Christmas 2016 Home Tour
Hello, my friends!
Welcome to December!
You know, I love blogging and connecting with all of you digitally; but what I’d really love, in the perfect world, would be to have a little party and welcome you all in for a little Christmas cheer.
Since I can’t quite figure out how I’m going to make that happen, we’re going to have to have our little shindig virtually! So welcome to my Christmas 2016 Home Tour and Open House. I am beyond tickled to have you here.
Flora will be the first to greet you when you arrive at Chez Spencer. Once you’re done paying the appropriate attention to her, I’ll be the next to greet you in the foyer with a cup of warm wassail to take the chill off.
The foyer features two of my favorite Christmas decorations. The vintage ornaments on this little tree, which we have endearingly named ‘the funky little tree’, are a collection of ones passed down from my family, Terry’s family as well as some I’ve purchased in antique stores. The Mark Roberts Fairy was a gift from my mom and dad, they always find great additions for my all of my collections. He is one of my very favorites.
I’ll lead you from the foyer into the den for some sweets next to our Christmas tree.
You’ll probably recognize those Coconut Christmas Tree Cookies from the post earlier this week.
This is the second batch I’ve made. Seems my ever-so-picky 17-year old son REALLY likes these cookies.
Our tree, much like the rest of our home, is rather eclectic; there is a little bit of everything on that tree. We have many elephants on our tree because Rob has always loved elephants.
And a few ladybugs as Kate went through a ladybug phase.
We have ornaments that we’ve collected from our travels and ornaments that have been given to us as gifts. We have Tabasco bottles because my son loves hot sauce on everything, we have footballs because my husband loves football, we have a watermelon for Kate and an avocado for me. See…I told you it was an eclectic tree!
While every year we add a few new ornaments, our tree doesn’t really change from year to year. We love the tradition of all of our ornaments and it’s a family affair of decorating the tree. Truthfully, Kate and I do the majority of the tree decorations; but we set aside the boys’ ornaments so that they can put them up.
One thing I did a little different this year was to add some ribbon through the tree. I followed the advice from Kristen at Ella Claire and cut my ribbon into 3 foot sections. It made it so easy to achieve the look that the ribbon has been woven through the tree this way. I am now a ‘ribbon in the tree’ convert! I love how it looks. It really adds something that I hadn’t realized was missing all these years.
Our mantle is the perfect place for Santa to keep watch over the proceedings.
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I painted him last year because that space really cried out for a Santa portrait! (Prints of Santa are available on Society 6 here). I still love the felt garland I made last year, but this year I added some lights to the garland. And my ornament topiaries came back for an encore as well!
Each of our stockings is different, but they all have one thing in common…they were made with love. My mom made Kate’s and Rob’s for their first Christmas and mine when I was a wee tike. Terry’s mom made his when he was a young boy. You’ll notice that my stocking has the enviable quality of being able to stretch to twice it’s length!
And as we leave the den, you’ll surely want to partake in a molasses cookie. But make sure you leave one for Santa!
From the den we’ll head into the kitchen, where we know the real party is. No matter how hard I try to move folks into the den, the dining room or the porch; why is it that the party is always in the kitchen?
I love this runner that I found in a brocante/second-hand shop in France several years back. It’s perfect for the ‘old world’ Santas that reside on my kitchen table during the Christmas season.
Make sure you help yourself to a gingerbread man cookie and some sweets while you’re in the kitchen.
The Santa nesting dolls were a gift from my parents from their travels to Russia several years ago.
I just couldn’t resist setting up this little village when I came across these tiny copper mugs.
And because I can’t leave well enough alone, they inspired me to get crafty and make some ‘copper’ pots of my own. I’ll be back with this super easy diy next week.
Well my friends, thanks so much for coming by to share some Christmas cheer with me today. It was really lovely to have you here. If you are looking for even more holiday decorating ideas, check out this Christmas tour of my home that I did the year after I posted this one for a plethora of ideas!
Remember those Progressive Dinner Parties? Are those still a thing? Well, I have some friends who are also opening their homes…right at this very minute too. So, it’s a bit like a Progressive Open House…right? Anyway, pop over and visit their homes. I’m sure you’ll come away with some wonderful ideas and full of Christmas cheer.
A Home To Grow Old In | Hey Fitzy | Nourish and Nestle |
The Aspiring Home | The Red Painted Cottage | Savvy Apron
I have published printable PDFs of several of my most popular knit patterns and printables and have made those available to all of my subscribers. Come back and check every now and again. I will continue to add patterns and printables to this page as we go along.
So, if you’d like to get in on the ‘subscriber benefit’ action, simply subscribe to Nourish and Nestle using the form on the right sidebar. It’s towards the top a bit. Or, you can subscribe by clicking the box right below. I have sent all my subscribers the link to the Subscriber Benefits Library, but if you missed it or misplaced it, drop me a line.
Until next time,
Lynn, your home looks cozy and beautiful! I’ve already bought several rolls of ribbon to use on our tree so I’ll have to try your trick when I put it up. And, I LOVE your painted Santa over the fireplace! You are seriously talented, my friend! Wish I could join you in person for a little Christmas party!
Wouldn’t it be great to get together for the holidays! We’ll have to work on that.
And do the ribbon trick. It made it so easy. Can’t wait to see what your tree looks like…did you get it this weekend?
Thanks for swinging by today my friend. Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas.
Hugs, LYnn
It’s beautiful, Lynn! Thanks for the tour. 🙂
Hi Stacy, thanks for swinging by today and for your kind compliments.
Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas.
Hugs, LYnn
You really are an artist! I can’t believe that you painted him! Your home looks so cozy and beautiful for Christmas. The copper looks perfect!
Hi Sherry, thanks for coming by and thanks for your very sweet compliment. I do love that Santa. I’d keep him up all year, but that might be a bit too much.
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas my friend.
Hugs, LYnn
Hi Lynn,
Thank you for sharing your beautiful home with us. It looks warm, inviting, and perfect for the holidays. I have been admiring your Santa over the fireplace and stopped in my tracks when I read that you painted it yourself. You are seriously talented my friend!!!
I have always used ribbon in my tree and love the look it creates. Every year I struggle to get it just right. Can’t believe I never thought of cutting it into section to create the woven look. You can bet I am trying that next!!
Thank you for sharing your beautiful home and happy holidays to your entire family!
Hi Tammy, Like you I am glad to have our home decorated for Christmas. Now I can settle in and enjoy the holidays…and shop…and bake. Thanks for swinging by today!
Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas.
Hugs, LYnn
Your home looks lovely and festive! I love reading about your holiday traditions, and why is is that everyone congregates in the kitchen, I have a pet peeve on that! Merry Christmas!
Hi Nicki, thanks so much for swinging by today. I am glad to have my home decorated and now I can settle in for the holidays. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas my friend.
Hugs, Lynn
Lynn what a lovely and cozy home you have. The Christmas tree is gorgeous and so much nicer than any designer type tree with meaningless baubles. Tobasco sauce? Haha! Love the elephants too. I cannot believe you painted Santa, you are truly talented my friend.
Hi Mary, and I’m so glad to have you here today! We do love all the different ornaments on our tree…there is a little bit of everything on it. The only downside is that my tree keeps getting bigger and bigger to accommodate our growing collection. I do think that next year I’ll be adding a second tree of some sort.
Many hugs my friend,
Lynn
Lynn, your home is magical and so beautiful all decorated for the most wonderful time of year! That tree! Oh my it’s immense and so so lovely with all of those unique ornaments collected over the years, I really love that! And not to mention the treats! Lynn, I want to get on that plane and be greeted by Flora at your entrance!! Happy Holidays friend 🙂
Flora would love to greet you, as would I! I had a fun time decorating, but am glad it is all done. Now I need to get started on Christmas shopping and present wrapping. How about you? Where are you in the process?
Thanks for coming by my friend. I hope you are having a great weekend.
Hugs, Lynn
Your home is so lovely and welcoming. So much to compliment you on in your home but would take me all night. Seeing all these homes is such a privilege which I certainly appreciate and enjoy.
Have wonderful rest of weekend and next week.
Hi Jane Ellen, and thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your kind comments. I so enjoy having all the decorations up and glad we got them up early so that we can enjoy them as long as possible.
Hope you have a wonderful week.
Hugs, LYnn
Lynn, I finally made it to your house. I wish I were there in person and we could sit down and talk and nibble on cookies and more cookies! Your home is beautiful and inviting for Christmas. I love the Russian Santa nesting dolls, as well as some of your old world Santas. That tree in your entry is gorgeous. I love the size and I love the old vintage ornaments on it. Oh, and let’s not forget about Flora! I’m so glad she was there to welcome me into your house. Thanks for the visit, my friend!
Hi Friend! Wouldn’t that be just the bee’s knees! Come on down Carol, I promise our weather is warmer!And Flora will surely great you at the door.
Thanks for stopping by my friend.
Hugs, LYnn
I love all the holiday decorating details you’ve sprinkle around your home.
Thanks Linda! I do love all my holiday decorations and luckily my daughter loves to help me. I like to get them up early so to enjoy them for as long as possible.
Happy Thursday!
Hugs, LYnn
Merry Christmas! I love your home from the entry (and your greeter) on forward! It looks so warm & inviting. Happy holidays to you and yours. ~Shannon
Hi Shannon, and thanks for popping by. I’m sure you weren’t able to get past Flora without a little bit of love! She is very good at her job. And thanks for your kind comments. While I love my home year-round, I especially love it this time of year.
Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas as well.
Hugs, Lynn
Lynn, your home is so warm and inviting. Really beautiful! I love your fireplace.
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Hey Stacey! Thanks for coming by and leaving your so kind comments. I do love that fireplace too. We are going to try to sell our home this spring and I will surely miss that fireplace.
I hope your Christmas is wonderful!
Looking forward to seeing you at Haven again this summer.
Hugs, LYnn