easy, and beautiful to boot! a simple DIY Christmas mantel…because “hard” and “holidays” don’t mix.
I LOVE CHRISTMAS TIME!
I mean REALLY love it. Like Buddy the Elf love
BUT,
*This post contains affiliate links. Please read our full disclosure policy HERE.*
I don’t like fuss.
I don’t like statuettes, clutter or tchotchkes.
I don’t like collectibles of any sort that collect in my attic, then collect dust on my shelves. SO what’s a girl with BUDDY THE ELF love for the holidays going to do with these kinds of limitations? I’ll tell you what…
Not much.
When I got married, I was super excited, friends. Excited to start my married life and celebrate our first Christmas together, in our little condo. Probably a good quarter of the items we put on our wedding registry were Christmas items. Christmas dishes, check.
Christmas napkins and tablecloths, check. “First Christmas together as a couple ornaments”, check. Inflatable Santa and sleigh for the 3×3 stoop in front of our meager condo, check. I was like a bridezilla, only not in the “I need a $15,000 dress” way.
I was a ho-ho-horrible holiday hoarder.
When I brought in the collectible Winnie the Pooh Dept 56 set, my husband reached the breaking point. He pulled the plug, and let all the air out of my inflatable-Santa-sails. I could choose him or the bazillion boxes stuffed with boughs of holly.
We purged.
We donated, gave away, shipped Santas to my sister and snowmen to my other sister. And after the clutter was gone, I realized that it felt much better to be free of all the noise.
Christmas is really quite simple, and that simple-ness helped to create its amazing majestic beauty. A precious baby born, in a meager manger.
I’ve started to embrace the simple. If I’m being completely honest, I’m not 100% there, yet. We still own an inflatable…and I’m not giving up Santa in the air stream for NOBODY.
But I’ll tell you, it feels SO GOOD to not spend DAYS of my life “getting ready” for Christmas. Christmas would come whether I had distributed all 37 boxes worth of Christmas trinkets, regardless. It feels much better to do less.
I try to leave just a few hints of the season in each room of our home. Little things, but the little things make me happy. BUDDY THE ELF happy.
And besides the little hints here and there, I’ve been working on little holiday projects. Like in our foyer, we decided to forgo the traditional tree garland and used something different…winter scarves.
And we used one of our favorite tricks again to “spruce” up our inexpensive artificial tree. Cut greens from our pine trees. It’s not expensive to do…in fact, it’s FREE! So simple, and the results are gorgeous.
And we’ve been working on little crafts that make it feel Christmas-y here at home. We made some Christmas trees from PLASTIC SPOONS! Talk about thrifty, right?
And made simple DIY ornaments from paint brushes that cost less than $1 each.
As well as ornaments from crayon shavings.
The kids have been working on painting their own DIY Christmas villages, just like mine.
** #CornyJokeAlert **
And helping us trim the tree 😉 We always said that kid was the light of our lives.
And there you have it, friends. A simple DIY Christmas mantel, to celebrate a simple holiday. A simple birth that turned into something miraculous. No more bits and bobs, fluff and fancy, trinkets or tchotchkes required, friends. Let’s all embrace a little more simple this holiday.
But if you happen to own an inflatable Santa in an air stream…
by all means, display that sucker proudly for the world to see.
Here are the sources for our DIY Christmas mantel and family room:
It is with much excitement that I join this year’s Home for the Holidays blog tour sponsored by Sondra Lyn at Home! This is the 3rd year for her HFTH tour, and we promise to bring some of the most awesome decor, craft and recipe ideas you’ll find anywhere.
It has gotten bigger and better each year and I think you’re going to love what you see! So stay tuned – it’s 30 blogs over the week, with a different topic each day. Be sure you come back here every day to get the links for that day’s featured blogs! Here’s a run-down of the topics and featured blogs:
Monday – Holiday Mantels
Country Design Style | Duke Manor Farm | Domestically Speaking
Organize and Decorate Everything | Sondra Lyn at Home | Two Purple Couches
Tuesday – Holiday Recipes
An Alli Event | Not Just Paper and Paint | Nourish and Nestle
Stone Gable | Sweet Pea | What Meegan Makes
Wednesday – Holiday Crafts
An Extraordinary Day | Lovely Etc | Lilacs and Longhorns
Lydi Out Loud | Salvage Sister and Mister | Weekend Craft
Thursday – Holiday Decor
Atta Girl Says | Chatfield Court | Create & Babble
Cozy Traditional Home | The Heathered Nest | Worthing Court
Friday – Holiday Tablescapes
Celebrating Everyday Life |Cottage at the Crossroads | Cottage in the Oaks
The Everyday Home | Postcards from the Ridge | 2 Bees in a Pod
Are you ready? Here we go!
Home for the Holidays 2016
Holiday Mantels
Holiday Recipes
Holiday Crafts
Holiday Decor
Holiday Tablescapes
Emily says
I like your simplistic approach; I have tons of boxes of holiday decorations and I love them; many of them have been in my family since my mom was a kid. So to me, they’re not clutter, they’re memories. But I can understand how one starts feeling cluttered during the holidays! I definitely bought some decorations the first year or two I was married that I’d be better off parting with! Oh, and I LOVE your scarves-as-garland trick – how neat!!
Angie @ Postcards from the Ridge says
I have so much Christmas decor that I need to purge! We have some things we probably haven’t used in five years that just needs to go. I love your simple decor. Have a merry Christmas!
Heather says
You guys have a merry Christmas, too, Angie!!
Diane Miller says
And now I WANT to see that Santa in the Airstream… photos please!!! 😉
Heather… you have definitely made a drastic change. I have too and it feels pretty good. We’re temporarily living in an apartment with our whole house in storage a few states away. I’ve been making things for my decor (not that that is any different) but that’s pretty much it. And I’m enjoying the less… it really is more!
Merry Christmas!!
Heather says
I can imagine the stress of that, and the pure joy of not having the option to do more than you really should, Diane! Enjoy the holidays!!
Kim says
Heather, you are so funny, but it’s all so true, too. I love your simplicity and that tree is gorgeous. I’m doing much less this year. I just don’t want to drag out more stuff and have more stuff to put away. I purged a bunch last year and need to do much more.
Heather says
Purging is just the best feeling. And being ok with NOT doing everything. I’m enjoying it immensely 😉 Happy holidays Kim!!
Lynn Spencer says
Heather, I loved your ‘story’. So true that we can get so caught up in the ‘stuff’ of Christmas (my hands are up), but at the end of the day the ‘stuff’ can really get in the way of really celebrating what’s important. Thanks for the reminder! And your home looks lovely.
Hugs, Lynn
Lydia says
So many beautiful ideas here I don’t know where to start! Your scarf garland is genius, I’m bee-lining to do that today! Thanks for all of the amazing inspiration! Merry Christmas!
Heather says
Merry Christmas to you, too, Lydia!!
Leanne says
I love the CHristmas touches you have added. Your home is beautiful! I like simple too!
Vicki and Jennifer 2 Bees in a Pod says
We too have embraced the less-is-best decor this year…and it feel great. Your home is beautiful, as always!
Suzy Handgraaf says
Simply beautiful, Heather! Who says you need a lot of stuff to say “It’s Christmas at my house”??? Just a few touches always do the trick.
Paula says
I am with you on the less is more thought for Christmas but admit that I’m not 100% there as I can’t quite purge all of my collections but I have weeded it out. I take things to school each year and give it away as prizes. The kids love getting my old decor and I love getting rid of it!
Your house looks so elegant decked out for Christmas. I love how you used scarves a garland for the tree in your foyer and I also enjoyed checking out the projects that you’ve completed with your kids.
Have a wonderful Christmas!
Kristi @ Chatfield Court says
I don’t like a lot of stuff around on Christmas either. We purge every time we move and my boxes have dwindled down to a manageable size. Love your mantel decorated for the holidays and your beautiful family room.
Jeanette Chaney says
I still have those 37 Christmas boxes in my closet waiting to be opened. I don’t have a clue what’s inside. It’s been a year since I packed everything back into them! Maybe I should redistribute the streamline. :/ I love your home and style. Great to be on the tour with you! Hugs.
Deborah says
I hear ya!!!! S much stuff really can be consuming. I like to try and keep it simple and use what I have!