Casual Christmas: A Different Kind of Year

Merry Christmas Eve!

It might surprise you to learn that as much as I enjoy planning for special occasions, it takes me a few tries to get my Christmas game on. I very much enjoy having festive Christmas decorations around my home, but it’s the process of unpacking them and arranging them that I just don’t always love. This year took me even longer than usual to get in the groove. But then the girls and I went on our Biltmore trip and that’s where I found my holiday spark and plenty of inspiration!

I’m pretty sentimental when it comes to holidays and almost always stick with a very Christmasy red and green color scheme and all our traditional decorations. And we love it! However, this year I wanted less fuss and a more casual Christmas feel, not only in regards to decor, but in every aspect of Christmas. It was time to simplify.

Not wanting to disappoint my kids and omit a tradition that is meaningful to them, but not wanting to put unnecessary stress on myself, I asked each of them to name something they would be sad about not having this year (I did the same with our baking list.). My oldest daughter really wanted to send out a family photo Christmas card this year and volunteered to take on that responsibility. My younger daughter wanted to keep our staircase garland and outdoor lights, and made herself available to help Mom and Dad with getting those out. My son wanted to keep some of our traditional holiday activities such as watching Christmas movies and going light-looking.

As I mentioned more than once in my last post, I tucked away ideas as we toured each decorated room at Biltmore, including vintage toys, oranges, mantel garlands, and accents of blue. Because a Victorian style would be a little too formal to suit my home, I incorporated an understated version of the Biltmore elements into the casual, wintry, woodsy vibes my family and I enjoy so much, along with my small collection of blue and white everyday pieces.

Each year Joel brings home magnolia branches from our woods for me to use as greenery. I was hoping to recreate a scaled down version of the cascading, asymmetrical mantel decorations I saw at Biltmore with a sweeping garland of our magnolias and Christmas tree clippings. Well, this year’s Christmas tree could spare not one twig, and when Joel went to the woods for the magnolia branches, he realized the tree is actually on the edge of the property of a newly built home and therefore not ours. So, I resorted to my old artificial garlands, which aren’t the easiest to achieve a “cascade” with, haha! I added blue and cream ribbon and lots of pinecones for a natural woodsy feel.

The vintage toy idea from Biltmore gave me the perfect opportunity to pay tribute to Joel’s father, who passed away in February, by displaying several of the wooden toys he’d crafted for our children. The wagon was a gift he made for our daughter’s dolls, and the little car was one he made for our son. The little teddy bear was an adoption gift given to our son by a very special lady.

The wooden train was also made by my father-in-law. He gave our son the first few pieces for his adoption and then added a car here and there for special occasions. I thought of arranging this around the base of the Christmas tree, but there’s a chair near that would have made it hard to see it.

I also added one of his handmade boxes and an ornament he made for me one Christmas. These are just a few of the many treasure he made for us over the years. Having these pieces displayed for Christmas this year has been a really good thing for our family.

The kids get a new ornament each year, and Joel and I get one on a year we go on a trip. I added some hanging pinecones for a natural look. My daughter and I are still in the process of making our wood slice ornaments and dried orange slices. It’s been hard to find time for crafting this year. If they’re finished today they’ll go on the tree. If not, it’s okay because I really intended for them to be more of a general winter craft than just a Christmas-only craft. We’ll enjoy them all through January.

I found this deer pillow at Lowe’s last year, and loved it because we have a lot of deer around our house.

I’m enjoying the simplicity of just greenery and pinecones in the staircase garland.

More blue and cream ribbon for the banister and another little nod to Biltmore: an acorn! The acorn is a part of the Vanderbilt family crest. It represents their growth from humble beginnings (acorn) to prosperity (oak tree).

I use this desk a lot (sitting here now), so I keep the décor to a minimum. I spy a kitty! See her?

And speaking of my kitty, I found the sweetest little blue and white ceramic cat ornament in a Biltmore gift shop. When I returned the following day to purchase it, they were sold out. I came home and found them on Amazon in a set of two. I have one on my desk and one on my tree. They go so well with all my blue and white accessories and just make me smile.

Because we play games and work Christmas puzzles on our coffee table, I keep everything in this large basket for easy removal. Just a little more greenery and pinecones to go with some of our favorite Christmas books. Keeping these in the den makes it convenient for us to pick up and read throughout the holidays. My son has especially enjoyed these “older kid books” this year.

I also keep a bucket of our younger kid Christmas books along with Christmas coloring books, cards games, and MadLibs.

Years ago, I taught my daughter’s 4-year-old Bible class with another very sweet lady. She was planning a special Nativity lesson for the children and brought me a Nativity fabric and asked if I would sew the set for the lesson. So I did, and after the lesson, she told me to keep it for my children! The soft fabric pieces were perfect for my little ones to tell the story with, and now I still put it out every year for little visitors (My son does still enjoy playing with it though). I don’t think I can ever get rid of this!

I keep the set in this soft basket under the tree, out of the way but available.

And here is a lovely little Nativity set that my sister-in-law’s mother brought me one year for a hostess gift.

We’ve enjoyed the cozy, casual feel this year, and plan to keep the green, the pinecones, and the twinkly lights throughout January.

It’s a different kind of year, and since we’re at home more, I wanted it to be pleasant for my family.

If only it could stay this clean, right?!

Oh, and those Biltmore oranges I mentioned? Those made their appearance in the dining room, out of the way of the pets! I’ll share those photos in another post.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas Eve today!