Christmas At The Morrow House

December has arrived, the cooler weather is here and Christmas is in the air in Waco, Texas. Fall in all its glory as come and gone, and left each of us with a little extra joy in our day knowing that the Christmas Season is indeed upon us. It’s time for Hallmark movies, Christmas music in the car, holiday parties and yes we have to do some shopping too. 

I must admit I enjoy the season more than the day of Christmas. The anticipation, the decor, the smells from the kitchen, the lights on houses…all of it. I love that it lasts for weeks and that it encourages us to think of others. I love going to the mailbox to get holiday greetings from new friends and old…and I even read those long letters that accompany some of the cards so that I can reflect with people I love about what mattered to them in the year gone by. Church is different, menus are different and my playlist is different all in celebration of the Christmas Season.

I think that’s why changing the decor around the house is so important…its one of the constant reminders that we are in the midst of a very special season.  I don’t know about you, but I never have the money to have all new decor each year..so, being the budget minded gal that I am, I blend my old decor items with the new items I have bought on sale each year. 

We are excited to welcome several guests throughout the month of December and can’t wait for them to experience the Christmas Season in The Morrow House.

Welcome to our cozy Waco cottage! We love to decorate for Christmas, for our guests, and for everyone who drives by. Did you know that Brazos Tours actually has The Morrow House on their tour route? They share the beauty and history of our home with guests from all over the world.  Don’t worry, they won’t bother you when you stay…they just stop out front and tell our sweet story.

All of our garland is from Hobby Lobby. I typically leave the fern out until the weather turns, and then I replace it with two little pre-lit Christmas Trees from Bed Bath & Beyond (love those coupons).

Poinsettias are a Christmas classic in my world. I love them, and have always used them because of their traditional beauty.  I ordered mine from Wolfe’s Florist here in Waco this year and I am so pleased with how robust they are.

I always want folks to feel welcome, so this is one of several things that greets our guests when they arrive. This Merry Christmas sign is written in white Sharpie so that I don’t have to try to fix it with chalk every day! The flip side has a fall message, so that it can be used for several months each year.

I love decorating our long dining room table throughout the year. I am a sale shopper, and love Hobby Lobby and love to buy things at the end of the season that are on clearance. Our daughter helped me set this gorgeous table. I use things over and over each year, maybe in different spots around the house, mixed in with a few new things.

The charger and napkin ring have been on our table since spring and they are from one of my favorite local shops The Findery, you can shop their store online too! This “napkin” is really a Christmas Tea Towel from Hobby Lobby and the little accent piece is from there too.

Our Christmas Tree is very non-traditional, but when the sun goes down, it lights up this room with its golden glow and it is a wonder to look at from outside and in.  It is from Restoration Hardware, and I love it. 

Isn’t it so cute how our little simple Christmas wreaths are showing off both outside and inside?! I just love them. 

I love to shop local, and in Waco we have some amazing spots! Roots is one of my favorite boutiques for clothing, but they also have a selection of home decor that I adore. These pillows are from there, and I look forward to using them for years and years. The grey pillow in the background is from another great local spot The Findery.

This little throw pillow on this antique chair just says it all…and it’s also from Roots here in Waco. You can shop them online too!

I don’t do much in our bedrooms, I am not sure why, but you can probably sense that my style is less is more! So I found these precious grey trees last year at Spice Village and new they would be perfect for our “grey room.”

I am not a crafty person, so you will not see me giving tutorials about how to make the cutest things in the world, but I did find some inspiration with these adorable gold cookie cutters from Roots and decided I would hang them in our kitchen on our curtain rods.  I tied them loosely so the curtain can be easily opened and closed and they match our kitchen brilliantly.

I use these gold topped bottles all of the time for many different seasons.  This December we grabbed some foliage from Target and they help to greet our guests with a yummy baked treat when they arrive.

The kitchen has just a touch of holiday spirit, not too much and nothing that will interfere with folks cooking or enjoying a cup of coffee at the bar.

We love sharing this big gorgeous oven with guests who like to cook.  The last two Thanksgivings we have had families use our kitchen to make their Thanksgiving dinner. I plan on doing some baking in here soon!