There are two types of people in New England: those who cling to summer and go kicking and screaming into the colder, darker months and those who for whom summer’s end awakens the soul.
I am in the latter group. Handan? Probably not so much, since she hails from the warm Aegean coast of Western Turkey. But Christmas makes the cold easier for her to tolerate, because it gives us an excuse not only to decorate for the holiday, but to fill the house with light.
So let the sun set early, because we have a fireplace, and we have light. We have warmth and coziness within ourselves, and that is how we decorate for the season.
Join us now as we take a little peak at The Navage Patch dressed up for Christmas. We’ve included source lists for each photo in the caption.
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We have a covered front portico, and it’s a perfect place to stage a festive welcome. This scene is a mixture of old and new, of found, bought and crafted. We made those big gift boxes after seeing them for sale in the Grandin Road catalog for more money than we were willing to spend! The sled, the ice skates and the dolls were all found at Put & Take.
Grandin Road Inspired DIY Outdoor Christmas Gifts | Nutcracker | Christmas Lamp Post | Vintage Sled | 4-foot pre-lit porch trees (with urns)
We recently bought a new console table for the entry from World Market, and it’s perfect for the space. We didn’t want to overcrowd it, so we kept the decorations to a minimum.
Console Table | LED Candles | Metal Frame House Candle Holder | Sugar Pine Cones | Reindeer Tealight Holders
Handan made these decorations from birch bark we scavenged in the forest, but you can always find birch bark on Amazon.
These LED flickering candles are some of the best we’ve found. They give a beautiful warm light, they flicker realistically, and they can be programmed with the included remote control.
In our dining room, we put a small alpine tree that Handan made a few years back from an old faux Christmas tree that someone had left at Put & Take. There’s another console in the dining room – a farmhouse style console that I built earlier in the year. We still have some of Handan’s beautiful spring botanical printables hanging on the wall. There are 6 of them there, perfectly lined up in a gallery wall. Okay, so you may be wondering why we’re still displaying our spring printables with Christmas creeping up. The answer is in the mail. Seriously! We’re waiting for Handan’s new Christmas printables to be delivered so we can swap them out.
You can’t decorate for Christmas without green and red!
We found this lantern at a tag sale a few years ago. It’s perfect for a flickering LED candle.
It’s so much more fun to decorate our farmhouse dining table than our old circular table! Handan made the centerpiece using some of our DIY rustic wood stars, LED candles and stars and a faux eucalyptus garland.
Dining Chairs | Table Runner | DIY Rustic Wooden Stars | LED Pillar Candles | Faux Eucalyptus Garland
Our restored antique china cabinet hosts a few DIY whimsical Christmas trees and a faux poinsettia. The real ones are nice and all, but honestly, the faux look just as good, and they last a heck of a lot longer! Ahh, that golden late afternoon light!
DIY Whimsical Christmas Trees | Faux Poinsettia | Plaid Basket (from Target dollar spot)
Our biggest DIY rustic wood star light stands proudly in front of a decorative panel on the vintage buffet table we made-over earlier in the year.
DIY Rustic Wood Stars and Star Lights | White Washed Carved Floral Wood Wall Decor | Red Berry Pine Needle Garland | Reindeer Tealight Holders
This little scene sits atop a small cabinet behind my seat at the dining table.
Our fireplace and mantel are the focal point of the living room. There’s nothing better than a winter fire to take the chill out of our bones. This year, we’ve flanked the fireplace with our DIY lighted Christmas signs. The mantel only takes us 5 minutes to set up each year. Too good to be true? Check out how we do it here!
5 Minute Mantel | DIY French Country Style Mirror | Reindeer | DIY Lighted Christmas Signs | Large Colorful Christmas Bells | Floor Lanterns | Simple DIY Nativity Scene
It wouldn’t be Christmas without my simple DIY Nativity scene. I love these guys!
5 Minute Mantel | DIY French Country Style Mirror | Reindeer | DIY Lighted Christmas Signs | Large Colorful Christmas Bells | Floor Lanterns | Simple DIY Nativity Scene
This year, we’re skipping a big Christmas tree, as time and space constraints demand a more low-key approach. But this was our tree two years ago! Handan is a master at trimming a Christmas tree – and I’m talking about both meanings of the word “trimming!” Check out how she does it here! Next year we’ll again have a tree, so we have a whole year to plan where to put it and how to decorate it!
Ahhh, sunset. It’s when our house and yard come alive, no matter the season! Our DIY lighted Christmas stars help to keep our entrance warm and bright.
Grandin Road Inspired DIY Outdoor Christmas Gifts | Nutcracker | Christmas Lamp Post | Vintage Sled | 4-foot pre-lit porch trees (with urns) | DIY Lighted Christmas Star
The cool white stars balance the warm pillar candles at night.
Dining Chairs | Table Runner | Centerpiece Tray | DIY Rustic Wooden Stars | LED Pillar Candles | LED Stars | Faux Eucalyptus Garland
DIY Rustic Wood Stars and Star Lights | White Washed Carved Floral Wood Wall Decor | Red Berry Pine Needle Garland | Reindeer Tealight Holders | Glass European Architectural House | Starry Lights
These little reindeer tealight holders are perfect for decorating a scene or the dining table.
These rustic metal reindeer are the best!
DIY Wood Star Light | White Washed Carved Floral Wood Wall Decor | Red Berry Pine Needle Garland | Rustic Metal Reindeer
DIY Rustic Wood Star Lights | White Washed Carved Floral Wood Wall Decor | Red Berry Pine Needle Garland | Red Pickup Truck | Reindeer Tealight holders
Fire and light – it’s what the season is all about!
5 Minute Mantel | DIY French Country Style Mirror | Reindeer | DIY Lighted Christmas Signs | Large Colorful Christmas Bells | Floor Lanterns | Simple DIY Nativity Scene
We love the starry lights on the faux sheepskin rug. It doesn’t get much simpler than that!
DIY Rustic Wood Star Light | Starry Lights | DIY Lighted Christmas Signs | Floor Lanterns | Faux Sheepskin Rug | Rustic Santa
Handan and I hope you enjoyed our Very Merry Christmas Home Tour, and we wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas, a Happy Holiday Season and a Prosperous and Healthy New Year!
Ready for more Christmas inspiration? Then click on over to our friends’ blogs and see how they’re decorating this season! We’d like to give a special thanks to Carrie at Lovely Etc., for organizing this awesome blog hop!
All Things With Purpose | Lovely Etc. | Love and Renovations | Thrifty & Chic | Up to Date Interiors | Casa Watkins Living
Green With Decor | Boxy Colonial | Bigger Than The Three of Us | Our House Now a Home | The Navage Patch (You are here)
Chatfield Court | Lehman Lane | Redhead Can Decorate | Designing Vibes | A Brick Home
House by Hoff | Create and Find | Making it in the Mountains | Twelve on Main | What Meegan Makes
Amber Tysl | The Striped House | Houseful of Handmade | Little House of Four | Avenue Laurel
Catherine Williams says
You two have a beautiful home and are so clever. I love Christmas, would you like to adopt a little Welsh girl? I’m not as old as i look and tall for my age hee hee. xx
Greg says
Where do we sign? 😀
Catherine Williams says
Ha ha you are brave ,Tony says you would soon send me back.
Carrie says
Everything looks so cozy and beautiful! I love all of the beautiful candles and twinkle lights especially – perfect for breaking up the winter gloom. And I am always jealous of the great stuff you find at the put and take! If only we had one here.
Greg says
Thank you so much, Carrie! 🙂
Marcia says
Sooooo warm and cozy. Just great!!!
Greg says
Thank you, Marcia!
[email protected] says
How charming is that little nativity set?! Love it! Everything looks great 🙂
Greg says
Thank you, Gretchen! 🙂
Giselle says
I love your use of light, it makes such a huge difference! Since you are already adopting a little Welsh girl I’ll just ask that you come to my house and do the decorating for me!
Greg says
Sure, we’ll be right up!
chris tucker says
omg you guys, i was singing silent night and jingle bells through your whole house, so utterly gorgeous and wondrous, the only thing we have done so far is take the blow mold punkin off of the front porch and put blow mold frosty out with a 700 watt light in him that i think you can see from space lol, hopefully this week end we will get the tubs full of stuff spread around the house, ho ho ho xx
Greg says
thank you, Chris! So your frosty must be the cause of the weird glow I see on the southwestern horizon each December night!
Michele L. says
Hi Greg & Handan
What a beautiful tour of your home! Everything is so creative,warm, & cozy.I loved every part of your home. I better get busy decorating my own home before Christmas sneaks up on me. Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to you as well.
Greg says
Thank you, Michele! Handan and wish you a Merry Christmas as well!
susan says
I just want to grab a martini, sit in your living room and listen to Christmas music by the fire. It’s truly lovely! All I’ve done is think about Christmas ?.
Guess I need to get my merry on! A very Merry Christmas to you both!
Greg says
It’s what I do every night! Merry Christmas to you, Susan!
Tara @ Lehman lane says
What a beautiful tree, Your home looks so cozy & magical all lit up!
Greg says
Thank you so much, Tara! 🙂
Gina says
Whimsical and wonderful! I love the elegant simplicity of the decor and the vintage charm of the lighting choices. As always a joy to read and a feast for the frustrated inner amateur “stringing up the lights” interior designer in all of us. May the season continue to bring you all joy and good company! Gina D.
Greg says
Thank you, Gina! Lighting is definitely our thing. As Handan says, “Lights are my glitter!” We hope you, Angelo and the girls have a wonderful Christmas!
Erica says
Everything looks so magical, my friend. Your fireplace is absolutely stunning. Beautiful tour!
Greg says
Thank you, Erica! 🙂
Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces says
Lovely home tour…full of beauty and creativity! Thank you for all of the fun projects you share!
Greg says
Thank you, Linda!
Mary says
Beautifully done Handan and Greg. Those lit stars are fantastic. It’s all about the lighting in your home this year. It creates such a warm and soft atmosphere.
Greg says
Thank you, Mary! We sure do love to play with light around here! 🙂
Kathy says
So many amazing Christmas vignettes! Your holiday fireplace is amazing! And I love your front porch and seeing all of the lights at night! Beautiful home tour.
Greg says
Thank you so much, Kathy!
Beth says
Wow, that fireplace mantel is seriously stunning! And your home at night is so pretty and warm!
Greg says
Thank you so much, Beth! 🙂
[email protected] says
I’ve been wanting to get some of the LED candles! I love the set you have. Also, I adore your fireplace decorations! So gorgeous! Merry Christmas!
Greg says
Hi Ashley, thank you so much! Yeah those candles are the best – we’re pretty much addicted to them! 🙂