This post has been a long time coming. I am realizing something about myself as I look back at the past two years… when I don’t get to do something I love very often, I forget how much I enjoy it, and it quickly starts to seem like a chore. I saw friends getting their Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving, and I thought to myself, “Oh gosh…. we have to decorate for Christmas”. What?! I love decorating!!! Why was that my response?! Because I haven’t been able to decorate for Christmas in two years! I had forgotten that I actually LOVE decorating for Christmas and that it is fun for me!
Two years ago we were trying desperately to sell our house that had been on the market for over 10 months with zero offers. We kept our Christmas decor in a storage unit. Then, in December 2016, I was 8 months pregnant, had gestational diabetes, a tumor in my hand, and we were trying to finish our house before I had our first baby. No Christmas decorating. It just wasn’t a priority.
Well, two weeks ago I was working in my office and I heard Michael working on something in the living room. I peeked down the hall and he had set up our Christmas tree!!!!!!!! It was beautiful. We have a 12 foot tree in our living room, and I had forgotten just how much I LOVE IT!!! Michael’s little surprise sparked my motivation to decorate! I went from dreading it to going a little over-the-top.
We found a sale at Hobby Lobby and now we have 11 Christmas trees at our house. ELEVEN! Yikes!!!! I went from one extreme to the other!!! Now our foyer feels like you’re walking into Narnia, and I LOVE IT! The house really does feel magical. My brother and sister-in-law spent the night with us last weekend, and Corey said to me “KK… the foyer feels like a forest!” and I took that as a huge compliment!!!!
Our normal, everyday decor has changed since our last house, and I did some tweaking to make our old Christmas stuff still work! We had to invest in some new wreaths because we have more windows in this house, and we moved some of our old wreaths to the basement apartment windows!! My sister and brother-in-law and nephew move in NEXT WEEK, and so they needed some Christmas decor too!!! :)
Enjoy a peek into our home this Christmas!!!
I’m horrible at remembering to print photos, but our CHATBOOK subscription automatically sends us 5 prints each month from our current Chatbook, and that’s what I used in these cute ornaments! Learn all about how we’re organizing the documentation of Evy’s life HERE!! ha! There is a SYSTEM! 
People always tell us “Um, enjoy that now, because you can’t decorate like that with a walking toddler”. We get it. Some things will have to change. But for now, I’m enjoying the pretty, and putting the “soft and safe” decor in the places that she can reach! Like those cable knit cone trees on the right! 
These are ornaments from Michael’s mom’s side of the family! 
And this was a family nativity set, also from Michael’s side of the family, that was painted the year I was born! 
My family ALWAYS thinks I’m crazy with my decorating ideas… and then I do them and they LOVE it. So, the moral of the story is to be BOLD with your ideas! When I saw these trees were super affordable, I knew that they would make a BIG impact. We don’t have a lot of super high-end figurines or expensive ornaments. We maybe have 5 from Pottery Barn but really, we invest in decor that will make a statement instead of tiny pieces that get overlooked. What we spent on these trees is what some people spend on giant blow up Santa clauses in the front yard! It’s all about personal preference!! We skipped the icicle lights and window lights this year and did the “Narnia Foyer” instead and it was a great decision!! 
Evy’s room has just a little Christmas cheer!!! I love that blush colored tree! It lights up! 
Our teal tree ornaments moved to this room! It’s more of a “modern” Christmas room…. but I love it!
These peacock decorations were part of our centerpieces at our wedding!!!!!
Thanks for reading!
— Katelyn
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