HAPPY DECEMBER, FRIENDS! I’ve been in the holiday spirit since November 1st, but now it’s finally socially acceptable! Full disclosure: I actually started decorating for Christmas in mid-November. I’m normally not one to decorate before Thanksgiving, but this has been a hell of a year and I decided I could use a few extra weeks of Christmas cheer to boost my spirits.
This is our first Christmas in our new home so Darian and I have both been insanely excited to decorate! Our decor may or may not include three trees and I’m honestly not even sorry about it. I’ve been planning out our decor since early fall and after looking at lots of inspiration photos, I decided to go for a neutral look with lots of greenery and hints of copper and brass. We still have a few finishing touches left to complete, but I already love how festive and cozy our home feels.
After waiting until December to shop for decor last year only to learn that almost everything I wanted was sold out, I started shopping pretty early this year. Since it took me a while to round up some affordable pieces, I thought I’d share what I bought for our home here. Keep reading to see the holiday decor that’s bringing some extra cheer to our home this year!
1. Noble Fir Wreath – Ultimately I’d love to have a house full of high quality faux cedar wreaths around the holidays, but since that’s not in the cards budget-wise this year, these wreaths are a great placeholder. They’re pretty much what you’d expect for $5.99, but I easily upgraded them with some satin ribbon and brass mini bells!
2. Gold Taper Candle Holders – I picked up some brass candlesticks from the thrift store a couple of months ago and I love what they add to my holiday decor! Candles are essential for coziness and these candlesticks paired with some cream taper candles and fresh garland make our dining room feel extra festive. Obviously I can’t share a link to those, but I’ve seen these ones in store and they’re a great alternative.
3. Faux Cedar Stem – I spotted these stems at Target in late October and I’m so glad I decided to buy them because they were sold out by November. I still can’t believe that they were only $5.99 because the quality is seriously amazing. The branches look so realistic and the greenery has a nice weight and texture. I can’t recommend these enough!
4. Natural Seagrass Tree Collar – I fell in love with this tree collar last year but by the time I was ready to pull the trigger on the purchase it was sold out. Lesson learned – buy your Christmas decor before Thanksgiving or you’ll be left staring at empty shelves! This year I was determined not to make the mistake so I picked 2 of them up the first time they went on sale. I couldn’t be happier with them – they hide the tree stand of our real tree and the legs of our fake tree and make both trees look a hundred times more put together. I searched high and low and this was the best price I could find for a woven tree collar, so if you’ve been on the hunt for one, this is a great choice!
5. Faux Mini Tree – I am completely obsessed with this mini tree. To be fair, I’m pretty much obsessed with all mini trees because I think they’re the cutest things ever. But this one is my favorite. It’s the perfect size and color and it instantly makes any area feel more festive. I put mine on the kitchen counter, but I wish I had bought more to style on the built-ins! All of the Hearth & Hand mini trees from Target are great quality, so I definitely recommend picking some up if you see them in your store!
6. Miniature Brass Bells – Since my holiday decor design for this year leaned pretty neutral, I opted to bring in some brass elements to warm it up. Several design accounts I follow recommended these little bells so I decided to give them a shot. They’re pretty tiny – maybe an inch or two tall – so I tied a few onto each of our wreaths to add a little something extra. They’re a great way to add some warmth and charm to your holiday decor!
7. Copper Satin Ribbon – When I was browsing Pinterest and Instagram for holiday decor inspiration this fall, The Identite Collective’s Holiday Home Tour from last year stopped me in my tracks. Her use of rich chocolate ribbon with her decor inspired me to branch out of my usual Christmas colors and try this pretty copper ribbon. I love the warmth it brings to the space and it compliments all the greenery in our home so nicely! I tied this ribbon to all of the garlands and wreaths in the house and it made them feel a lot more special.
8. Champagne Glitter Ornaments – Since this is our first year having multiple trees (we really love Christmas, ok?), we needed to stock up on ornaments. Our living room tree has a mixture of champagne, copper, and gold ornaments for a neutral metallic look. This pack of champagne glitter ornaments was the basis of my design for the tree and I love how it turned out! If you have an At Home store near you, I highly recommend checking it out – they have tons of Christmas decor and a great ornament selection.
9. Holiday Living Artificial Christmas Tree – For the record, I am fully team real tree. But since we have multiple trees this year, we decided to get a real one for the living room and a nice faux one for the basement. I’m extremely picky about faux trees and I can confidently say that this tree is the best one you’ll find at this price point. It has a mix of three different types of branches that gives it a more realistic texture and it’s nice and full once you fluff it.
10. White Pepperberry and Pine Garland – I’ve been in the process of slowly upgrading the garland in our home and this stunning garland was the first step. The website pictures of it really don’t even come close to doing it justice. It’s incredibly realistic and I love the way the branches hang over the mantle – it has a very natural look to it. I used two on our mantle for a fuller look and I’m planning to upgrade our stair railing garlands to this one at some point because it’s the highest quality one I’ve found that doesn’t cost a fortune!
11. Ceramic House Decorative Figurines – There’s something so charming about these little ceramic houses that makes them an essential part of my holiday decor. I have two of these little guys on one of our guest room nightstands but they’d look cute on built-ins or a console table too! They’re great for breaking up the greenery and metallics and they just feel like Christmas to me.
12. Christmas Sisal Trees – I’ve realized this year that I basically just like to decorate for Christmas with a million different types of Christmas trees. I try to bring in a little variety by switching up the shapes, textures, and materials. These trees are like a more interesting version of a bottle brush tree – I bought one of each size and they’re the perfect addition to our built-ins.
