Welcome to my final post of this year, The Christmas House Tour (2.0).
Here we go again. I have decorated my house for Christmas not once, but twice in the past two weeks. The funniest thing is ... this is nothing new.
I decorate my house for Christmas at LEAST twice a year. The first time is always for the photos for the blog. Then after a couple of days I get more critical and shift a few things. A week after that I usually move things around again trying to get them as right as possible for someone who has never had a "right" Christmas yet.
Until this year. THIS year Christmas is right. Christmas has been so right it's going to dictate the entire direction of how my house is decorated.
If you missed the first time I decorated my house for Christmas this year, you can see it here. It was a very long time (2 weeks) ago. It's beautiful I highly recommend you look at it.
So I thought ... why not show my phase two? Actually, I can tell you exactly why not - usually by the time I've finished the big overhaul of my decorations I'm too busy or too tired to photograph the house again.
The one thing I didn't have at home for this photoshoot (believe it or not) were fresh baked Christmas cookies. I ate all the ones I baked earlier this month and haven't taken the time to pull some dough out of the freezer to make more yet.
My neighbour brought me 6 of the most delicious homemade cookies I've ever eaten last night. I ate 5 of them in a row. Fast. I feel so ashamed.
Not because I ate 5 cookies, but because these are the kind of cookies you savour, not scarf. It was like chugging a $500 glass of wine.
But the best, the very best thing about her cookies is that her profession is cooking (making ice cream if we're being specific). She owns and runs a small batch ice cream company called Foundry Ice Cream
What that means is I automatically 100% trust her baking ... etiquette.
Yes you know exactly what I mean.
Everyone knows it's impossible to accept a gift of cookies without, just for a split second, wondering what the baker might have licked.
Would you like to save this stuff?
We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.
Not so when your baker is food safety certified.
This is my favourite view in my house. You probably know that since I often take photos in this general direction.
I took some presents out from under the tree and put them in a copper liner and added greenery and magnolia leaves to the candelabras.
Something weird happened with my camera in the living room so the quality of photos is poor.
(I use a Fuji T3 Mirrorless camera) it's normally a great camera. So ... just ignore the quality and graininess of these living room photos and focus on the content, lol.
This whole corner is different, with the oranges that were on the coffee table moving up behind the chair with a wire birdcage over them.
The other thing I changed was the coffee table display because something that I had out before but wasn't featured prominently enough was a big jar of marshmallows.
I have a working fireplace that is lit every single night. I used to keep a bag of marshmallows in the kitchen, when earlier this winter I thought that's stupid - I should keep them in the living room where their massive toaster oven is.
So Christmas Eve if someone wants something sweet ... BAM ... they can stab a marshmallow with one of those marshmallow spears and stick it in the fire.
I'll be keeping the marshmallows out all winter long.
And maybe the train.
This holiday season I'd like to leave you with the living room tree and one thought.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Kwanza and December.
See you in 2023.
Linfy
Merry Christmas to all who share adoration level of engagement with Karen and The Art of Doing Stuff.
My woman crush of all time, bwahahaha.
Did anyone else get the advent calendar late and is now successfully opening each window when they wish too? I opened Day 1 today on Christmas day to get me through January but the video stayed black the three times I tried to view the video. Mind, my internet quality is poor with many shutdowns daily as I use it which might mean it is me and I cannot enjoy the adventure. Any advice will be tried including trekking to the North Pole to have a stern convo with Santa and Mrs. Claus (she really does all the work, hehehe). Thank you for any ideas with my hope of everyone being hale and hearty and having fun during these special holidays of so many lovely cultures.
Karen
Hi Linda. :) It could possibly be your Internet connection. Are you normally able to watch movies, tv or Youtube videos on your computer? ~ karen!
Kathy
Happy everything to you, too, Karen. I love how your home is decorated--it feels real, not commercial. An inspiration in the best sense.
Hope you and your family (including Phillip) have the best possible holiday season. See you next year!
Karen
Thanks Kathy for putting into words how to say that. You're right, that is what I like about it so much. It feels real. Genuine. :) ~ karen!
Thera
Happy Holiday to all!
Tracey
Your Christmas tree is beautiful , I love all of the vintage ornaments .
Merry Christmas
Hettie
A fun tour of your lovely home, Karen. So cosy! I especially liked the marshmallows by the fire and your advice to those participating in cookie exchanges. :D Spot on!
Karen
Thanks Hettie, I'm fond of those two things too, lol. ~ karen!
Jackie
Hi Karen, Thanks for sharing your home & your life with us. Your house always looks great in your posts. I love the ceramic tree in the lantern. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to you & your family.
Kathryn of Canada
Beautiful Christmas decorating, 1st and 2nd time. I kind of do the same thing, constantly moving things around. Especially as I have kids helping me, I just do it quietly when they are in bed. Do you think the food safe neighbour would share the cookie recipe? I know exactly the feeling around home baked goodies as gifts. Your home and pup (who I hope is recovering well,) are so fun to read about all year. Merry Christmas to you, your mum, (I feel I know her) and your handsome dog.
Mary C
Merry Christmas! May Santa’s sack be full and your pups sack empty. See you next year!
Karen
Thanks Kathryn. I'm pretty happy with the decorating this year. As I've mentioned. 😂 I never ask her for her recipes because I'd prefer when cookies magically appear at my door. ~ karen!
Gretchen
Thank you for sharing it all-the good, the bad, and the ugly! The first tour was great—the 2nd was even better! Merry Christmas, happy solstice, and joyful new year!
Karen
Thanks Gretchen! ~ karen
Erin S
Beautiful in every respect, Karen. I feel both envy and inspiration. Thanks for sharing these views into your home. I have a question that I've been wanting to ask for a while: do you or your guests actually eat while sitting on those gorgeous wingback chairs that are pulled up to the white table? Or is that just for looks?
Karen
Hi Erin! Thank you! And I try not to do things just for looks. My house isn't big enough for that, lol. So I do sit in those chairs, but I have to figure out a way to make the table a bit lower or the chairs a big higher for it to be comfortable. That's my jigsaw puzzle doing table in the winter, so I sit there for 10 minutes before bed, do my puzzle and listen to classical music. As it is I have to sit on a stack of pillows, lol. ~ karen!
Jody
Merry merry Christmas to you and all your family. And Philip. And kitty and the chickens. Thank you for all the inspiration and laughs you have provided over the year and I look forward to more of the same in 2023. Just think.....when you return in the new year he days will be longer.
Camille
I love the tree under glass. Thank you for fun and laughs this year.
Karen
Thank you for reading Camille! ~ karen
Jen
Marshmallows in a jar by the sofa is a stroke of genius and everything looks lovely! I never judge any "obsessiveness" you have around anything (because I share it?), but your cookie comment was kooky; who the hell thinks about that when someone gives them cookies? I only worry about the quality (and doesn't everything die at 350 degrees?) because a bad cookie is the saddest thing in the world.
Happy holidays, ya nut! :) xxxx
Karen
Me! I do! Not with everyone though. Just certain people, lol. ~ karen!
Marilyn Meagher
Beautiful always. Charming and warm. Merry Christmas Karen xo
Karen
Thanks Marilyn. You too! ~ karen
Deb
Merry Christmas Karen. Enjoy your time off and all the best in 2023. Quick question, where did you get your marshmallow toasting forks, they are lovely.
Karen
Hi Deb, I got them on Amazon, but I altered them by getting some coloured plastic rings that were on them. ~ karen! Get them here in Canada. Or, Get them here in the US. ~ karen!
Deb
Thanks Karen
Hopefully you have a lovely holiday and get some rest.
Deb
Deb from Maryland
Merry Christmas Karen! Thank you so much for the past year of The Art of Doing Stuff - it was full of entertainment and thoughtfulness and most important, zaniness. 100% appreciate what you do. All my best for you in the new year. xxoo
Barb
Thank you for another year of laughs (especially when greatly needed) and wonderful, creative ideas! Wishing you and your family a warm and wonderful Christmas and good things to come in 2023.