Knock! Knock! Come on in. It’s cold out there!

I’m excited to show you our home dressed up for the holidays.

No matter how elaborate or simple, I LOVE seeing other people’s decorations. And I think this year, especially, we need a sense of normalcy. So I’m keeping the tradition alive of welcoming you into ours.

THE LARGEST CHRISTMAS DECOR STORE IN ILLINOIS

This is my third holiday in a row going to TreeTime – the LARGEST Christmas decor store in Illinois. I try to build onto our holiday decorations by adding one new thing every year.

I’ve found investing in one or two quality staples year after year, takes you much further than buying lots of budget friendly trinkets. AKA – slow and steady wins the race.

That’s why I just love Treetime. EVERYTHING looks real and made to last. The owner, Laurie Kane, is THE BEST and her right hand decorator, Cassie Nickolas, is SO talented in her displays. It’s inspiration to the max and worth a trip to Barrington (a northern suburb) if you live in the Chicagoland area.

Now scroll below to see each room!

And to get even more ideas and how my style has progressed, check out my previous holiday home tours at the very bottom of this post.

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The Entryway

Melissa just designed our vestibule so I couldn’t WAIT to add a cheery pop to this tiny spot! I scored these vintage skis on Craigslist a few years ago. I love how they make for a whimsical welcome by placing them in the our umbrella stand!

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Details: Penelope’s smocked dress {obsessed with this one too} c/o // red cardigan {comes in white too} c/o // custom front door ornament c/o // gift tags c/o

Our New Tree

So after one year of SWEARING we’d only do real trees, we caved! That didn’t last long did it?! LOL. Given I need to photograph content early, the convenience of an artificial one is just too good. Especially when it looks REAL.

Here’s why we love it!

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The lights are already attached so set up is a breeze. And they have color changing capabilities that allow you to switch between white and color depending on your mood!

Small Space Hack: Thanks to Lauri’s advice, we went with a slim and tall tree given the size and shape of our living room. Having the extra floor space is SO nice with a toddler. Since it’s tall in height and we filled it out with ornaments, trimmings and tree skirt, it gives you the optical illusion of having a fuller size tree!

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An entire post will be dedicated on how to add ribbon, twigs, picks and garland. Treetime gave me their secret formula for getting that catalog worthy look. So stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, here’s the quick and dirty version: I used a variety of picks (they can be used on artificial and real trees) and a very nice ribbon. The twigs are the icing on top and give you a dimensional feel!

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Stairwell

We love placing this tall, skinny tree on our landing {ours is the three foot size)! They claim it fits anywhere. You see it right when you walk in the door and it feels so cozy.

My stairwell garland is actually old. I decided to place last year’s garland on our front porch. After my trip to Treetime this year, I found out it’s indoor/outdoor friendly and has built in lights. Will work perfectly on our front porch!

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Mudroom

Since we just spruced up our breakfast nook with Calico, I just planted an Amaryllis bulb inside a vintage chinoiserie planter. It has since bloomed four flowers and quite simple.

Up Next

We still have a few things left to do…like hang wreaths, stockings, outside garland and wrap REAL presents. Penelope’s tree is up too but her room was a BOMB when Mary (my photographer) came. So I’m saving it for next time.

Have you decorated for the holidays yet? Or are you waiting till after Thanksgiving?

Regardless, it feels good to be ahead of the game for once. And can you believe Thanksgiving is NEXT week?!! Blasphemy!

P.S. See past holiday home tours here, here and here!

Photos by Chicago Andrea Creative

A huge thanks to Treetime for partnering on this post!