holiday decor: are you sentimental or stylish?

Christmas tree 2013

This is the time of year that everyone starts posting photos of their holiday decorations, but in my house we don't start decorating until a couple days before Christmas. In fact, it is not unheard of for us to wait to trim the tree until Christmas Eve. As a result my tree photos are on a year delay. 

Last year my family downsized our tree (we always get a real one) and banished it to the foyer in an effort to minimize everyone's allergic reactions. (Since the living room is only separated from the foyer by a glass door, we could still see the tree while opening presents on Christmas Day.) With the tree in a less prominent position, my mom yielded the decorating decisions to me and my sister who took the tree in a slightly different direction than normal.

We skipped the fancy ornaments and instead decorated solely with our personal favorites, most of which are handmade and somewhat fuzzy. There were sheep with cinnamon stick legs, felt gingerbread girls, a teeny Christmas sweater on an equally tiny metal hanger, and a little rocking horse with a tail made from rabbit fur. These are all beloved items because they were given as gifts and so they hold many memories. In the case of the rocking horse, I loved it so much as a kid that I pet it until most of its tail fell off.

I also like to bring out Christmas books to use both as decoration and for something seasonal to read by the fire. Like the ornaments, the books are a reminder of past holidays. My absolute favorite is The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree by Gloria Houston and with the incredible illustrations of Barbara Cooney. If you don't already have a copy of it in your house, I highly recommend wrapping a copy and putting it under your tree for the young members of your family.

As I'm sure you've guessed by now, my holiday decorating is definitely more sentimental than stylish. While my family's holiday decor is never going to get a spread in a magazine, for the few weeks that it is up we are surrounded by memories of love and family. How do you like to decorate for the holidays? Share your favorite ornaments, holiday traditions, or books in the comments!