Christmas Home Tour Part 2 {Home for the Holidays}

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Today I'm sharing what I've lovingly come to refer to as PART 2 of my holiday decorating: our front porch and my college son's bedroom.  Why do I call it "Part 2" you ask?  Well...let me explain.



I thought that I got an early start on my Christmas decorating this year. I started getting out the boxes just after Halloween, for goodness sake!  I had a plan. Since we weren't hosting Thanksgiving at our home this year, the plan was that I'd be finished doing my Christmas decorating by November 28th and then I'd have an entire month to simply enjoy the season....

                                                                                                                              .....that was the plan.



Sometime in early November, I started to get a cold. The first one I've had in close to five years that lasted more than 48 hours. I got some over the counter cold medicine and drank lots of tea.  I took extra vitamins and wore wool socks to bed but instead of getting better, I got worse.  I treated the symptoms and rallied briefly around Thanksgiving but when November 28th rolled around, instead of being  finished with my decorating I had barely started.

Then, to make matters worse, my cold came back. Apparently it was never gone, it was just taking a break. I did manage to finish Phase 1 of this year's home tour: the Christmas decorating in my kitchen last week (link here). I finally gave up on Tuesday afternoon and went to the doctor. 


This was mainly because I was picking my son up from college for winter break on Wednesday and I didn't want the responsibility for giving him the "crud" and ruining his entire break. According to the doc, I was managing the symptoms but I wasn't doing anything to treat the underlying infections in my sinuses and lungs so I have medicine; sprays and drops and pills. 

I kid you not, after six weeks of feeling so crappy that I didn't want to get out of bed in the morning, I took my first dose of meds on Tuesday night and by Wednesday at lunch time, I felt so much better that I couldn't believe it.  This stuff is magic!


At the rate that I'm improving, I should feel like a 27 year old gymnast by Saturday...which I hope is the case because I'll be attending my niece's College Graduation/Nursing Pinning Ceremony and I'd like not to have anyone feel that they should be taking my temperature during the event.


The front porch is another example of use what you have. This year I mixed live greens with faux trees, I grabbed some plaid throws and every galvanized container that I could find to fill. I added pine cones and Styrofoam "snow balls", a sled, a great children's snow shovel that was a gift from my bestie Ann and a few vintage red lanterns that were Christmas gifts from my sister years ago.  You may recognize the snowflakes from last year's SKI LODGE, LET IT SNOW mantel.

                                            I had them...

                                                                   I could find them...
                                                                                                       at this point, do I need to say more?



Let's talk about my son's room. I'd describe this year's Christmas decorating in his room as simple...as in not fussy. Any seasonal decor that I decided to add to this room needed to be unobtrusive so that when my college kid showed up for a month with his electronic gear and bags of laundry clothes, the decor wouldn't interfere with his ability to relax. Gosh, why didn't I appreciate my college years more?.....

                                                                                                relaxing....

                                                                                                                                 ...for a MONTH!



I used a couple of small poinsettia's from the home improvement store $2.50 each, a wreath that I already had which I tied to the foot board and a length of garland that I found in the basement along the window ledge with some cardboard letters from the fabric store, painted red. I did have to chuckle just a little bit on Thursday morning when he told me that the "L" fell off of the shelf some time during the night of his night at home and hit him in the head...
                                                                           ...it scared him but didn't leave a mark.

 Whew! I don't really want to have to explain how my decorating gave my son a black eye, either.


I put a couple of books and some cocoa on the nightstand along with one of my vintage pick up trucks...I couldn't find the red one this year but I doubt that he'll notice.  I added a couple of  holiday themed pillows and an extra quilt at the foot of the bed. 


If you're looking for more inspiration and some truly amazing holiday home decor, visit these lovely blogs, they've been opening their doors and sharing their homes all week long!


I hope that you enjoyed this somewhat abbreviated home tour of our porch and my son's room and that you'll come back on Monday when I'll be sharing the dining room and, if my miraculous recovery continues, maybe even the family room!