Extending the Christmas Season

This upcoming Christmas will be particularly hard for me.

Unfortunately, my 18-year-old son has moved out, and it wasn’t amicable. That being said, I very much need to surround myself with the warmth of the holiday season. So, this year, I’m going straight from Halloween to Christmas decor.

From the soft white lights to the red, green and golden colors, the visuals of Christmas carry an unspoken feeling of comfort. With all the family issues I’m experiencing at the moment, I’ll need to extend the magic of the holiday. For me that means getting those indoor Christmas decorations up as fast as I possibly can after October 31.

Sorry Thanksgiving, but I’m depending on the beauty of Christmas to both emotionally center me and give me hope for the upcoming year.

Christmas Decor Stash

When I moved into my Townhouse three years ago, I did a complete overhaul of my Christmas decorations. Switching to a red and white peppermint theme, the feeling that I like to capture around Christmas time is “pretty and sweet.”

This year, I’m incorporating a lot more red and moving away from the peppermint. At least for the tree as this will give it more of a seasoned, more sophisticated look.

There are so many retailers that I used to build my Christmas decor stash including:

• Amazon
• At Home
• Dollar Tree
• Lowes

The Dollar Tree is more a recent addition, as I’ve discovered so many different centerpieces you can create with as little as $15! TikTok is an amazing hub of ideas for Christmas dollar store decorations too.

Christmas Magic Coming Together

This Christmas magic is coming together quite nicely in the Blissfully Single Bean household!

Christmas Pillow Covers

First thing I did was cover those couch pillows. I ordered the 18 x 18 Hlonon Christmas Decorations pillowcases from Amazon for $8 (pack of 4). I ordered two packs, as I have a large sectional with many pillows. They really bring out a Farmhouse Christmas Feel.

Christmas Mantel

The mantel is the focal point of our family room and makes for an excellent canvas for Christmas decor. Pinterest is a huge resource for Christmas mantel decor ideas. For this year’s mantel, I didn’t need to purchase much at all. Most of the items are purchases from over the last two Christmas seasons living here in Georgia.

One of my newer Christmas mantle pieces is the charming farmhouse vase.

I grabbed this at the Dollar Tree (LAST one left!) for only $4. Now, if this piece was part of the Hearth and Heart Magnolia line at Target, it would be considerably more. I filled my new Christmas vase with Dollar Tree holly and pine.

I arranged the decorations into a candy cane theme. The pearl garland adds an elegant touch.

I must say though, this year’s Christmas mantel is the absolute prettiest I’ve done. Pushing through my holiday sadness being proud of myself for this look coming together.

Christmas Centerpiece

It took less than $15 to get this cute little center pieces. With the exception of the vase, all the materials were purchased at the Dollar Tree.

I will say though, next time I make this, I’ll be more strategic with holiday colors. There should’ve been a more red, a few white ornaments and no gold. In fact, the Christmas tree should be up and decorated first and the centerpiece look should be based off the color scheme of the Christmas tree.

Christmas Plants

Incorporating Christmas plants adds a layer of decor into your home that allows you to connect with nature inside when it’s cold outside (see what I did there? LOL). Poinsettias and white pine roping are must haves in my Christmas decor aesthetic.

Christmas Tree

This Christmas tree is the focal point of holiday decorations.

The whole theme of stunning Christmas adornments should revolve around the look of your tree. This year, my tree is red heavy with specs of white – not too much white though. Big, pink flowers also added to provide a softer red color gradient to balance the tones out.

Also, bunching ornaments seems to be the trend this year, and I’ve incorporated that into my tree as well.

Checkout my TikTok below to see how my tree came out!

Wishing all my readers, my friends, homegirls and homeboys alike a lovely Christmas! And don’t feel like you HAVE to be happy during this time of year. There’s nothing wrong with you if you aren’t. I’m not particularly happy – I’m out here fighting for my life through Christmas decorations.

Point is – we’re all going through something this Christmas. You aren’t alone.

Until next time.

Blissfully Single and Yours,