Y’all are so sweet to make me feel like I didn’t look like a big, green Christmas tree in yesterday’s post. I’m sure from some angles, I do, but that’s okay, I’m just beyond thrilled to be having a baby. This one is super feisty in there- kicking and moving nonstop! But I like it because it lets me know she’s doing well.
And it’s perfect timing to talk Christmas trees since I’m showing you our sparkly tree from this year today! When we built our home, I didn’t initially realize what a perfect spot this under-the-staircase would be for a tree, but it really does an amazing job of showing her off from all around! Just don’t look too closely at the back, it’s not fully decorated back there!
My handy helper was all too eager to help hang the ornaments at the beginning, but I think we both lost steam when it came time to fully decorate the backside. He left me high and dry to finish the decorations by myself while he played video games with Dad! #thanksguys!
We used all ornaments we’ve already had on hand in metallics like gold, silver, and bronze, then some glittery white and green ornaments also. Stars, snowflakes and pinecones are also nestled in there.
James has a mini tree in his room with colorful lights and lots of handmade and sentimental ornaments on it. It’s ornament-heavy though, I keep thinking it might tip over! I just melt when I look back at pics of him hanging ornaments for the very first time. Many of you have been with me since he was even younger (#thankyou!) and can remember these days too! #babychub
The furry stockings and hidden furry tree skirt are new this year from HomeGoods. And of course, we had to add a fourth for our growing family! I’m planning to add personalized name tags and bows, but haven’t gotten that far yet!
Gifts are wrapped in a combo of gift wrap from World Market, Hobby Lobby, and brown craft paper. You can see more of our giftwrap here, including how to make yarn pom poms.
Brown craft paper can be embellished in countless creative ways, and here I used one of our big, glittery snowflakes from last year’s snowy dining room and then metallic ribbon and a gift tag from Target. I’m crazy for the Sugar Paper brand and all their goodies.
Fun things other than gifts can go under your tree too, like this little wooden sled I found last year at HomeGoods. It was already adorned with the words ‘let it snow’ and the pinecone and berries, so all I did was prop it up against the presents to show off the message.
The wall art was switched out in honor of the season. The (8×10) gold foil “Meet Me Under the Mistletoe” print is a custom creation by my friend Lindsay at Always Lou Designs. She has wonderful home goods and party decor in her shop and she’s GIVING AWAY a $20 credit towards anything she sells. You can enter to win by 1) following both of us on Instagram (@honeywerehome & @always_lou_designs) and then, 2) commenting on this Instagram post so I know you entered and the winner will be announced on Thursday!
Always Lou Designs is also having a holiday sale, so this exact print is currently under $10! I hung mine in a Target pre-matted frame.
Here’s another picture so you can see the type better. Pretty!
Isn’t that print fun?! I’ve had the large bells for years (also in red), and they make great holiday decorations.
Y’all heard me complaining how hard it was to hang the garland this year, but I’m so glad I stuck with it (and called in my husband for reinforcements). There’s gotta be a better way to do this next year. I use two kinds of garland and double it up (9-foot strands from WalMart and long bushy strands from Hobby Lobby), then attached the lights because our garland isn’t pre-lit.
In year’s past, I’ve used green wire coil to affix the garland to the stairs, but I couldn’t find it in our Christmas bins this year (until after I needed it, of course), but I found a long coil of velcro at Target that I used this year and it worked really well. I had to get my husband to hold the garland while I wrapped the velcro around. I’m not sure how I’ve done this myself in all the previous years, but I think being pregnant made it a more challenging task this year.
I still have lots more Christmas decorations to spread around the house, so I better get to it! I hope to show you more this week! For now, sitting in the living room at night with the tree and stairs all lit up and candles burning nearby is such a nice, relaxing feeling.
See our past Christmas Trees here:
and all of my HOLIDAY posts here.
*As a side note, my text keeps centering instead of justifying in blogger and it’s driving me crazy! Anyone know how to fix it? I do click the justify icon on my posts when I’m drafting, but it keeps reverting to center text. Grrr!! #bloggerproblems
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Meet Megan
Hi! I’m Megan, mom to a thoughtful teenager and spunky young girl. We call Houston home and recently moved into our dream home. I traded my lawyer hat to become a full-time blogger in 2010. I love sharing my passion for affordable fashion, home decor, organization, & fitness to help inspire you to take care of you!
So beautiful! You are right, that spot is the perfect place to put your try since you can see it on all sides! I think your garland just makes the whole Christmas scene come together!
Thank you Heather! Now I just need to get started on the rest of the house!
I have that same text problem in blogger sometimes! You can try copying your post and pasting it into a new post – sometimes that will "fix" it and you can justify no problem. If not, click on your HTML tag and wherever it says "center", change it to "left". That can be kind of time consuming but will always work!
Love your tree!
Thank you so much! I'm going to try that, it's been driving me crazy!
We found these this year and they are amazing! They come in a few different colors, and made putting up the garland so quick! You can even order them and pick them up at the store, or order from Amazon.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_439095-19578-DT1606D___?productId=50264323&pl=1&Ntt=garland+ties
Thank you, thank you! Anything to make the decor easier!
Looks amazing! And how wonderful it is that you now have a 4th stocking to hang! How very exciting!!!!!
Can you believe it?! Going from a family of 3 to 4 feels really good!
Love your pretty tree with all the pretty packages and the pics of your son helping with the decorating are priceless.
It's fun to see the progression over the years with the kiddos!
Your tree looks beautiful!
xo, Liz
http://lipstickandconfetti.com
Thank you!
I have not used my garland the past few years because it was too much of a pain. I'm going to check out the garland ties that Jenelle linked. Thanks Jenelle!
Your tree is beautiful Megan and in the perfect spot.
See! I'm not alone! Hanging garment can be a bear. Definitely going to try out that suggestion.
Beautiful decorations. I already set the tree up, but yet to put the decorations on the bottom of the tree. 🙂
We're in the same boat with the back of my tree being naked too!
I love the grand staircase and tall tree! You decorated it perfectly.
amandakatherine.com
Thank you! I love this time of year!
So so beautiful, friend!!
I love yours too! I pinned it on Pinterest!
Ah…memories! It was around this time last year when you shared your "Let it snow!" Christmas tree that I started following you devoutly! Your decorating is inspirational! I'm a theme decorating kinda girl too and ran with some of last holiday's ideas and this year's post has inspired a few new ones for this year! (Bells!) 🙂 Thank you for sharing bits of you life with us. Happy Christmas to you and your family from me in Seattle.
Love the fur stockings on your staircase! Neutral but fun at the same time! I will be taking some gift wrapping ideas from this post as well 🙂
I am new to your blog and am already hooked!
Your home and tree are beautiful. Looks like something in a magazine or on a television show.