmas house tour: http://www.migonishome.com/p/christmas-house-tour_9.html
YoungHouseLove says
LOVE IT! So festive!
xo
s
Rachel Parker says
Ahhh! I love that moose, and I bet Clara is digging it, too :)
Trina @ Let's Just Build a House says
that country living photo DOES look like your home. I love Morris as well. I want a Morris in my house!
Janelle @ Two Cups of Happy says
Those. Boxes. I die over everything mini. Not to be dramatic or anything :) Mini dogs & mini trees are so cute. I really want to find something to do this with! Thanks for the inspiration.
Marissa says
Love the decorations, but I’m actually commenting to say the baked potato WORKED!!! I’m in the midst of non-stop, remedy-resistant morning sickness, and I remembered you mentioned baked potatoes… so I ate one and it made me feel SO MUCH BETTER!!! I don’t know why, but thank you. That tip trumped all home-related tips I’ve picked up from you guys throughout the years.
Baby bellies united!
YoungHouseLove says
I’m SO GLAD!
xo
s
Kierstin says
I’d probably also hang ornaments from his antlers and call him “Morris the Moose Pirate”!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! I tried on his antlers and they stuck out a ways, so we thought it was a little too “pokey” looking for that wall – but maybe if Morris gets hung somewhere else down the line?
xo
s
Geranium Homes says
Really love your posts – We’ve tweeted a few of your ideas. Keep them coming!
lauren says
Wow that foyer inspiration shot looks freakishly similar to your place! Parallel universes or what?!
YoungHouseLove says
Isn’t that funny?! The blue trim put me over the top!
xo
s