Good morning friends and welcome to a Less Is More Holiday Home Tour Part 2 hosted by Amber at Follow The Yellow Brick Home. If you’ve popped in from Postcards From The Ridge, welcome! I’m glad you’re here.
Do you put as much effort into Christmas decorating in your non-entertaining rooms as you do the rest of your home? What about the kitchen? I’m not sure anyone can have enough workable counter space during the holidays, so for me, the pretty stuff is minimal. But minimal doesn’t mean non-existent.
Left side of kitchen counters
As a matter of fact, a couple of days ago, our son moved the holiday decor on the kitchen island to have more room for the buffet style service. I’ll admit, the decor took up a third of the space. I get it. He was all about the BBQ, I was all about how nice the dessert plates looked with large bottle brush trees sitting behind them.
The kitchen island
I love to see homes that have created a holiday vibe in each space. I would do the laundry room if I didn’t feel it was too much to pack up when the season was over. Especially when every dang year I miss something that should have been packed.
Breakfast area
I give it a good eye-rolling and a “dang it” when it’s found. Sometimes it gets donated. Sometimes it stays in a cabinet until the next Christmas rolls around. Does that happen to you?
Each year I make several rounds before putting the last Christmas bin away in the attic. But life never fails me. Something is always left out. Last year (and this is not a lie) I left a full Christmas tree in our bedroom. How in the world do you miss an entire tree?! It’s not like the bedroom is huge. It only has 4 corners so it wasn’t hidden.
I asked the Mister 2 or 3 times to check the attic for the storage bag. He said it wasn’t up there. I intended to do it myself then weeks turned into months and the time came when we only had a couple of months left before it was time to get it back out. So the obvious answer was to keep it there.
Entry – view from behind the front door
When I went up to the attic to drag out the bins for this year, lo and behold, there was the box with a photo of the tree sitting right in front. After I (nicely but with a little irritation) expressed – oh my word, the box is right here, all the Mister said was – you said to look for a bag. Can you imagine the eyes rolling back in my head? Now his name is Mr. Literal.
Hutch in entry dressed for Christmas
That’s what started the entire less is more decorating season this year. I had looked at that tree in our bedroom for an entire year. Through 4 seasons. From changing our lightweight summer bedding and back again to the velvet bedding for winter. I was over it.
That’s why I don’t have a tree in the entry. We always put a tree by the stairs but all I could muster was a couple of wreaths for the frames on the wall and a few stems for the hutch. I can say this much, the tree in our bedroom will be the first thing I pack away this year.
But even with a less is more holiday home tour part 2 attitude, I still love it. The green, black, taupe and white color scheme is soothing and our Christmas home is ready to celebrate the birth of our Savior. That IS the most important part anyway. Cue Silent Night, O’ Holy Night or one of my faves, Mary Did You Know.
Entry with a view of the dining room from the front door
I hope you are enjoying the decorating process. Once it’s done, it looks magical. If you’d like to see the rest of our home, click here. It has a woodsy, peaceful vibe.
Next up is Shelley from Calypso in the Country. You’ll enjoy the navy, green and red accents in her Christmas tour. And don’t forget to come back and see everyone else’s tour. Ton’s of different styles and inspiration.
Merry Christmas Friends!
Cindy, I love your “less is more” attitude and I’ve done the same this year. And I chuckled when you mentioned that your husband missed the box because you told him to look for a bag. That would totally happen here too, lol. Everything looks lovely! Have a wonderful Christmas!
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You know the saying… I’d be rich if I had a dime for… Sounds like we’d both be rich! 😉 Thank you so much Angie. Merry Christmas
Cindy, I love your less is more approach to decorating! You’ve made your home beautiful for Christmas by being intentional with what you bring out. We all know what it’s like to lug those bins back and forth. So nice to keep it simple…and easy to put away! Thanks for the lovely tour and have a Merry Christmas!
Shelley
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Thank you Shelley. I bet I start a trend for myself in all the seasonal decorating. Less is more even for winter, spring, summer and fall. Hip hip!
Cindy, I am chuckling this morning as I am also married to Mr. LITERAL. I do indeed have to SPELL IT OUT for him each and every time. But still, I know we wouldn’t trade our fabulous fellas for the world.
I’ve learned to put my Christmas decor on trays so that my hubby and kids can easily move my vignettes. You’ll see exhibits A & B in my post today. 🙂
Have a magical holiday season!
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Trays is a great idea Laura! When Will moved the island decor, it was on a tray. Now that I think about it, I wonder if he would have done so if it weren’t on a tray. Hmmm. Hope your Christmas is a happy one. And you are correct, I wouldn’t trade my Mr. Literal for anything.
Funny story about the bedroom tree, Cindy! 😂 I used to do a Valentine’s tree but got tired of having a tree out so long. Because… I’d never get around to putting it away. I’m glad you have something pretty in the kitchen. I have a red transferware bowl with a sleigh scene in it.
Enjoy!
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I saw that transferware bowl with a sleigh! I loved it! I used to want a seasonal tree out. Then decided it was just to much work. Not sure how Debbie at Debbie Dabbles can do it! Thank you Barbara
I love your less is more approach. Really all it takes is some greenery, ribbon, and some cute trees to make it look magical. Jesus is the reason for this season anyway and that’s the most important part. Your home looks beautiful dressed for Christmas. Your husband was doing you a favor cause you didn’t have to straighten all those branches on that tree. Haha!
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That’s definitely one way (a positive way) to look at it. LOL! I’ll pass that along to him. Thank you Marlene. Merry Christmas!
Yes!! Every year in about February, or even March I find some random Christmas decoration; so frustrating! And you’d think I could just throw it away, but no…I need to put it in a really good place so that when I pull the Christmas stuff out again, it gets with it’s friends:( Glad it’s not just me! Love how you styled your white cabinet in the entry; who needs a tree when you’ve got that beauty there? Love your soothing decor this year; you won’t be in a rush to take it down…enjoy it through January!
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I’m glad I’m not the only one that finds a Christmas item 3 months later! LOL! And yes, I think we will enjoy our less is more decor for most of January too. Thanks bunches Lora. Happy Christmas!
Cindy I am with you on the less is more, and your house looks perfectly Christmasey as it is with the neutrals you chose this year. When our son comes home in two weeks the kitchen will pretty much taken over, so I only decorated the island with that small dough bowl that can be moved when he cooks and kept most of my kitchen decorating on the corners of the counter top.
You always crack me up with your stories! I also was tripping over last year’s Christmas stragglers corralled at the bottom of the attic stairs that never got put away as I was going up to the attic to get more Christmas decorations this year! I am over it too! I know it seems like a lot of stuff in my pictures but it’s sooo much less than I used to do, and mostly it’s my everyday decor dressed up with ribbons and greenery and a few treasured Christmas collectibles and it’s so much easier this way! I am already dreading put away what I do have out!
I love that shot from the foyer into the dining room, and green wall color in the breakfast area is so beautiful year round but especially at Christmas. I love the simple greenery centerpiece and those little reindeer which would easily transition into winter. So pretty!
Thanks for joining the tour and have a very Merry Christmas!
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When I take everything down sometime in late January, I am determined to give myself 2 days to find ALL of the stragglers and make myself put them in their proper place. I am also hoping to get up in the attic to organize and consolidate the half full bins. I found empty bins taking up precious space in the attic! I remember giving a lot away last year so at least I’m not crazy. Wanting to do the same this year. There’s no need to keep half of what I have stacked up there. The task seems daunting but doable. Just need to pace myself.
How fun to have your son home AND have him take over the kitchen! Sounds perfect to me! I’m super jealous! Hope your Christmas is fantastic and hopefully not full of house work?!
This is great, Cindy. Not only do I love your pared down decor, but also the stories behind all the prep and put away. I’m still looking for a nativity that I left out kast year until the Epiphany (some kind of Catholic guilt had me do that for the first time since leaving home), and now it’s nowhere to be found. Apparently when it was put away, it wasn’t with everything else. “He was all about the BBQ, I was all about how nice the dessert plates looked….”🤣 It all looks super nice and inviting. Have a great holiday season.
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Oh gosh, been there done that! If you’re like me, you’ll find it again around Easter. Or you could be like me also and just leave it out if it happens again this year. LOL! Thank you Rita for the encouraging comment. I think I’m going to keep up the less is more decor throughout this next year/seasons. Well, my fingers (and toes) are crossed that I do. Happiest of holidays to you too friend!
I love your “less is more” thinking, but with me I start thinking about what isn’t around and I get nostalgic and miss my old friends… then more comes out. THEN, it’s the end of December and I’m wanting a clean slate. LOVE all the greenery and white houses. Beautiful, Cindy!!
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LOL! I never do that. However, I bet I get the clean slate itch about the same time you do. Merry Christmas Debra.