Cozy Holiday Home Tour | Christmas in Charlotte

I️f you’ve been following along for a while, you probably know I️’m a little obsessed with Christmas. I️ have been particularly excited this year because we just moved into a new house that has better spaces to decorate and add more lights (like prelit garland on two staircases) – you can never have enough! One thing I️ am pretty proud of, though, is the fact we only bought a few new holiday decor items this season – nearly all of it is recycled from previous years…I️ just changed up how I️ decorate a bit! Keep reading for some of my tips for refreshing your Christmas decor year after year and then follow the links to check out some of my favorite bloggers’ cozy holiday home tours.

Last Year’s Holiday Home Tour

How to Refresh Your Holiday Decor Without Breaking the Bank

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Our new house is actually a smidge smaller than our last house, but the layout is better and it’s more traditional, with built-ins and hardwoods throughout the downstairs and lots of windows. I️ knew from the moment I️ laid eyes on it that I️ wanted to put a beautiful tree in the large front window! We continued our tradition of getting a real tree for the front room, but since we have tall ceilings in this house, we were able to go big and went with a 9-foot tree. I️ actually like keeping things simple on the real tree, so after putting lights on, I️ reused the red deco mesh I saved from our artificial tree last year. I️ then added accents of buffalo check ribbon leftover from making a wreath bow last year.

TIP: Save the ribbon from your tree when you’re taking it down and wrap it around a paper towel roll to keep it in good shape.

Cozy Holiday Home: Living Room

I️ was a little intimidated with the living room built-ins, thinking I️ didn’t have enough holiday decor to fill the space. Once I️ pulled everything out of the boxes, I️ realized we actually had quite a bit! I️ took some time to move things around on the shelves until I️ liked the placement and overall, I️’m happy with how it turned out. I️ definitely want to work on styling the built-ins for future holidays, but I️ just didn’t have time this year (nor did I️ want to spend any more money!).

TIP: Lay out all of your decor and think about how you can change it up. If you usually put a decor piece in the same spot each year, try putting it somewhere different to freshen it up!

Our living room tree is my beloved artificial tree that has white and multicolored lights – I️ had no idea when we bought it that I️’d love that feature so much! But when you have young kids, they beg for colored lights, so this is a nice way to compromise – and when they’re in bed, the lights are quickly turned back to white.

TIP: If you like artificial trees, consider one that has a color-changing option – this way, you can change it up frequently without having to invest in another tree to enjoy both a white and color light option.

I️ always shop Hobby Lobby’s holiday floral and ribbon when it’s 50% off (which is most of November and December) and pick up a few accents for the artificial tree. This year, I️ grabbed new deco mesh to give this tree a totally different look than last year and I spent less than $10. I️ also picked up a few more wired floral sprays to stick in the tree for added flair. Sometimes when I️ look at old photos of this tree, I️ can hardly believe it’s the same – the deco mesh and floral pieces transform the look entirely!

TIP: Shop holiday decor sales and pick up accents like ribbon and floral sprays to give your tree a new look each year.

Cozy Holiday Home: Entryway

The one thing we DID buy for this new house was more (…a lot more) pre-lit garland. We have two staircases and needed garland to decorate the bannisters. In our last house, we basically only added garland to our mantel since the stairs were not in a highly visible location – so we had very little on hand. We ended up having to buy several 9′ and 18′ garlands, and I️ also picked up a battery-operated pre-lit garland for the mantel so we wouldn’t have cords hanging down. Worth every penny!

TIP: If you can wait until Thanksgiving weekend to decorate, grab your garland on Black Friday, it’s usually deeply discounted!

Cozy Holiday Home: Kitchen

I️ was able to reuse the mini kitchen wreaths from our last house since we have around the same amount of cabinets. I️ did pick up new ribbon this year, because our new cabinets are much taller and I️ needed to have longer pieces of ribbon to hang the wreaths. I️ found a pretty red and white candy stripe ribbon, which is what I️ was looking for the past two years but had trouble finding! You can read my full kitchen Christmas wreath tutorial here for inspiration.

We also snagged a pencil tree for our kitchen on Black Friday. We have an embarrassingly large collection of Starbucks ornaments collected over the years and decided we wanted to give them their own tree. A pencil tree fits into the corner of our breakfast nook perfectly…and from the kitchen table, I️ can actually see all three Christmas trees. The dream!

TIP: Ribbon is such an inexpensive way to revamp your holiday decor. Catch it on sale and refresh your bows and ribbon garlands throughout your home.

Cozy Holiday Home: Bedroom

Lastly, we are big decorators, so it’s no surprise that we like to bring a little holiday festiveness to our bedrooms and bathrooms too. Last year, we got a set of flannel holiday sheets from Target…but then we got a bigger bed this year, so we ended up getting another set of sets because they are amazing. We also picked up Grinch flannel sheets for the girls’ room and a Grinch picture from Hobby Lobby to pull it all together. They also have a mini tree that they decorate and it sits on their dresser.

TIP: Simple touches throughout your house can amp up the festiveness and provide a cozy holiday home. Pick up holiday-themed bedsheets when they’re on sale (possibly even post-holidays for next Christmas), and all it takes is a $10 mini tree to bring so much joy and excitement to your kids!

It’s time for a Holiday Home Hop! Stop by my friends’ homes on this “cozy” home tour:

Cozy Christmas Home Tour Tex Mex Mom
Simple Christmas Decorations Home Tour Live Well Play Together
Cozy Christmas Tour in Charlotte Dreams + Coffee
Cottage Style Christmas Decor Coffee, Pancakes & Dreams
A Cozy Christmas Home to Inspire You Miss Sue Living
Embracing Your Sentimental Christmas Decorations Lake Life State of Mind
Cozy Holiday Home Tour Keri Lynn Snyder