Embrace Imperfection: A Cozy & Simple Cottage Christmas Home Tour 2014

Welcome, dear friends, to a special glimpse into our humble abode, beautifully adorned for Christmas 2014. While many holiday home tours you might encounter online showcase meticulously themed rooms and magazine-worthy styling, our approach is a little different, focusing on authentic cottage charm and genuine comfort. This isn’t a grand, perfectly coordinated spectacle of living rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms, but rather a heartfelt expression of our core philosophy: living simply and embracing imperfections.

For a moment, I actually hesitated to share our holiday decorations this year. They aren’t dramatically different from previous years’ festive touches or other cherished arrangements, and certainly not “themed” in the traditional sense. Yet, it was then that our blog’s tagline truly resonated. What better time than the holidays to live out these values authentically? We aren’t striving for perfection here; if we were, this blog would have ceased to exist long ago! Instead, we cherish simplicity, embrace ease, and celebrate the natural beauty that makes a home feel truly inviting and comfortable for everyone who gathers here during the festive season.

So yes, we absolutely decorate! But our method involves lovingly reusing most of our cherished items year after year. We might introduce a handful of new ornaments or a fresh decorative piece, and occasionally, we’ll rearrange them in novel ways to create a renewed feel. It’s about creating an atmosphere of warmth and joy with what we have, rather than constantly chasing new trends. This sustainable and mindful approach to holiday decorating allows us to focus on the spirit of the season. On that note, I’m delighted to welcome you to our home. Come on in, settle down, and let’s explore how we’ve brought the spirit of Christmas to life this season. I genuinely hope you enjoy your visit and find inspiration in our simple, rustic Christmas decor ideas!

A Rustic & Welcoming Cottage Christmas Porch

Our tour begins right at the front door, on our cozy porch, offering a warm Christmas welcome. As you might infer from its understated charm, this little corner came together in about ten minutes! After our daughter thoughtfully composted all the fall pumpkins and frost-nipped plants, and Brian kindly brought out our vintage sled and hung the string lights, I added a few clipped boxwood branches, tucked some ornaments into a pot, and quickly tied some bows. I proudly declared it “good enough” – and truly, hello imperfection, you are perfectly embodied by this rustic wreath! This was all the time I had this year, but I believe it wonderfully achieves its purpose: adding a burst of holiday cheer and extending a warm welcome to all who arrive. Don’t you agree? So, please, step inside and discover more simple Christmas decorating ideas!

Festive Foyer & Great Room Entrance with a Beloved Christmas Tree

Upon entering, you’ll find yourself in our large, open-concept great room, a hub of holiday activity. Though the living room is subtly defined by a half-wall, it all feels connected and inviting. To your right, you’ll immediately spot our magnificent Christmas tree. This is its designated spot every single year, primarily because it’s the only place it fits comfortably within our cottage layout! Over time, however, I’ve grown to adore this placement. It means you get an intimate, close-up view of this section of the tree constantly, allowing us to display some of our most treasured ornaments right here, for everyone to appreciate as they walk through the door. It’s a wonderful way to greet guests with cherished memories and the beautiful scent of fresh pine, setting the tone for our simple Christmas decor.

Charming Gallery Wall & Delightful DIY Christmas Touches

Continue straight ahead, and you’ll pass through our ‘foyer’ – or what passes for one when it’s essentially a fluid extension of the main room – and encounter our gallery wall. This year, I’m showcasing my beloved Anthropologie-inspired pom-pom wreath right here, and its soft texture and playful charm bring a smile to my face every time I walk by, adding a unique, handmade touch to our DIY Christmas decorations. The clipboard proudly displays a free deer chalkboard printable, effortlessly updated for the season. We simply swapped out our usual gourd-pear for candles and fresh greenery, transforming a year-round display into a festive vignette. A quick note: since acquiring our new china cabinet, I’ve been in the process of rearranging this wall. It’s still a work in progress, and I haven’t quite found the perfect balance yet – decorating, for me, is often an evolving journey, a beautiful part of living simply!

Simple & Sweet Cottage Christmas Dining Room Decor

Next, we move into the dining room, where this year’s new additions make a big impact with minimal effort. You’ll notice the delightful easy dollar store chair wreaths, which instantly elevate the festive feel without breaking the bank. Another charming newcomer is an old gardening wood box I discovered at a thrift store just last month – a perfect piece for vintage Christmas decor. And, of course, the stunning new china cabinet stands as a focal point, beautifully showcasing our holiday ware. For the centerpiece, I filled the wood box with fresh cuttings from our arborvitae and boxwood bushes, added a few candles, and sprinkled in small ornaments. Placed on a piece of grain-sack-like fabric, it creates a wonderfully rustic and effortlessly chic display. It’s both incredibly easy to create and charming to behold, plus it’s simple to move whenever this, our only dining table, needs to accommodate the many activities that happen here daily. This versatility is key to our practical approach to Christmas table decorations.

Dining Room Sideboard: Vintage Charm & Natural Elements

Our dining room sideboard is a canvas for cherished holiday elements and an example of our farmhouse Christmas decor style. It proudly displays the decoupaged “JOY” sign I crafted a few years ago, a piece that always brings warmth to the space. Alongside it, you’ll find the transformed deer, fresh greens, and an assortment of small, twinkling ornaments. This year’s truly unique addition here is an authentic deer antler, a thoughtful gift from my stepfather. I’ve incorporated a few others on the mantel and shelves throughout the house, adding a touch of rustic elegance and a strong connection to nature, fitting perfectly with our rustic Christmas decor theme.

This holiday season, we made the conscious decision to pare down, opting not to display my entire collection of hand-painted Christmas village houses. Sometimes, it simply feels like too much visual clutter. Instead, I carefully selected the quaint church from the collection and placed it delicately under our cloche. I find this singular display utterly sweet and captivating, embodying the “less is more” philosophy. And isn’t that Anthro-inspired, Reader’s Digest book monogram absolutely fantastic? A dear friend made it for us and presented it just a few weeks ago. Apparently, crafting the letter ‘B’ in this style is quite challenging, so I am deeply touched and absolutely thrilled to have such a unique, personalized piece that adds a touch of bespoke charm to our Christmas decorating ideas.

Kitchen & Dining Room Divider Decorations with Handmade Accents

The cabinets that graciously separate our dining room from the kitchen serve as the perfect spot for some consistent holiday cheer. Each year, this is where we proudly hang our “Merry Christmas” book page banner, a charming, handcrafted piece that adds a whimsical touch. This year, it’s joined by the delightful 3-D music sheet ornaments that we lovingly made together after Thanksgiving. Peeking into the kitchen window, you might just catch a glimpse of a simple faux boxwood wreath – that’s the delightful extent of our “Christmas kitchen” decor this year, and it works perfectly for our practical, busy space! Embracing this minimalist approach helps maintain an uncluttered feel, even during the holidays.

As you move further into the kitchen, another charming detail will catch your eye: the elegant music sheet wreath. This year, it’s adorning a slightly unusual, small wall section that cleverly surrounds some kitchen cabinets. Because this wall is visible from nearly every corner of our open great room, it felt like it needed a little something extra to enhance our cottage Christmas decor. To complement the wreath, I quickly designed a sweet “Joy to The World” banner using PicMonkey, adding another layer of festive sentiment to this central space and reinforcing our holiday message.

Cozy Living Room: A Neutral & Rustic Christmas Mantel

Now, let’s turn our attention and make our way back to the living room, truly the heart of our holiday decorations. Here, our focus is primarily on the mantel and the majestic Christmas tree. We’ve kept the aesthetic light and neutral, embracing a palette of crisp whites, shimmering mercury glass, and an abundance of fresh, fragrant greenery to create a serene Christmas mantel display. While this area certainly looks “staged” for the holidays, it remains highly functional. We use our fireplace every single day during the colder months, so the hearth needs to comfortably hold real wood. My daughter, with her keen eye, also added a few of her favorite personal decorations to the bookshelves, blending her personality seamlessly into our shared space and creating a truly custom feel.

The centerpiece of our mantel, the chalkboard map, carries a special story. It was actually our daughter’s brilliant idea to retain the map from our fall mantel display and adapt it for Christmas. Given it’s a world map, she suggested adding the meaningful words, “Joy to the World, The Lord has Come.” I absolutely adore that girl for her creative spirit! Since it was her concept, I cleverly “commissioned” her to do the actual writing on the map herself – a smart move, wouldn’t you say? This particular map was a clearance find from Target, and its map portion is permanent, but the rest is perfectly writable with chalk or a chalk marker, and it wipes clean with a damp cloth. I truly believe it was the best $6.99 discovery of the entire year, showcasing how affordable finds can become cherished budget Christmas decor.

Upon closer inspection of the mantel, you’ll notice a few more authentic deer antlers – these are the small, naturally shed antlers that my stepfather often finds in the woods. They add a wonderful, earthy touch, connecting our indoor decor with the natural world outside. Tucked among the fresh greens are our charming wood slice chalkboard decorations, further enhancing the rustic feel. The boughs of greenery perfectly cradle my delicate pom-pom garland, adding a soft, whimsical texture. Though not perfectly captured in these close-up shots due to lighting, miniature lights are woven throughout all the greenery, providing a magical, subtle sparkle that you might have glimpsed in earlier wider views, illuminating our white Christmas decor beautifully.

Charming Cottage Christmas Details Throughout the Living Room

Allow me to share how we’ve integrated a few more of our beloved traditional decorations throughout the living space, contributing to our overall vintage-inspired Christmas theme. Our unique book page chain garland gracefully drapes from the boughs on our TV cabinet, adding a literary and vintage flair. The rustic wood stump side table serves as a delightful stage for a collection of charming bottle brush trees and a quaint glitter house nestled under a cloche, creating a whimsical miniature scene. Elsewhere, a metal accent table proudly displays more fresh greens and a scattering of cherished vintage ornaments. Each detail, whether handmade or a treasured find, contributes to the overall cozy and personal ambiance of our cottage Christmas, reflecting years of collecting and creating joy.

Our Beautiful & Simple Christmas Tree: A Tradition of Warmth and Light

And now, the pièce de résistance: our Christmas tree! This year, it’s a magnificent 7-foot Noble Fir, an incredible find at just $21.99 – you truly have to love living in the Pacific Northwest for such deals! If you follow me on Instagram, you might have already caught a glimpse of its remarkable, almost fake-looking perfect shape. It truly fills the room with natural beauty and the quintessential scent of the holidays, becoming the focal point of our Christmas tree decorating.

Every single year, I lovingly wrap our tree with a beautiful ribbon and a couple of shimmering metallic bead garlands. Then, I fill its branches with an array of ornaments in metallics and whites, alongside our cherished handmade decorations. I’ve never fully committed to a completely new tree theme. Some years, I might introduce a subtle pop of color like purple, maroon, or a soft pink, but predominantly, I stick to this calming, consistent palette. I find this combination incredibly serene; it allows the natural beauty of the tree itself to truly shine. Oh, and a little decorating secret: I have never, ever incorporated red into my Christmas tree decor. Never! That, along with blue, simply isn’t my aesthetic preference at any time of the year. My choices are always driven by what feels right and brings peace to our home, making our Christmas tree a true reflection of our personal style. 🙂

While our tree is undeniably beautiful unlit, when its hundreds of lights (I typically use 600-700) are switched on, it transforms into something truly spectacular. For me, the magic of Christmas is all about the lights, and they are usually glowing for most of the time we are home, casting a warm and inviting ambiance throughout the living room. In our household, we maintain a personal tradition aimed at keeping the focus firmly on the true meaning of Christmas. We have never decorated with presents or placed gifts under the tree before Christmas Eve itself. This is why our tree looks precisely like this for the majority of the season. This practice was particularly helpful when our children were younger, guiding them to contemplate Jesus’ birth and the spirit of giving to others during the holidays. It’s a personal choice that has worked wonderfully for our family, emphasizing the deeper significance of the season, and while I encourage you to consider its benefits, please know that I would never, ever judge anyone who chooses to display presents under their tree! Every family finds their own way to celebrate this joyful time.

A Final Look: Embracing Less Is More for Holiday Decor

So, there you have it – our official “tour” of our simple cottage Christmas decorations! You might be wondering, “What, no bathroom or bedroom?” And you’d be right! While I did manage to place a festive candle in our main bathroom and playfully wrap a small banner around our bedroom plate wall, these small touches aren’t quite “decorated” enough for a proper photograph. And honestly, I’m perfectly content with this “less-is-more” approach, especially since taking down decorations is never as enjoyable as putting them up! This minimalist philosophy saves time and stress, allowing more moments for family and reflection.

We’ve found a comfortable balance with our holiday decor: we have two large bins dedicated to decorations, a smaller one for our painted village pieces, and one special box for all our ornaments. And I can confidently say, I have absolutely no desire to add to that collection. We have everything we need to create a beautiful, meaningful, and cozy Christmas atmosphere year after year, proving that you don’t need excessive items to create a truly magical holiday home.

What’s Your Christmas Decorating Style? Share Your Favorite Holiday Decorating Ideas!

What about you, dear readers? Do you go all out, creating entirely new themes each year, or do you, like us, lovingly reuse the same cherished decorations, perhaps with a few fresh additions? No matter your approach, remember, it’s all wonderful as long as it brings you joy and happiness to you and your loved ones. The most important thing is the spirit of the season, shared with those you hold dear, creating lasting memories. Whether your style is rustic, modern, or classic, embrace it fully! Merry Christmas, sweet friends, from our simple cottage to yours!