Decking the halls in our 1869 Chicago apartment

The world hustles and bustles in the season of all things “snowy, cinnamon and gift buying” and while there is often no way to turn a blind eye to the rush and busyness , In recent years I have turned inward for more of a season focused on quiet joys and small delights. I have been in retail for most of my adult life and I do miss it as I love he hustle and bustle of gift giving season but the older I get the more I realize I never fully embraced and enjoyed the season for its quiet. ” Quiet” you say? what quiet? Ha, the mystery that eludes us all but it right there before us. Today, I am sharing just a little glimpse into a world I created for myself and my family out of the need to just rest in the simplicity of the season- creating space in mind and in practice and finding joy in telling stories about each treasured ornament, swapping pandora for a record player playing Nat King Cole, fresh garland in the kitchen, reading in candlelight. Although I am a stylist of sorts, I don’t want anyone reading this to think this home is too perfect or precious, it’s made for beauty but also for living. Truth be told, I haven’t bought anything new for decorations in about 6 years, I tend to use what I have or purchased inexpensive pieces to add to a collection over time. All the Christmas decor I own fits in a steamer trunk so I find it fun to lean on nature and even eBay and marketplace to find unique additions to my collections such as ornaments, bottle brush trees, fun Christmas dishes. I love investing in year around items such as vases, pots, candle sticks, battery taper candles and even pillows that can translate seamlessly into each season without having to buy more. If you you want beauty but don’t have the budget, I dare you do dig in your closet or go outside and trim up that berry bush. Start with what you have and build over time only with things you love.

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For me, a working fireplace is a dream but not possible in most places. I was lucky enough to have a real fireplace in my apartment but sadly it is not a working one so the next best thing? A fake wood log set. I will admit though, this particular set was cheap and looked authentic for the price but made no sound or extend heat. It simply has a brush on a wheel that turns around on the underside with a low warm light, the sound of the brush hitting the plastic underside makes a low crackling sound. Michael thought it was the dumbest purchase I ever made but it gave off cozy fireplace vibes at the end of the day. If you do not have a working fireplace, I also find lighting pillar candles does the trick as it provides a warm glow and ambiance along with adding battery operated taper candles on the mantle (can you even tell these are battery operated? You can find the resources below.

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Most of my decor items are antique but I have scoured the web to find similar looks below for select items.

Nearly natural Olive tree | Olive oil Jar Planters similar | faux log set -similar | battery taper candles

Come on a little video tour with me!

The Gifts That Keep On Giving

Like many of you, we collect ornaments from travels, experiences, some are gifted and passed down. Each year Giulian picks out an ornament that represents him for that year, my favorite among these is the bright yellow bulldozer. Every few years I purchase a special collection of vintage handmade ornaments and by far my favorite are the vintage mercury glass fruit ornaments. I have been wrapping our Christmas gifts in the same handmade paper for 6 years now, no joke. Years ago I bought a number of sheets of cotton hand dyed paper along with Florentine paper and they can be wrapped and rewrapped numerous times. I often mix in inexpensive paper here and there for larger gifts. We don’t Spend a lot of money on wrapping these days since we reuse so much but another way to add personality to your gifts is by simply adding handmade tags, little bottle brush trees, tiny bells, and we even went wild with using fresh thyme from our window garden fashioned into wreaths. The favorite tags that the gift receivers usually love the most are small square photo prints of Giulian. Artifact Uprising is my go to source for these in the 3.25 size. Below, I have sourced my favorite paper for Christmas along with silk ribbon. The ribbon shown in my photos were made and dyed by me for photoshoots of years gone by so I reuse it every year but you can find similar options below which I have also used on many occasions.

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Simple Inexpensive Village

The small investment with the biggest payoff in my Christmas decor would have to go to the paper Christmas village I bought 6 years ago. Do you remember having a village as a kid? It was always my favorite thing to set up as a kid and my mom always let me do the honors. I purchased this village as a flat pack on Amazon and little did I know it was many hours of gluing every little piece together, good grief! But the work paid off as this became Giulian’s village where we slowly added more and more winter trees to surround it. Add little battery operated candles and you have magic.

Sources

Louis mirror | bottle brush trees and Here | white paper village -similar and this one is porcelain

Using Garland

The most cost effective way to add cheer in my humble opinion is live cedar garland. I have nothing against the faux stuff at all as there are too many great brands but I like the smell of fresh and to cut costs I also use the long strands to create Christmas wreaths of all sizes. You can use a metal ring for shape and support but for the sake of time I simply wind it around and tie sections with green wire to keep it together. A little goes a LONG WAY. I get my favorite cedar garland from Home Depot every year.

For the kiddos, our simple little tradition is to read a different Christmas book each day leading up to Christmas as a type of advent. I have a little advent calendar that hangs over the door with little pockets and each pocket has a rolled piece of paper listing the book title we would read that day. Its simple, no stress and makes something ordinary special.

Sometimes Christmas Magic happens when we turn inward to the things that make the season joyful and peaceful, not necessarily for the world but for us and our families. All it takes is peeling back the layers to finding simple beauty within the corners, closets and outside your front door. There is much to seek in the simple times of yesteryear. Magic is created not only dreamed.

I hope this inspires you to create little spaces of joy in your home using some basics that stretch and go a long way. Happy Holidays!