I have always loved Christmas. When I was young, my mother fashioned warm, twinkling days filled with parties, wreath making, gift wrapping and anise cookie making- creating memories I will forever hold dear. The hubby and I lived in Poughkeepsie, NY for years and even though only a handful of people visited during the season we still decked out our place from top to bottom. Lets just say that Adam adores Christmas, as much as I do; this year he spent countless days orchestrating an outdoor light show that slows down every car that passes!
My love of saturated color and details galore is quite evident in the Christmas décor I have been perfecting for years. When we moved back to our hometown four years ago, we built a home made for the holidays and entertaining. We wanted our home to be a haven for loved ones. Each November, yes,(gasp) at least one week before Thanksgiving, Adam and I begin the decorating craziness that typically takes 2 weeks to complete. The result however are rooms filled with twinkling garlands, porcelain villages, holiday photo collages and yes, 6 Christmas trees…
The main tree in our great room is 9 feet tall and filled with completely mismatched but cherished family heirloom ornaments.One of my favorites is the “fat ballerina”!
Every year friends visit to help trim the tree – this year my best friend since grade school, Maria, brought her son Zach – He was such a good helper!
The ochre hand-painted stripes in this room seem to just glow with warmth when the tree is lit.
No room is left untouched by Christmas! Here the master bedroom is detailed with feather wreaths and trees, a blue and white skinny tree and bowls of pearly white ornaments. Many ornaments on the skinny tree were my Nana’s. She was very resourceful in her day and used anything available to tie ornaments to her tree. I have left all her original “ornament hooks” in tact – even the yellow yarn and twisty ties!
The dining room décor boasts rich shades of purple and gold. Pictured here is one of my 6 “Snowman” bowls from a collection by Artist and friend Stefanie Elizabeth. These cherished bowls hang from the entry stairs garland (tune in next week to see more). Even Sir Michael is in the festive mood with his Santa hat!
I have an obsession with Chili peppers so it was only natural for me to have a Chili Pepper tree in the kitchen! Our many travels out west have give me the chance to collect some very quirky chili ornaments. One of my favs is this Snowman that I picked up at the Christmas Store in Santa Fe. Other favorites are the glitter chilies from my favorite shop in Moab, Earth Studio
Check in next week for An Artful Christmas Part II. The sun room, the bathroom tree, the entry and maybe a look at Adam’s outdoor adventures!
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