Deck the Halls | My Living Room Holiday Decor

Today I am sharing my holiday living room: a pinecone-covered Christmas tree, natural mantel decor, simple coffee table display, and mix-and-match green and blue pillows and throws.

Decking the Halls

The holiday season is upon us!

It seems like we had no sooner finished cleaning up after Thanksgiving dinner and it was December.

I clearly knew from the calendar that Thanksgiving was late this year.

But I guess the reality hadn’t really hit.

So there I was on Tuesday, December 3rd, after driving the last of my family to the airport on Monday, clearing away fall decor, doing laundry, and putting away Bloks (though I am still finding them under the furniture…), board books, and high chairs.

And then Wednesday I started to deck the halls.

Since then I have decorated two trees, pulled together my living room mantel decor, swapped out pillows and slipcovers, and reworked the items on my coffee table.

That was all in addition to my usual weekly obligations.

What was I thinking?!?!

Well, I obviously wasn’t, because here I am on Friday afternoon as the sun is setting (granted, that happens at 4:00 these days…) just sitting down to write this blog.

But, I am excited to share everything with you! I am loving the transformation in the living room!

Let’s get right to it!

Put on some holiday music and pour yourself something hot to drink!

Then meet me in the living room!

O Christmas Tree

Two years ago instead of decorating the living room tree with our usual collected family ornaments, I went with a pinecone theme.

After all, Maine is the Pine Tree state and our state “flower” is the pinecone.

I spent hours that year glueing blue velvet ribbons to the tops of pinecones and tying them onto glass pinecone ornaments.

This simple, but elegant tree is perfect in our coastal Maine cottage.

It has become the new tradition.

But don’t worry, I now enjoy all the treasured family ornaments on a tree in the bedroom.

This year, I am thinking of adding blue velvet ribbons, simply tied to the branches. I have seen trees on Instagram decorated with ribbons like this, and I think they have such a joyous feel to them.

What do you think? I asked the same question on IG and the responses were about 50-50. Some like the simplicity of the tree as it is and others thought I should go for it.

Stay tuned!

SHOP MY TREE:

The tree is a 7 1/2 foot Stratford Spruce from Balsam Hill.

Mantel Decor

Look who is still with us over the fireplace!

Captain E. Ward is starting to feel like family. I couldn’t kick him to the curb at Christmastime.

Plus, I was inspired by a mantel display I saw on Instagram in the home of Michigan designer Jean Stoffer.

This is my Maine take on it, using my favorite foraged lichen-covered spruce tree branches.

I was up late last night pulling this together so that I could share it with you on the blog today. (Thank you for being the impetus I needed to get it done!)

Garland

Like last year, I used chicken wire to attach the greenery to the mantel.

I gave a step-by-step tutorial on how to do this in my blog post My Holiday Mantel | How to Get That “Wow” Full-Garland Look. Chicken wire is a game changer if you want to get really creative with your mantel decor!

For this asymmetrical look, I used a single faux Norfolk Pine garland and then filled in with Norfolk Pine stems and other greenery I had on hand.

Then of course I added the foraged branches.

In my opinion, when it comes to garland, the fuller and wilder, the better! So don’t skimp! This is where the chicken wire really comes in handy.

To finish it off, I attached two gold bells to the lower side, by tying them to the chicken wire with wide satin ribbon. I also added a few extra pieces of the satin ribbon as well as some thin blue velvet for a pop of color! Use different ribbon lengths to keep things interesting!

Candles

On the left side of the mantel, mimicking Jean’s design, I have a grouping of tall candlesticks.

I bought a set of cheap black metal candlesticks from Amazon. Their simple design looks beautifully elegant when covered with some antique gold Rub ‘n Buff.

NOTE: Don’t get the gold ones! The hints of black peeking through make the finish look much more high-end!

The candles are from Danica Designs, my favorite local Maine candlemaker. They are hand-dipped and come in a rainbow of colors! You can shop online! Yay!

A decorative sprig for Captain Ward

I had to add a decorative sprig to the top of the painting. It is the holiday season, after all.

This proved to be the trickiest part of the whole mantel display. Working with stone can be hard! This painting is also unframed, making it even more difficult. I ended up carefully attaching a few greenery stems to the wooden stretchers on the back of the painting using my trusty hot glue gun. Then I tucked in a few small branches.

I like how this balances the garland on the bottom.

It was fun doing something different here this year. I love how it turned out!

SHOP MY MANTEL DECOR:

Coffee Table

The glass top arrived last week for the new-to-me coffee table!

You can read all about how I redid this piece in my blog post My Facebook Marketplace Coffee Table Transformation.

For its debut holiday season, I kept the coffee table display simple.

I just gathered a grouping of things in shades of green and blue.

A green glass fish float. A mini blue bottlebrush tree in a tiny blue and white dish. A green-rimmed vintage Royal Doulton bowl decorated with sailboats. And of course a pine-scented candle in a frosted green glass jar. All grounded by two stacks of books.

The most effort I made here was to gather some old green and blue books for my little “basket o’ books”. I wrote an entire blog post about using baskets to display books: Books in a Basket Add Color, Texture, & Personality to Your Home.

A trio of ribbons adds a festive flair to the basket this time of year!

PRO TIP: I order a variety of ribbons — grosgrain, velvet, satin, taffeta — in various widths from Amazon and Etsy to have on hand. They are often that perfect finishing touch!

Remember: holiday decor doesn’t need to scream “Christmas” — natural elements and shades of green nod to the season and last through January!

Slipcovers, Pillows, and Throws

It is a sure sign that cozy season is here when the soft blue chenille slipcover replaces the blue and white stripes on the loveseat.

And the fleecy covers return to Maddie’s and Cisco’s swivel chairs by the fireplace.

I also swapped out my fall-toned pillow covers for bright blues and greens. A blue, green, and tan wool blanket folded across the back of the sofa. And a neutral-toned fleece on the loveseat.

Plus, the very special embroidered Tree Trimmers Wreath Pillows from Coral and Tusk.

I am loving how these pillows and throws look with the coffee table this year! They are not fighting with the patterned ottoman as they did previously.

SHOP PILLOWS AND THROWS:

Last Week Into Next

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Ours was wild and wonderful!

With 8 adults and two toddlers, there was never a dull — or quiet — moment!

We went to see the Wicked movie one night — it was fabulous! We are lucky to have a movie theater fairly nearby. The next closest is over an hour away. Ours has those big seats that recline with a foot rest that raises up. They are even heated! It was fun to have a night out with my kids!

The report on Ina’s Pumpkin Banana Mousse Tart: I made it with a gingersnap crust instead of graham cracker. And I didn’t have the orange zest. It tasted more strongly of banana than I expected which was a little surprising. But the texture and flavor were excellent and it was well-received. It was nice not to have it in the oven with all the other things that needed to cook there.

We all crossed off a bunch of Christmas shopping with all the online deals. It was nice to not feel the pressure to get it all done on Friday. I am feeling good, with only about 3 weeks left until Christmas.

And now, with the living room all decorated for winter, I am ready to snuggle up with a good Christmas rom-com book.

(The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss is my favorite!)

But there is no rest for the weary — yet!

Next I am decorating the dining room. I will be sharing that with you next week!

Happy December! Stay warm!