This is our first year not home for the holidays. And after also being away for Thanksgiving, the extent of our fall decorating amounted to one green pumpkin. But December brings a different kind of decorating guilt. The nights grow long and dark, and there’s a pull toward coziness – candles, dim lights, a blanket fireside on a pillow-filled sofa. Living rooms simply look better in the glow of holiday lights.
I decided to decorate simply – just the living room fireplace mantle – rather than take on a full tree. Most ornaments stayed in storage. Instead, I picked fresh pomegranates from the tree and gathered magnolia branches, dried purple dahlias, dried hydrangeas in browns and reds, matte orange Christmas balls, and fairy lights. Using chicken wire, as I’ve done in past projects, I attached the branches and flowers along the mantle facing and tucked in a strand of fairy lights I had in a kitchen drawer. Paper trees from West Elm, maroon candlesticks, and an inherited vintage nativity textile finished the look. Despite not having a Christmas tree, the room felt warm and merry, perfectly adequate for the few weeks we’d be home before vacation.
A friend generously gifted me an incredible pine scented candle. Lighting it alongside the mantle lights created instant holiday magic. I love a room that delights all the senses – from the scent of pine, to the look of layered colors on the mantle. All that was missing was the taste of Christmas, which had an easy solution: bowls of fruit pulled from the same color palette and glass vases filled with coordinating ornaments. Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem took its place on our open shelving, alongside a few bottle-brush trees. The house was complete and ready for entertaining.
When we arrived in Hawaii, it was harder to figure out how to make our temporary home feel festive for Christmas week. We obviously hadn’t traveled with decor. In anticipation of our daughter’s arrival, my husband and I drove around knowing we didn’t need much – and trusting I’d just know when I saw it. At our final stop, there she was: an elegant three-foot bottle-brush tree dusted in gold.
She’s simple. Transportable. Unexpected.
And proof that holiday magic isn’t about excess – it’s about noticing what fits, wherever you land.
Happy Holidays from our home to yours!
OHI HOME STYLE 