I love decorating for the holidays, but I also love finding things that I can use long after Christmas is over. I put together these collages with favorites from Birch Lane…I added plenty of color and pattern to one, kept one more traditional and added a fun surprise to the last (keep reading). There are wreaths and greenery for Christmas, but also pretty bowls, baskets, mirrors and serving pieces that would work throughout the year. The fun candles in colorful jars would add a touch of whimsy to your holiday decor, but they would also be great to use after the holidays. I’ve linked everything in boutiques below the collages and you can also head over to ShopMy to view my entire Birch Lane wishlist!

If there is ever a time for a “more is more” moment, it’s the holiday season…so, when you’re decorating for the holidays, you can make life easier with a gorgeous pre-lit Christmas tree (we finally bought one last year) and hang an unexpected berry wreath on the door to greet your guests. I love to place colorful candles around the house to add color and make everything smell nice. I always change up my bar cart and a fun gold cocktail shaker feels so festive. It’s so easy to fill a pretty vase with holiday greenery and add a fun pillow to the guest bedroom!

I would say our home decor is traditional…with a twist. As you know, the house is old and the architecture is classic, but that doesn’t mean that everything has to be traditional. I always place a lit tree in the entrance to our bathroom and sometimes leave it well past the holidays because I love the way it sparkles in the mirror. Holiday cookies can be stacked in a tiered tin stand on the kitchen counter for the grandchildren to nibble on, and it’s so pretty to serve orange juice from a carafe with a wicker cover on Christmas morning. Pretty bowls filled with sparkly ornaments add another festive touch without too much effort!

My grandmother used to have a white Christmas tree that spun around and would just sit and watch it as a child…I loved it so much. My mother sold it at a yard sale years later and whoever bought it got a treasure. It’s really been on my mind lately and I have decided to get a second tree that’s white and this fabulous white fir tree will be so amazing with colored ornaments and silver tinsel (that’s going to be my surprise and I can’t wait for it to come so I can share). It may seem odd, but even with the construction going on in our home, I want the holiday decor to be over the top this year because the grandchildren will only be little once and I want them to feel like they’re in wonderland when they walk in the door…so, I’m thinking of three trees this year and this slim pencil tree would be easy to slip into a corner without taking up too much room and all of the Birch Lane trees come in different heights. It also seems that each year we have another grandchild or puppy that needs a stocking and I really think these striped ones would be so cute hung on the mantle in the den…they come in several colors so you can match your decor.

For the first time ever, I’m thinking of putting up at least one Christmas tree in mid-November. I don’t want to feel rushed and I know I’ll need a few new things to add to the mix. I really got inspired while putting these collages together and I hope you did as well. I’d love to have a little more time to wrap packages and enjoy the weeks leading up to Christmas and getting started earlier seems like the way to go! Life goes by quickly and we might as well make the most of it!

Thanks so much for reading today!

~XOXO Suzanne