I’m going to be honest, y’all.
Christmas decorating this year was stressful.
I’m sure that part of it was due to the fact that I was decorating both the 70’s Landing Pad and the farmhouse, but there were some serious moments of wanting to huddle myself in a corner and cry it out.
And maybe I did.
Here’s the thing though.
Decorating for Christmas shouldn’t be like that.
It should be fun and bring a smile to your face and only a good tear or two to your eye.
What it all came down to for me this year was that I was trying too hard.
I was trying to make things better than they were last year. Prettier than they were. More elaborate than they were and on and on and on.
And that was just stupid.
And with the farmhouse, I really just wanted my entire family to walk in there and see their faces light up and remember all the wonderful Christmases past that were spent there. If you’re new here and hopping over from The Turquoise Home or another stop on the Seasonal Simplicity Home Tour, the farmhouse was my late grandparent’s home and we’ve been remodeling/updating it since May. Read more about it here.
And that’s kind of when it hit me.
My grannie didn’t have that house elaborately decorated each Christmas. She didn’t spend countless hours each year meticulously hanging decorations in every room.
And you know what?
Those Christmases were still the best.
So instead of trying to outdo myself at the farm for Christmas, I instead turned on some good country music by way of the still-going-strong-after-30-years-under-the-cabinet radio and just scattered some holiday decor around.
There are still more decorations than she ever would have put up, but I think she’d be ok with that. While there are more, they’re simple. And special. And many are filled with memories of Christmases past.
Affiliate links may be included in this post, which means if you purchase something through one of those links, I may earn a small commission, but you won’t pay a dime more.
Let’s start outside…
The only exterior decorating we did was this little set-up which is right at the end of the driveway. I put the Oliver planter together for the fall and just switched things up around it for the holidays.
The Kitchen
Because at the farmhouse, friends always come through the back door where the kitchen is, let’s go there next. Please keep in mind that this remodel is still in progress! The kitchen floors are pretty rough at the moment, the cabinets need to be sanded and re-polyed and when I took these photos, we didn’t yet have our stove and dishwasher in!
One thing that I did know for certain when I started thinking about Christmas decorations for the farm was that I wanted to drape some sort of greenery over the cabinet doors because they would pop off those knotty pine cabinets and I wanted to scour the basement for some of the old thermoses and lanterns you’ll see to use for decor.
I love how this little thermos turned out. I just popped some greenery and an accent pick in it, then wrapped a vintage Christmas image around it. There are a slew of vintage Christmas images that you can print online for free. Just google them. That’s where I found this one and all the other ones you’ll see in this tour. To make them pop just a little more, I gave the edges a touch of glitter.
Boxwood Wreath / Twig Deer Head (similar)
I hung a couple of faux boxwood wreaths in the windows for the season. The twig deer head that my mother-in-law gave me for Christmas one year also fit perfectly in here. The old lantern was in the basement. I also love how the buffalo check pattern fits in so nicely here – I think we might have to incorporate some of that in here long term!
Of all the things I found/used for decorating this Christmas, this lantern below is my favorite.
I had no idea, but as I cleaned it up, I found my Pap’s name etched into the top of it there. I literally squealed when I saw that. I think it might have to find a more permanent home rather than the dark basement to be displayed after the holidays as well.
Isn’t it funny how a fancy silver tray also works perfectly in such a country type kitchen?
For the cabinet decorations, I just cut up a garland I purchased at Michael’s, attached ribbon, tied on glass ornaments and hung them over the cabinet doors. For the middle ones, I had these vintage deers that added a bit more to the mix.
They’re another favorite little vintage Christmas piece of mine.
Inside, I only decorated in the kitchen and living room – keeping it simple – so the living room is next….
The Living Room
Christmas Tree / Blue Chair / Pedestal Table / Cream Lamp / Vintage Ornament Wall Art
Unfortunately, because of allergies, we can’t do real Christmas trees. However, I still wanted a Christmas tree for the farm that looked like I had just went out in the woods and chopped it down. I was so excited when I found this one. While it did look exactly like what I wanted online, I was worried about what it would actually look like when I got it out of the box and up. It turned out to be perfect though! And it didn’t cost an arm and a leg!
Santa Art / Let it Snow Pillow / Blue Chair
While I generally stick to only vintage Santas for holiday decor, this one really won me over. He had a vintage, jolly look to him that I couldn’t pass up.
When we cleaned out the basement here, I found another one of those cowboy blankets that I love so much. There used to be three total and one is still MIA, but it was another squealing moment when I found this one. Instead of a traditional tree skirt, I used it to wrap around the base of the Christmas tree.
If you’ve seen one of my Christmas home tours before, then you might remember that we don’t do designer-worthy, color-coordinated Christmas trees around here. We only put ornaments or decorations on our trees that have a special meaning or that we just absolutely love for some reason. With having a whole new tree to decorate at the farm and having added another one to our 70’s Landing Pad this year, I wasn’t sure we would have enough ornaments to cover all three trees.
I was totally wrong though. We had plenty. I did buy a few new ones for here like a vintage looking reindeer that the Circus loved and we also made that bunting garland out of vintage Christmas images we found online, but other than that, this Christmas tree is sporting special ornaments collected over the years. We’ve got the Ninja Turtles from back in the day, plastic toy keys that my dad, uncle and myself all played with when we were kids, real car keys, and of course – small stuffed animals that my Grannie put on her tree for me every year.
The wooden sled was my father-in-law’s when he was a child. It worked perfectly with that other beloved cowboy blanket that was my dad and uncle’s when they were kids. Both the Santa and stocking are vintage finds from over the years. The little vintage melted plastic popcorn Christmas tree peeking out was my Grannie’s. Radio Flyer is on loan from the Circus.
Rug / Ottoman / TV Stand / Wall Sconces / Botanical Art
I love vintage Christmas storybooks and anytime I find one at a good price, I snatch it up.
Rug / Ottoman / Wing Chair / TV Stand / Wall Sconce / Botanical Art
I kept it simple around this area by just draping some greenery over the TV stand and filling some platters and vases with ornaments.
The larger vase is filled with vintage glass ornaments from Grunt’s grandparent’s home that we recently cleaned out. His grandmother just died last week, so they are even more special now. My father-in-law says these are ones that were with them when they lived in Okinawa where his dad was stationed at the time.
Rug / Ottoman / Wing Chairs / Curtains
Pedestal Table / Wing Chair / Cow Pillow
One thing my Grannie always put out every Christmas was her ceramic Christmas tree. This one isn’t hers, but one very similar that I bought years ago because it made me think of her. Putting it at the farm was fitting. I also found a couple of old Christmas cards of theirs that I put in a tray to display during the holidays. I’m on the hunt for more! And to jazz up the lamps a little more, I draped some of those vintage Christmas images over the shades as well.
That’s it for the farm; I’ll have our 70’s Landing Pad Christmas tour up tomorrow. Hope to see you back then!
Up next on the Seasonal Simplicity home tour is Maison de Pax. I guarantee you that Rachel and her holiday decorating will take your breath away! You can also see the full list of tour participants below and hop around to them!
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