Holiday Home Tour 2019

I’m not a big home decorator. I don’t have an “aesthetic” or a theme to my decor, unless you count comfortable and dog friendly. But I do like making the house pretty for holidays/Hanukkah, especially now that my kids are away at school and come home for winter break. I think it makes it extra special to come home to a decorated home. I did a whole video walking you through my 2019 Holiday Home Decor, but I thought it would be nice to also put some pictures up on the blog if you’d like to refer to them without having to listen to me drone on. I’ll list resources underneath each picture if I have them, but I have to mention two stores that are my go-to places for all home decor, for the holidays or any time of year. I absolutely LOVE At Home and Home Goods. The selection at both is insane, and the prices are right up my alley. You can get lost in both of them for days, and the inventory is constantly changing. Neither has much in the way of e-commerce, but at you can search for available inventory and it will even tell you WHERE you can find what you’re looking for in your local store.

Another fairly new resource for me is Amazon. If I can’t find something anywhere else, I can usually find it there. If something’s been discontinued, I can find it on Amazon. Need it in a different color-check Amazon. I’ve found so much for my house there that I actually set up an Amazon Storefront, and I have a subsection just for Holiday Decor. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Let’s get on with the “tour”!

Family Room
Fireplace Mantel

I was so lucky this year to have the incredibly talented Amanda Barkley come over and arrange my mantel. If you’re not familiar with her work, then go take a peek at the White House Christmas decorations in the Blue Room and Green Room. Yes, that White House-the one in Washington, D.C. Amanda is one of the very few people who are hired every year to design and decorate the White House every year for the holidays, and this was her fifth year in a row! Amanda is a fellow San Antonian who also lives right around the corner from me, and also a friend. I’m so grateful to her for coming over and adding her special touch to my home, too!

Mantel Resources

Tall Glass Jars
Light Up Beaded Garland
Hurricane Lamp-really old from Crate & Barrel (it was a wedding gift)

(I followed this video tutorial on YouTube to make the bow in the center of the mantel)
Electric Menorah
Metallic Dreidels (in jars)
Remote Faux Candles

Dining Room
Table
I went a little non-traditional with the dining room table. Normally, we don’t decorate with any sort of tree or ornaments when celebrating Hanukkah. But I’ve been seeing Hanukkah themed “ornaments” over the last few years, and I’ve always decorated with more of a winter theme (silver/blue colors), so when I saw this silver, wintery tree that also lights up, I had to use it as a centerpiece on my table. Most of my decor here is older and discontinued, like the from Target’s Holiday 2011 collection and the cobalt blue Mikasa accent plates. Anything that’s new or I could find similarly is listed below.

Dining Table Resources
Tablecloth-Target (old)

Napkins-Target (old)
Blue Plates-Mikasa French Countryside Cobalt Blue (discontinued)

Square Silver Chargers (similar)
Blue Goblets
Hanukkah Table Runner-found it at HomeGoods

Metallic Dreidels
Silver Glitter Tree

Snowflake Ornaments

Sideboard/BuffetI always have some sort of seasonal display set up on the buffet in the dining room. I just switch out the candles and add a few more decorative bowls/jars. Most of the items pictured here are from At Home or were wedding gifts (which was back in 1997).

Buffet Resources
Silver Vase-At Home
Blue Square Vase – wedding gift I think
Tiny Silver Filler Balls
Tall Apothecary Jar 
Domed Light Up Jar-IKEA
Ornament Wreath (similar)
Wood Sunburst Mirror

FOYER/STAIRCASE
I LOVE looking at my mantel, especially in the evenings, but the staircase is a real showstopper. I kept it fairly simple. I ordered three more strands of the same lit garland that’s on the mantle, and then wove in the same blue glitter ball garland around it. I secured the lit garland with clear zip ties and then Amanda came over and whipped up some custom bows with the blue glitter ribbon fabric I had to dress the whole thing up. I have the lit garland on a timer so it lights up every evening at 5 pm. The ceilings in the foyer are almost 20 feet high so it’s just gorgeous when you walk in the front door. Another name for Hanukkah is the “Festival of Lights” so I think it’s just perfect!

There are a few other spots to see that I’ve shown in the video-click here to see the full tour. I think this is the year I’m finally feeling confident about how it looks (now that I’ve had some professional help) and I hope to add to it a little more each year. Next year my goal is to tackle the outside!

Do you decorate for the holidays? Are you a minimalist or do you go all out? Let me know!