Every year I always look forward to decorating for Christmas and this year I was SOOOO excited and it is extra special because we are welcoming our baby boy for his first Christmas. I was due November 30th.. So needless to say baby isn’t quite ready to come out. We decorated early this year, knowing that things will be hectic with the little one. I feel super organized and having this done really gets you into the spirit of the holidays… also one less thing that I need to do when baby arrives. Even though we are not hosting this year, for obvious reasons, it still means SO much to me to have the house decorated for our little family’s first Christmas all together!

STEP ONE: FLORALS + GREENERY

This year we worked with Maple Ridge Florist to create some custom, unique florals in our home. I love a neutral theme for the holidays with a splash of red, for Christmas of course. Maple Ridge Florist made some live greenery for above the oven in the kitchen (which smells so good when I’m cooking) and another arrangement with silver accents for the kitchen.

For the mantle I did a little DIY at home using a combination of a garland I found at HomeSense Canada and added some live greenery pieces, cranberry sprays and some snowy pinecones from MR Florist. It was so much fun putting this together myself, and is a fun activity to do with friends.

I also picked up some faux, flocked trees that we decorated in the dining room and kitchen.

We also always pick up a live Christmas tree from one of our local tree farms every year and decorate with gold and red accents. This is how we decorated our tree from last year as it is just a bit too early to pick ours up yet. BUT I’m super excited to take Baby GJ with us to find the perfect tree and share all about it on the blog!

I’m Christmas-crazy so one tree just isn’t enough. We set up a faux Christmas tree in my office with lights already set-up for an easy ‘it’s Christmas time’ feel. The office Christmas theme is neturals, whites, creams, silvers and a hint of pale blue. I picked up Mom, Dad and Baby ornaments (from HomeSense) this year and Baby’s First Christmas rocking horse that I found at Indigo, which are so special to me.

EASY WAYS TO MAKE IT FEEL LIKE CHRISTMAS

01 An easy way to add a little holiday to your home or fill empty spots is to just throw some pinecones or place mini flocked trees wherever you need to add a bit more festive feels.

02 Another way to add to any space is with candles or prayer beads. Candles I like to use are from Vancouver Candle Co, Woodlot and tea lights. Prayer beads are from The Cross and I love the different sizes they come in.

03 Adding pops of colour to our netural home really makes the space feel festive. And this does not need to be expensive, I picked up our accent pillows from HomeSense to go with our Mobilia Canada ones and another tip you could do is to buy slipcovers for your pillows which will really keep costs down.

04 This year I added a bunch of mini LED lights everywhere that you can put ANYWHERE but they do each require 3 D batteries which is excessive but such a nice touch! I got the idea from Jillian and absolutely LOVE the effect they give off. Gary thought I was out of my mind at first, but then totally came around once he saw how magical it makes any space.

05 You’ll notice we have a lot of faux fur in our house and I love this as it adds a cozy warmth to our home and feels super wintery.

A CHRISTMAS LIVINGROOM

Our stockings are from last year… Gary picked those ones up and I found the cutest gold stocking holders from HomeSense. But I’m still looking for a Baby’s First Christmas stocking that we both like. Any ideas? Adding stockings above the fireplace makes me feel so nostalgic and I can’t wait for baby GJ to be big enough to hang his own stocking (I GUESS I’ll do it for him this year ;)).

A CHRISTMAS ENTRY-WAY

We have a dresser as you walk in. I love decorating it with little ornaments, fake snow and these little Christmas inspired houses. We always set up a nativity scene growing up, so it feels fun setting up my own little scene. I added the CUTEST peppermint paddy truck this year from Michaels that Gary and I die over. It was just TOO darn cute not to get.

Another tip for your entry way is to pick up a cute little basket and fill it up with a variety of pine cones. You can use a combination of regular and flocked pine cones to create a snowy effect. It’s an easy way to decorate without having to be too creative.

Okay guys, that’s it. Now here’s the question that Gary and I are always debating over. When is TOO EARLY to decorate, and when is TOO LATE to take Christmas decorations down? Message me with your opinions — I’m shy to share mine.. I might be a Christmas all year round kind of girl.

xx n

Photography by Brooklyn D Photography