“God rest ye merry gentlemen

Let nothing you dismay

Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day

To save us all from Satan’s powers when we were gone astray

Oh, tidings of Comfort and Joy

Oh, tidings of Comfort and Joy”

So says one of the oldest known Christmas carols, dating back to the 16th century…and yet it rings true for us in this unprecedented Christmas 2020 season.

In the décor world, we’ve talked about the term “cozy” in a whole new way over the past year.  Prominent stores now have entire online shopping sections dedicated to “Cozy Home” or “Homebody” décor and apparel.  The top-selling, sequined, party Christmas apparel seems to have been largely replaced with cute pajamas, soft loungewear, and the fuzziest slippers.  Everything in our world beckons us to “home.”

You can see why Comfort and Joy seemed like the right Christmas theme for this year!  So, grab a cup of coffee and welcome to our Christmas 2020 Home Tour.  We will begin at the front door (though we really should start at the side door, because that’s where our friends enter!)

We added some JOY to our exterior with these big Nutcrackers.  They make me smile when I pull up to our home and I love the way the festive colors pop from our white and black exterior.  We were able to partner with Delaney Hardware for this gorgeous black, Visconti Farmhouse style handle set.  Even those small upgrades really elevate the style and it was great to get our entry all polished up!

Coming in the front door, a subtle “Be Merry” reminder greeted us this season.  I styled up this vintage hardware store cubby with handmade stockings from Penny and Ivy, vintage mirrors, a chippy bench, and fresh greenery clippings.  You can see all the details of our Christmas entryway here.  I’ve enjoyed this space and these sweet little stockings!

Entering our music room to the left, our piano has been busy!  I would say this room has fit the theme of JOY this season!  I’m often asked if we use our piano, to which my reply is, “Come on over at 6:45 a.m. on any weekday!  That’s when the kids’ piano practicing usually begins!”  I’ve enjoyed hearing all three of our kids playing their Christmas songs this year and Robb and I have enjoyed some Christmas music here as well! 

I styled up my apothecary with this vintage “El Shaddai Stables” sign from Rehab Vintage Market.  It was a favorite find from last year and I enjoyed pairing it with this collection of vintage brass horn candlesticks!

If you turn right of out of the entryway, you would enter our family room.  Our family room is definitely a cozy space for COMFORT and being home more this season has allowed for some extra Christmas movies!  You can find all the details on this gallery wall and mantel styling here (hyperlink to mantel/gallery wall post).  Our cozy rug added a lot of texture to this room while keeping the neutral vibes.  It’s like a big, cozy sweater!

The playroom is through the next door and has already hosted some Christmas sleepovers by the tree!  We had a lot of fun turning this into our own little winter wonderland with the help of our King of Christmas tree!  With cousins arriving soon, this room is sure to be packed with extra JOY!

Our kitchen has been a favorite spot this season, with our kitchen island being grand central station!  It has seen everything from wrapping gifts, to painting crafts, to decorating cookies, and salvaging messed-up cookie dough!  We still have some Christmas baking and candy making to do, so this won’t stay looking clean for too long at a time!

I love setting our dining room table.  We have a unique floorplan that allows for two dining spaces, though the big white table in the back is where our family typically eats our evening meals.  Tablescapes are the perfect opportunity to let your friends and family know how special they are.  I’ve tried to share everything from simple centerpieces to elegant place settings.  You can view some of those ideas over on my Instagram page.

Every morning in December our little family has gathered in the back living room for our Advent reading and opening the Advent box.  You can read more about this tradition on this post and why we love it so much!  It’s been a special time and the kids are quick to be ready each morning!  I love to fill the boxes with a mixture of things that hopefully bring some little extra doses of JOY to our kiddos’ days!

Our Christmas tree is my favorite of all our décor.  While our tree itself isn’t anything fancy, it is filled with years of memories.  I have ornaments from my childhood mixed with special ornaments we choose for our kids every year.  Some of our favorites are from special trips and events, like our Alaska summer trip or trips to Disney.  One of my very favorite ornaments is a simple white one that we got in a tiny little shop in Lucerne, Switzerland about 15 years ago!

Our stockings are close by and are going to stuffed full very soon!  Christmas stockings are one of my very favorite things for Christmas.  I’ve linked up some stocking stuffer ideas here for you, in case you’re looking for some last minute ideas!

And we can’t forget the back yard!  We are slowly making progress on turning our back yard space into our own little oasis.  We added this gazebo from SunJoy right before Thanksgiving and it is becoming a favorite spot.  (Shhhh….but Santa might be bringing our family an outdoor movie theater here.  Stay tuned!)

Our home is far from perfect.  There’s still that spot on the family room ceiling that needs repaired and one of the toilets keeps messing up.  We have trim that needs touched up and landscape work that desperately needs completed.  The list is quite long (so if Santa wants to send free help, that would be fine also.  Ha!) 

But our home is perfect for us and with some extra intentionality, is becoming a place of extra Comfort & Joy this season.

Blessings,

Robyn