I’m so thrilled to be teaming up with two local friends to share the favorite nooks and corners of our homes, graced with touches of Christmas. The three of us had a playdate the other day after nap time, with eight kiddos between us… it was loud and there were lots of interruptions but the fellowship was so refreshing. I’m so thankful for “mom friends” that love Jesus and home and motherhood.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
I was introduced to the concept of “Christmas home tours” on my friend Clarita’s blog, Skies of Parchment. She doesn’t blog as much these days, but you can view those home tour posts here. I loved scrolling through these posts when she first put them up and still love returning for inspiration.
Fast-forward to this year. Recently, I’ve been learning the craft of blogging and decided it would be so fun to host my own little series of Christmas home tours. I eagerly invited a couple friends to join me, each of us taking photos and writing from our unique angles. Then I excitedly set about adding some seasonal splashes around our home. I could hardly wait to see these posts take shape.
And then I saw them.
A series of three Instagram stories from a blog I follow. Three dazzling photos from three different homes. Each stunning photo featured a perfectly-styled space, brimming with all kinds of Christmas glory.
Instantly deflated, my face burned with embarrassment. What in the world was I thinking? That I could measure up to these homes? My home was positively shabby in comparison!
In the days following, the Lord revealed the pride and insecurity had quietly nestled in my heart. Pride and the fear of what others might think that caused me to reel with uncertainty over sharing my home. And with my gaze set on candles and photos and blogs – instead of Jesus – my insecurity was no surprise.
The Lord gently reminded me of the gift of this home – and all the pretty things in it. They were given not as tools for my glory, but for His. There is eternal value in the building of a godly home… and I pray that our home would reflect the values of His kingdom.
As I write this, I’m freshly chastened, grateful for His mercy. I pray your heart is encouraged, too!
Our townhome cottage
Measuring out at a little over 900 square feet, our townhome is rather small for a family of four. We’ve had to be super creative when it comes to storage solutions and this applies to decorating, as well. Too much stuff quickly makes our home looked cluttered, so I’ve learned to add pretty touches in ways that aren’t overwhelming to the space.
Even though our home is on the smaller side, we are so thankful for it. Just a little over a year ago, we were living on the second floor of an apartment complex, about thirty minutes away from our church and Elijah’s work. Shortly before this place became available to us, Chloe started praying for a home with an “upstairs and a downstairs”, after being inspired by a story about a home with two stories.
It’s amazing to me that even when I see the Lord’s fingerprints all over the provision of our home, I can easily slide into discontentment when focus on the things I don’t like. The scuffed ceiling that needs painted, the old kitchen linoleum that never looks clean no matter how much I scrub it, the inability to host larger gatherings, etc.
God truly blessed us with this little home. While we look forward to having our own home someday with a yard and more square footage and… well, today the “townhome cottage” is our place to raise our family, to love well, and to seek Jesus.
From our humble home to yours, I hope this little tour of Christmas in our home inspires you to be freshly creative and thankful in your own space – big, small, worn, or new.
Step inside…
Last year a friend gifted us a set of these Adornaments from Ever Thine Home. This set features the Savior names of Jesus and I loved putting them up around our home this year. *Note: They are currently out of stock, but hopefully they’ll be back at some point!
Living room
Elijah and I take turns choosing a hymn to learn during our family worship. It was my turn to choose and I selected In the Bleak Midwinter. The words are so powerful, especially this version by Keith & Kristyn Getty, with an added bridge.
I sewed these stockings a few years ago. They’re not perfect but I loved picking out my own colors and fabrics.
My parents were out here for a visit recently, so of course we had to hit up the local Goodwill. My mom found two of these evergreen garlands and left one for me to use. I added twinkly lights and at night, in combination with the lights on the tree, it is just so COZY.
I’ve read the Dear America Diary shown here nearly every Christmas since my mom gave it to me when I was 13 or 14. It’s set around Christmas time during the Great Depression and I am so inspired by Minnie and her family’s creativity each time I read it.
This tiny sprig of evergreen in a tiny glass bottle added just the right amount of holiday cheer to this corner.
I came across this incredible print of Simeon holding baby Jesus on Pinterest a few years ago. A high-quality copy of it is pretty expensive, so I just searched online for the highest resolution image of it that I could find, then had it printed on nice paper at the UPS Store for under two dollars.
Our growing library of Christmasy, wintery books. When we pull them out for Christmas, I’m not sure who’s more excited – me or the kids!
“Some books are so familiar. Reading them is like being home again.”
– Jo March (Little Women, 1994)
If you’ve been to our home, then you know that we love our books. Our bookshelves are kind of front-and-center of our living room, and I’m quite alright with that.
The kids love this nativity from Elijah’s mom. I’m not sure where the rest of the pieces took off to, but the kids have really enjoyed playing with this kid-friendly one.
dining area
My $1 paper roll hack – thank you, Dollar Tree. My dad asked me a few weeks ago, “So what are you going to do with that scroll over there?” I wasn’t sure at the time, but I love the idea of changing it up seasonally… or monthly… or to highlight things we’re focusing on during the kids’ learning times. For now, it’s perfect for displaying the rest of our Adornaments.
Our Advent candles. We’ve lit just two so far, as we follow the weeks of Advent. The kids take turns helping one of us light the candles and then blow them out – with great gusto, of course. : )
Our little artificial tree. I dream of getting a fresh, fragrant one in the coming years, but I’m totally content to have one that we can box up and stow under a bed. The placement of our tree is such that it is constantly getting brushed up against. I’m pretty sure a fresh one would be nearly bare by the end of the season!
The angel is very special to me, as I helped my grandma make this angel when I was 4 or 5 years old! My Grams lives back in Illinois and I miss her so much. She’s one of the godliest women I know and she passed her love for beauty and creativity to both me and my mom.
Every year since we made this angel, she’s topped my family’s tree, making it something of a keepsake. I had to beg pretty hard to get my mom to part with it… she finally conceded and passed it along after Christmas last year. I think she looks just lovely on our tree for the first time.
Our tree skirt is actually a wool blanket I bought in England this past summer. It’s made from the end-cuts of wool yarn and I fell in love when I spotted it in Lyme Regis (any Persuasion fans recognize this coastal area?). You better believe I rearranged my suitcase three times to get this baby to fit!
the kitchen
A framed print and Ralph Lauren tea towels hung as curtains, both gifts from friends. They know me well!
Candles, greenery, and books are my staples when it comes to just about any kind of decorating.
One of my brothers cut this wood slab and I recently added some white chalk paint for a fresh look. The jars and French press were all Goodwill finds! The French press was $1.99, and the jars were $0.99 and $0.49.
I’d been wanting to find some pretty candle holders and was thrilled to find this copper one for $1.99 at Goodwill.
bathrooms
I don’t do a ton of decorating in bathrooms or bedrooms, but here a few little touches. In one of the bathrooms, I framed pretty photo prints from a 2016 Advent devotional from She Reads Truth. The prints on the clipboards are also from this devotional.
Bedrooms
I switched up my fallish bulletin board…
… to something a little more wintery.
Yours truly circa 1990 with my mom. Kinda makes me want to get bangs again.
In the kid’s room, I simply added a string of lights to their bookshelf and they were thrilled! We did realize after the first night, though, that they had no intention of falling asleep as long they were on. So we’ve occasionally given them “book time” before bedtime with only the Christmas lights and that’s been a happy compromise.
Well, I think that’s a wrap!
May you this leave this post
inspired to create
and content with what God has given you.
Look for Brooke and Heather’s posts next week!
I CAN’T WAIT for you to get a glimpse of their beautiful homes and hearts.
pin for later:
From the archives:
5 Simple & Inexpensive Ideas for a Memorable Christmas
The Minutes of My Hours: Encouragement for the Weary-Hearted
Your home is so charming! I love what you’ve done with your small space, and I love how Christ-centred everything is. The vintage books, the tree skirt and all the fresh greenery are lovely touches.
Lauren, this is so beautiful and cozy! Thank you for sharing a peek of your home with us.
You are so welcome, Maria! Thanks for reading! : )