There’s something especially sweet about decorating a home for your first holiday season in it. It ranks right up there with spotting the first spring blooms at a new place (I basically shout from the window like a game announcer: “Over on the left — A PATCH OF DAFFODILS!”). But back to the holiday house tour: the place is feeling cozy and festive.
This move meant serious downsizing and simplifying, so figuring out what fits where in our smaller house became an interesting puzzle. We even donated our beloved wide artificial tree after hauling it here because it simply didn’t fit any room without blocking traffic flow. We’d already let go of a lot of things, so parting with that oversized tree felt surprisingly doable.
At first we considered getting a real tree — no storage, right? — but then we remembered you still need to store the stand, lights, and ornaments. Local fresh trees were either too wide at the base or too short, so we ended up with a charming little potted tree upstairs, decorated with felt ornaments and lights. It was just $20 from the garden center and can be planted outside after the season.
We still wanted a fuller tree, so I went on a quest for a realistic-looking faux tree that was narrow enough for our rooms but still tall enough to feel substantial. It was a classic Goldilocks situation: height vs. width vs. realism. Eventually we found a 6.5ft option that struck the right balance and landed it near the fireplace downstairs.
We originally thought the larger tree would go upstairs in the family room, but after trying both spots it felt right by the downstairs fireplace, while the small potted tree brightens the upstairs desk area. We gather in that downstairs room most evenings with the fireplace (really candles) lit, so having the tree there adds to the cozy vibe. It also glows nicely from the street through a ground-level window, which is a pleasant bonus.
The tree we found was a last-in-stock find and felt like a lucky break. The branches have an impressively realistic design — I want people to touch it and still doubt that it’s fake. It came “potted” in a faux-cement planter, which looked a bit too formal for our space, so we nested it in a woven storage basket we already owned to soften the look and add texture.
We positioned the tree so there’s still room to walk behind it to close curtains or reach the cabinet under the window. Unlike our old house, this tree isn’t shoved in a corner, which meant we could decorate all sides. The best surprise: every ornament that used to hang on our much larger tree fits on this new, narrower one. That was a small moment of holiday elation.
I worried I’d have to significantly pare down ornaments since many are sentimental or handmade, so being able to bring the bin we did move and use almost everything felt magical. We only moved one large holiday bin, stored in a kitchen utility closet that also holds the HVAC system and paint cans. Most decor pieces are items we’ve owned for years — the white planter for the upstairs tree, a wooden dough bowl of shiny ornaments, and bottlebrush trees all came right out of storage, along with the kids’ felt ornaments.
So aside from the new faux tree downstairs and the small live potted tree upstairs, we didn’t buy anything new. The faux tree breaks down into three pieces that fit under our bed, and since the potted tree can be planted outside, storage won’t be a headache in January. It feels like we passed a first-holiday-in-a-smaller-home test without sacrificing festivity.
The little upstairs tree is full of the kids’ felt ornaments, similar to how we decorated a bonus-room tree in our previous house. It sits on a console near the kids’ desks, so they get to enjoy it while they do schoolwork. We turn it on each morning and leave it glowing until bedtime, and that daily routine has made it feel like part of our new normal.
Every room has a little seasonal touch — feather trees, glass trees, bottlebrush trees — so the whole house quietly whispers “it’s festive in here.” Even the bathroom gets a small vignette with a free evergreen branch in a gold cup, a candle, and two ceramic trees on the window ledge.
In the kitchen, I tucked small trees onto two white shelving systems so you can spot several little groupings at a glance. Other small glass and wooden trees are placed on the entry table where they’re visible from outside when lit, adding evening curb appeal.
We haven’t installed a mantel yet, so for now the kids’ stockings are looped over the laundry nook door handles. My goal is to add a mantel — even a temporary one — before the holidays, so that’s a project to watch for. Outside, our “boots with the fir” keep making appearances on the front porch; they’re now in their fifth year with us and have graced three different porches. This year they’re next to a lemon tree and sometimes host tiny lizards.
I missed a wreath-making event this year, so I ordered a wreath form and plan to try a DIY magnolia wreath using leaves from trees around our house. I’m oddly excited to experiment — it could be wonderful or a total flop, but I’m game to try.
Outside, aside from the porch boots and our year-round string lights, we wrapped a small exterior tree with leftover outdoor lights, creating a warm glow that feels almost like it should stay up year-round. Inside, battery-operated candles fill every window for an extra seasonal touch.
So that’s our first holiday decorating effort in the new house: a magnolia wreath and a mantel for stockings are likely next, along with the usual small trees dotted through the rooms. It’s cozy, pared back, and still feels thoroughly festive — exactly what we were hoping for.