Family Life

A Family Christmas

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.

~Norman Vincent Peale~

We hope you’re enjoying your holiday preparations, waving your “magic wand” throughout your home, creating a perfect family Christmas. Especially at the holidays, your home should reflect the lifestyle and unique personality of your family. In our home, we favor casual decorations with rustic touches so our children and relatives feel comfortable.

We weave Christmas decorations throughout the rooms, including here, in the entry. As we return home each day, we like to be greeted with cheerful reminders of the season.

Low winter sunlight pouring through the French door catches red and gold ornaments, making them glitter.

Each room gets its own Christmas tree. We purchased a narrow, space-saving tree that fits perfectly into the corner of our dining room. We keep the tree ornaments fairly simple, because there is a lot happening in this room.

Even the chandelier gets decorated with amusing ornaments depicting the Twelve Days of Christmas.

If you have a chandelier, add ornaments or garland for a festive touch. Unique ornaments become conversation starters during family dinners.

The ornaments also help us remember if “Geese a-laying” come before or after “Maids a-milking” in the song. We can never keep it straight!

The mantle takes pride of place in the great room at Christmas. Here, a handmade stocking holder perfectly matches our casual, family-oriented decor. As our family has grown, we’ve added hangers for childrens’ and pets’ stockings. A simple garland of mixed greens and pinecones tops the mantle.

A plaid-wrapped package hangs on our tree, which is decorated with ribbons and red berries.

Since we live in a semi-rural area, surrounded by iconic New England farms, we’re drawn towards the simplicity of a rustic country Christmas. And, with a surprise win, this year we’ve added touches of “Christmas in the Barn” to our home.

Yes, those are glittery barn doors behind the tree, and they are lit with galvanized metal lights. The same light is used as a tree topper, which we think is delightfully creative.

Donated by Mann Orchards, we were lucky enough to win this spectacular tree, including the barn doors, in a raffle at The Festival of Trees. Voted Best of the Festival, it fits perfectly with our red and burlap country casual theme, and is an incredible joy to win!