I have to admit, when we were shopping for houses this past spring, one of the things on my mental checklist was where a Christmas tree would go. If there’s not a good central location for a Christmas tree in a house, then it’s a no go! haha! So when we bought our cute little craftsman home this past May, I couldn’t wait to turn it into a cozy Christmas oasis! 

The inspiration and theme for our Christmas decor are pretty much the same as for our regular decor- neutral and elegant southern! And I knew that this would be the perfect opportunity to really put those magnolia leaves from the tree in the front yard to use! I’ve been cutting down branches so much since we moved in that I know have to get on Branden’s shoulders to cut them down because there aren’t any more low hanging branches! Whoops! Since this is our first Christmas in our new house, I was pretty much started from scratch for the decorations. So I decided to just keep it simple and then build off it over the years. But it’s perfectly simple, cozy and southern and I love it! Turning on all the twinkly lights, lighting a fire and watching Christmas movies has become a nightly thing! 

So here’s a little tour of what Christmas looks like at The Little Craftsman! For the dining room table (check out this post to see how we made the table!), I made a fresh magnolia leaf garland using thick rope and floral wire. The vintage candlesticks are from Etsy! I may just have to leave them up year round! Give me allllll the magnolia leaves! Only problem is that they dry out after a week or so. Boo! For the past 4 years, we’ve done a fake tree. But this year I was really itching to get a real one and I’m so glad we did! It’s so beautiful and magical!  When we were getting our tree, I also snatched a few 5 gallon buckets full of free trimmings to use throughout the house. I got these cheap little metal tins from Hobby Lobby and arranged some of the trimmings in them. Then I added some battery lights from the $1 Target section! Score! 

Here’s where everything else is from. Tree topper : Target | stockings, gold reindeer, white ceramic tree, gold ribbon : Hobby Lobby | pillow, candlesticks : Homegoods I may have waited a little too long to take these pictures as the magnolia wreath was starting to dry out. Plus, lighting a fire every night makes it dry out a lot faster too! :(  One of my sweet brides, Katie, got use these adorable corgi ornaments with each of our pups names. And it’s a good thing too, because this is the only Charlotte ornament amongst several Henry ornaments! haha! Can you tell how much these guys love their Christmas sweaters??!!   The front porch looks so cozy at night! If only it weren’t so cold, I would sit out there all the time!

To see our living room makeover, click HERE!

To see the deck we built in the backyard, click HERE!

To see how we made our DIY farmhouse table, click HERE!