simply easy christmas decorating

Welcome to our home! If you are new here from Chris at Just A Girl we are so glad you stopped by. If you are old here, then today I’m joining in a blogger Christmas tour of homes that will last all week. And I won’t pretend like I didn’t wait until the last minute to snap these photos. It was yesterday in the gloom when I had the house in order enough to hide the piles, decide that dog hair doesn’t show up in photos and take a few close ups.

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After six years of writing a decorating blog while in a rental and paying off debt, this is our first Christmas in our new little farmhouse. In August we moved to the country on 12 acres to a little fixer-upper built in 1987.

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fireplace before

Here’s what the fireplace looked like when we closed. I took the mantle down to paint but then, yesterday, as I was standing with 30 feet of heavy garland in my hand I realized I needed another surface for candles and greenery and I was so happy that I was too lazy to remove the two large screws that held up the corbels that supported the mantle back when I painted. I had painted over them and they were as secure as ever. Up went the mantel!

Christmas Mantel

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In the pictures everything looks so calm and simple and cleared off. Which is something I long for.

 

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But the truth is you only see what I show you.

I’m not showing you closeups of all of outlets sans covers, or the extension cord that our range is plugged into or the dolly that it is still sitting on. I’m not showing you the green pool or the telephone poles that run through our yard or the pink toilet in the boys bathroom that I’m guessing isn’t flushed. I’ve only hung three things on the wall because we knocked down walls and there will still be hammering and drywall dust this very week. So we are living lightly in this house right now.

So I’m mainly showing the parts that feel done and peaceful and put together.

Because when things aren’t perfect, which is always, you have to choose what you are going to focus on.

Actually, you GET to choose what you are going to focus on.

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look closely, see the spots on the wall that aren’t gold? those are drywall repairs from doing work on the wall directly behind, fresh paint coming soon, hopefully! For now the gold dots say ‘look at me!’

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kitchen

When I turn around from snapping a photo of the Christmas tree, I see this. And that is normal. And that is okay. And isn’t that exactly how life is?

Christmas will still come. Ready or not.

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I learned years ago that when decorating for Christmas starts to feel like a burden that’s a red flag.

A red flag that I’m grateful for because why in the world do I keep doing something that usually ushers in joy if it’s causing me a bunch of stress?

So I simplified my Christmas decorating.

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The year I simplified and snapped photos for the blog, Better Homes & Gardens contacted us and our home with the simplest, humblest, most inexpensive Christmas decor is featured in this years Christmas Ideas Issue. 

I knew it all along but that feature became proof to me that even on a limited budget, even in a rental house, even without decking the halls to the point of exhaustion, you can still create beauty wherever you are. Because every imperfect home has a silver lining.

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Decorating is like placing arrows around. “Look here. And now here.” And anything you don’t want to see you either don’t put an arrow pointing to it, or you simply put an arrow in front of it. And anything you want to accentuate, you make sure it has a big arrow.

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Thank you so much for stopping by our imperfect, average home. Be sure to click over to the next tour, Cassie from Hi Sugarplum, here’s a picture from her beautiful home…

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And Jen from Tatertots & Jello…

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Thanks so much to Chris for hosting the Tour, be sure to stop by her house too…

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And you are invited to join us for the 5th annual Christmas Tour of Homes for anyone to link up to here at the blog next Monday and on instagram using the ridiculously long hashtag #idhtbptbbchristmas
(it doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful Christmas)
tour of homes

Sources:

{If I get questions in the comments I’ll add to the sources list}
Herringbone Cowhide & Other Rugs
Leather Chairs
Weary World Canvas
Grandfather Clock
Gold Dots
Star
Baby it’s Cold Outside Pillow
Tassels
Pom Wreath & Garland
Antlers & Painting the Fireplace
Furry Throw: HomeGoods
Need more Christmas inspiration?
Lindsay from White Buffalo Styling Co. started her Christmas tour today too!
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related posts:
Chirstmas Giftwrap from our Better Homes & Gardens photo shoot
Last year’s rental house decorated for Christmas & featured in Better Homes & Gardens