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Welcome, friends! It’s Christmas decor day for 2019! If I could keep any decor year-round, it would be Christmas decor. I don’t get excited for summer candles or even spring hues nearly as much as I love a tree filled with ornaments. Something about the twinkle lights and sparkle feels like childhood and it’s exciting to see my own daughter mesmerized by the pieces in our home. She will stand at the tree each day naming the ornaments and looking up in awe. I remember vividly my mom getting out all the boxes and anticipating the same decor coming out of the attic year after year. It felt like pure magic watching my mom transform the home.

I saw something on Facebook yesterday saying how we couldn’t remember what we got for Christmas at 3, 5, 7, or 9. But we could remember the breakfast our moms made, the way she decorated the tree, and the silly games your dad had your siblings play. Is that not so true?! I always remember being so grateful for my parents working hard to give my sister and I gifts, but my goodness, do I remember the magical moments and what they DID with us to make Christmas feel special. I know this time of year can feel so pushy with gift guides and sale posts and I just want to remind you, those are meant to be a helping point IF you are in the market for a vacuum or pair of boots, they are never meant to tell you that you need those things. Okay, sappy Hallmark-esque Christmas rant over.

Each year, I typically stick with a theme based around the ribbon on the tree. This year I had way too much morning sickness to think about ribboning a tree- I know, I know. It feels SINFUL to not do such when you love ribbon on a tree! We also lost half of our ornaments. All of Maxi’s items were found {THANK GOODNESS! Those are what I cherished most.}, along with our stockings, and decor. But RIP to my blue and white ginger jar ornaments {my favorites!} and a few other pieces. I told Paul we need to do a deep dive in my parents’ storage unit one weekend because I firmly believe the box will be there along with my ONE missing leopard pillow and makeup bags I can’t find from our move in April. But because I couldn’t find those ornaments and I didn’t want to go the ribbon route, I just made everything colorful and cheerful for Maxi. She helped me pick out the tree picks and many of the pieces, so instead of a theme I look around the room and think, “This is us!” It feels whimsical and what Christmas felt like to me as a child.

Two of my favorite ways to dress up a space if you don’t have a ton of room or don’t want to spend a ton on seasonal decor? Get tree picks and non-break ornaments! I got the peppermint swirl picks and the pink ones from Pier 1 on major sale. But At Home or Hobby Lobby is a great resource for finding them at an affordable price, as well. Then I got these ornaments from Amazon and I have filled them in bowls and any place that would normally have seasonal floral. In my IGTV video I mentioned these being around $6.99 {it was somewhere around that, maybe $9.99} and that either was a Prime Deal or the box of 30, which is no longer sold. But the 40 is a great deal, still, as you are getting a TON of ornaments to disperse around your home. If you typically keep orchids or arrangements out, add in the tree picks during the holiday season for a festive touch. It’s also a nice way to incorporate the colors from your ornaments throughout your home.

Maxi’s toy storage is covered with this gorgeous MacKenzie-Childs garland and then my Christmas Card trees! I got them at Hale House {they are sold out 🙁 } and you can put your cards in them and it’s a beautiful way to show off what we treasure most: our family and friends.

The trees on my mantle are from Pier 1 and then I added more of the ornaments in my MacKenzie-Childs Santa Sleigh I purchased at Neiman Marcus. Maxi plays with the sleigh EVERY single day so I’m very thankful for the ornaments not breaking. 😉 She puts her Barbies in it to go visit the North Pole. ha!

In Maxi’s room, most of her ornaments are from At Home or Target last year. I added these glittery-pink presents from At Home under the tree.

To see more of the decor, head to my IG today where I will post an IGTV video showing a little tour of everything.

• See last year’s decor here
• See the prior year here

Shop some affordable finds here:

So while we may be missing a few of my favorite ornaments, it was such a fun process to start new decor traditions with my daughter in this home. We started Elf on the Shelf Sunday and she named him, “Coco” which funny enough was my first dog’s name. However, she does NOT like when Coco gets into mischief with her Barbies. I thought she’d get a kick out of it but she was a bit concerned. haha. Anyways, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and enjoy the process of making your home feel like magic.