I remember as a little girl my mom would leave no room untouched for Christmas. Even if it was something as simple as Christmas mice candle holders or a red dish cloth, these things reminded us that something significant was coming. I want to create the same atmosphere in our own home for my children, so for the past few weeks, I have added a wreath here, a garland there, and a million ornaments in between.

I decorated with them in mind so that it would become a place that felt full of wonder through their eyes. Our first Christmas in our first owned home called for more holly and lights than I would normally scatter. We are hosting this year as well, and staying put for the first time in years so I am taking my responsibility of Christmas cheer very seriously…

front door info in this post, trees from whole foods and pottery barn kids, car from an antique market
 

Bar cart, 12 days of Christmas print (by my friend Jessica), pine garland, lights, copper mule mugs, ice skates and mistletoe mugs, hot chocolate sticks, matches and lantern, felt garland c/o potterybarn,  record player

Birch star c/o, nativity scene (found at Hobby Lobby), glass jug, pillar candles

 Our beloved blue spruce with all kinds of heavily laden branches and tacky ornaments, tree skirt (Pottery barn out of stock), stag longhorn throw via In2Green c/o, side wooden table, stack of old Christmas books, rug (IKEA)

Village houses (Out of stock), white felt trees, eucalyptus, glitter wreath,  fair isle stocking, birch logs and lights, floor lamp, cableknit throw, tufted accent chairs, sheepskin (found mine at costco!), dorado rug, moroccan poufs, the baby was a free gift from heaven..;)

Wooden tree shelf (sold out from PBK), thrifted peacock chair, pillow,  faux sheepskin, red and white felt tree

Knitted advent calendar c/o (I filled this with ornaments for the boys to decorate their tree), nativity scene c/o, mini tree (Gabe and I’s very first tree from our first year of marriage still going strong!)

An accurate depiction of Christmas with little ones.
 

We started working on our unfinished basement and bedrooms are turned upside down at the moment, but I made the most of the space we mainly live in. I look at these pics and chuckle a little knowing that around every corner there are stuffed socks in drawers, bottles under the couches, and cars in the tree branches. Signs of living as we like to call them.

Are you traveling or staying put for the holidays this year? Since we are staying put I am hoping to use that extra time to do some of the service ideas we have been brewing. The kids are getting so excited for Christmas morning. I’d say it’s a tie between seeing all 7 stockings hanging on our mantle and hearing Veronica sing Christmas carols at the hop of her lungs that is giving me the Christmas spirit in the deep down tingle your toes sort of way. Children bring so much hope to the world. “A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices.”

Wishing you all a warm and peaceful week leading up until the best day of the year!

The holidays don’t leave a lot of time or money to work on home remodeling projects, but it’s pretty incredible what something as simple as a knob switch and a fresh coat of paint can do! We decided to give our front door a little update for the holidays, and I’m so glad we went for it. It is such a fresh change, and the merry bells make it quite a happy entrance. Here’s how we gave it an overhaul…

(front door before)

(front door after)

PROCESS + TIPS:
The first step to the door makeover was removing all hardware and taping the edges of the window frames and door edges with painters tape. I went back and forth on selecting an exterior paint color for weeks before deciding on “Rainy Afternoon” by Behr. (It was a tie between burnt crimson red.) The door ended up only one coat of exterior paint, and it dried pretty quickly. You can get either a flat, semi-gloss, or gloss finish based on your preference.

After the coat of paint, we switched out the handle set. We had pretty standard lock knobs on before the update, and Gabe had been wanting to change the locks, and add more secure ones. He is much better at thinking of safety precautions than I am. So we found a door hardware combo from Schlage that was pleasing to both the guy seeking safety and the gal seeking aesthetics;) We really liked the camelot set with georgian knobs in the matte black paired with the color of the door. Gabe installed a set on both the front and back door of our main floor. Make sure to get your measurements on your doors and locks correctly before ordering to avoid any misalignment issues.

The project only took a few hours total, and it made such a visual difference, allowing the home to feel updated with minimal time. I kind of want to go knob happy and continue the switch outs on the main floor. After the door was finished decked the halls with some fir trees, mini lighted trees, and a eucalyptus wreath to make it a merry welcome for all who pass through:)

So come on over! The cocoa is ready.

P.S. Schlage is running a pretty cool sweepstakes right now giving away daily prizes to give your home a holiday upgrade including gift cards, Schlage door hardware and electronic smart locks, and the grand prize: a $5,000 Lowe’s gift card. Get on that!

Schlage products are available online at Amazon.com and Build.com, as well as in retail locations including Home Depot and Lowe’s. To learn more about Schlage and view all their unique decorative door hardware, visit schlage.com. This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Schlage. The opinions and text are all mine.