Do You Need Christmas Decoration Inspiration?

Good morning! Are you decorating for Christmas yet or need a tad more Christmas decoration inspiration to get started? I am with you! Today, I am so happy to be part of a group of blogging friends who are sharing their Christmas decorating inspiration.

Special thanks to Lee @ Sanddollarlane for pulling us all together to share so much with you all!

Welcome if you are joining me from Wendy @At Lane and High. Love how she added cozy into the holidays!

If you are like me, I could just look through Christmas decorating ideas all day long.

Anyone who knows me knows that I go into FULL ON CHRISTMAS DECORATING MODE!

Christmas Decorations don’t need to be expensive or hard.

Here’s some Christmas Decorating Tips to get your started!

• First, Look through your Christmas bins to remind yourself of what’s there. Seriously, I always find surprises that I may not have used last year. That includes gift wrap, too!

• Next, find photos of your home decorated for Christmas in previous years. That’s always a great way to inspire me!

• Plan a day to local shops decorated for Christmas to get you in the “mood” to decorate. Always works for me!

• Next, look for inexpensive ways to create DIY Christmas decorations to your home.

Here’s a DIY Pine Cone tree that has been a favorite Christmas decoration that will be used again this year. These were tucked in on the buffet around the small Christmas trees.

• Look for free classes at your extension office to help extend your budget and/or add a new skill. Last week I attended a free extension class and created this fresh greenery wreath to add to my front door. TIP: Use Wilt Stop spray to preserve fresh greenery.

Here’s the link for the wilt stop…simply click to shop!

Dining Room Christmas Decorations

Today, we were asked to share one room of our home decorated for the holidays. Since I am just beginning to have my theme ready, how perfect to show you how last year’s dining room and kitchen areas were decorated. Right? A great reminder of things I want to include in this year’s plan and still change it to include new touches.

If you followed along last year, one of my favorite recipes and activities were those adorable tiny gingerbread houses.

Here’s the link for the tiny cutters if you’d love to make them. Just click on the photo!

Those gingerbread houses will continue to be a part of the hot chocolate bar. Tradition of making tiny houses instead of large ones began last year. So much easier to make and enjoy eating!

Tiny gingerbread houses were used to decorate trees on the buffet.

Don’t they look perfect?

Three wreaths were added to the front of the hutch doors. This was the calmer version of the table before the red ribbon and glam and glitter arrived for Christmas Day!

Next, I used the houses in a wreath in the center of each place setting. Everyone loved them!

Before the red ribbon, chargers and poppers took over the view.

Do you love the “surprise” of a different look when the gathering arrives? I do! Are you that way, too?

Which Christmas table do you love better?

Those tiny gingerbread houses that were added to the lazy Susan decorations in the center of the table? or Christmas ribbon and ornaments around the center wreath that surrounded a large Christmas bowl with pinecones adding a bit of glitz and glitter to the setting?

Those houses just tied the entire table together.

An overhead view gives you the entire table.

We love Christmas morning “poppers” with gifts inside at each place setting. These offered fun crowns and toys that were enjoyed by all.

Felt stockings replaced the burlap silverware holders to the left of the plates. White cloth napkins were added instead of the printed ones. White plates were removed with red chargers added under clear glass luncheon plates that made Christmas morning more festive.

Since the round table has a built in lazy susan, placemats provided an easier table covering than creating a new tablecloth.

Candlelight on the table always makes things more warm and inviting.

Chair wreaths were added.

The red ribbon from the centerpiece was added to wreaths and attached to the backs of the dining room chairs and the island chairs. The chair wreaths were the same as the wreaths on the hutch tying both areas together.

The island served as both the buffet and the seating for the littles.

I think they loved having the food right in front of them!

Favorite traditional Christmas placemats that have napkins form the legs of the nutcracker and the bottoms of Christmas trees were used for their place settings.

Can I tell you that I purchased these when my boys were little and they still look brand new? I’m still so in love with them.

The nutcracker poppers worked well with their place settings and chair wreaths continued the theme from the dining table.

Those small gingerbread houses were added to the centerpiece on a red and white runner with pine cones, candles and red glittery ornaments finishing the island decorations.

The other side of the island provides the brunch buffet space where those French Muffins are ALWAYS served on Christmas morning!

Here are a few links to help you find similar items.

Click on the photos to shop!

Christmas Inspiration that hopefully inspires you!

This year the changes in the newly remodeled kitchen have inspired me to use more golds, greens and champagne tones. New silverware holders have been purchased to help with that theme.

But I’ll use those same wreaths with that new ribbon, pine cones and pine cone trees in new ways throughout the kitchen.

Copper is also being added into the decorations to transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

Perhaps my favorite inspiration for decorating each year is simply looking back through photos to see what I have done and what I have to create new decorating ideas.

Are you that way, too?

Not as much of a “theme” decorator as some and perhaps more traditional at heart.

And, yes…I’m a bit over the top when you see each room’s decorations. Just can’t get enough of the festive and warm feeling it all brings to our home!

To continue that Christmas Inspiration that we all may need—

Here are a few of my favorite friends inspiring us on decorating their homes for Christmas. Enjoy! Don’t forget to follow Suzy @ Worthing Court for all of her Christmas inspiration next today!

There are amazing posts that you will want to go back and read from those friends who shared on Monday and Tuesday. Today’s group are all amazing! And there’s more inspiration to come back for that will be shared on Thursday and Friday. Don’t miss any of them! They will make you soooo ready for Christmas decorating! Just click on their name to take you directly to each for inspiration.

Sand Dollar Lane  //  2 Bees in a Pod  //  At Home with Kristy  //  Exquisitely Unremarkable
  Our Crafty Mom  //  Hearth and Vine

Zucchini Sisters  //  Postcards from the Ridge  //  Southern Crush at Home  //  Amy Sadler Designs
 Pasha is Home  //  Simple Nature Decor

Worthing Court  //  The Tattered Pew  //  Cottage in the Mitten  //  DIY Beautify
Thistle Key Lane  //  At Lane and High  //  Feet Under My Table

White Arrows Home // Aratari at Home // White Lilac Farmhouse
Cottage on Bunker Hill // Bricks ‘n Blooms

My Family Thyme  //  Southern Home and Hospitality  //  Songbird //  Shiplap and Shells
Chalking Up Success  //  Pure Happy Home

Aren’t they all the best?

Are you a tree up before Thanksgiving or after? I’m finding myself moving quickly to the BEFORE group after all of this inspiration!

Happy Christmas Decorating, Friends!

This post contains affiliate shopping links to help you shop for some of the items that I have found helpful. Simply click on the link to shop! No additional cost for you, but may provide a tiny commission to the blog.