The touches that make our farmhouse feel like Christmas without looking like every other mantel on Pinterest, picked over a few years of trial, error, and one too many trips to the same big-box aisle.
Sections
3
Making the Table Feel Like Thanksgiving
Making the House Feel Like Christmas
Making Midnight Feel Like Something Happened
Making the Table Feel Like Thanksgiving
The touches that make our table feel like an actual holiday, not just a bigger version of a regular dinner.
The one small touch that makes Thanksgiving feel like an actual event instead of just a big dinner.
Turkey Place Cards for Dinner Table
The first thing guests see when they pull up. Ours has outlasted three seasons of Kansas wind.
Fall Wreaths for Front Door
A little goofy, a little charming. The kids ask for it every year.
Turkey Tea Light Centerpiece
Everyone adds a leaf before dinner. It's become the one tradition nobody's allowed to skip.
Thankful Tree
Cheap way to make the mantel feel like fall without touching real leaves that just end up everywhere.
Maple Leaf Garland
Simple, but it's the kind of thing that makes a farmhouse actually look like one.
Wooden Door Sign
We already had the jars sitting around. This finally gave them a job.
Mason Jar Centerpiece for Table
The smell that means Thanksgiving is actually happening, before a single dish hits the table.
Cinnamon & Apple Scented Candles
Covers up a table that's seen better days and somehow makes it look intentional.
Russet Harvest Woven Plaid Table Runner
The one piece of art that actually gets swapped out seasonally instead of staying up all year.
Wexford Home Autumn Bridge Canvas 24x36
Washable was the whole sales pitch for us. Toddlers and cranberry sauce do not mix.
Decorative Washable Cloth Placemat
Turned into an actual tradition faster than we expected. Every year, same spot, new photo.
Scarecrow Photo Booth Backdrop
Small detail, but it's the kind of thing people notice on their way to the food.
Fall Leaf Napkin Rings
Reads a little corny on paper, but everyone actually writes something, every single year.
Count Your Blessings Gratitude Jar
Only comes out once a year, which somehow makes it feel more special than plates should.
Fall-Themed Dinnerware
An easy upgrade that makes the table look more put together than the effort it actually took.
Wood chargers for Dinner plates
The last touch that finishes off the room without adding any real clutter.
Hanging Autumn Ornaments
Got ours carved with our last name and the year we started hosting. Small detail, but it's the thing people comment on first.
Personalized Family Name Thanksgiving Sign
Solves the "where do the mashed potatoes actually go" problem better than any regular bowl we owned before.
Stoneware Pumpkin Mini Bowl
Real wood slices instead of another plastic runner. Looks like it came off our own property, even though it didn't.
Solid Wood Oval Decorative Bowl
Making the House Feel Like Christmas
Express your personality and create lasting memories with this list of unique Christmas Decorations!
The one piece that gets kids stopping mid-run through the living room to just stare at it.
Animated Carousel
Added this to Santa's Village mostly because we're Harry Potter fans ourselves, and it fits right in with the rest of the buildings.
Honeydukes Sweet Shop Lit Building
Solved our biggest problem: decorating windows without committing to actual paint or lights.
Large Christmas Window Decals
Became a genuine tradition faster than we expected. Now the kids ask for it every year.
Letters for Santa Christmas Mailbox
An easy way to change the whole living room for December without touching the actual furniture.
Christmas Sofa Cover
Solved a real problem: more ornaments every year than our actual tree can hold.
Ornament Tree Display Stand
Went with the reindeer version. It's become the thing neighbors mention every single year.
Blow-up Santa Sleigh
No more forgotten side of the tree. The remote and timer do all the work.
Rotating Christmas Tree Stand
Simple, but it's what actually lights up the walkway once it gets dark by 5pm.
LED Candy Cane Lights
The one thing on our mantel that actually makes December feel like it's counting down to something.
Wooden Advent Calendar Village
Cheap enough to buy three, and somehow the thing guests fight over on movie night.
Christmas Reversible Plush Fleece Blanket
A small, easy way to bring in some classic Christmas character without committing to a full nutcracker collection.
Hand-Painted Nutcracker Nesting Dolls
The kind of statement piece that turns a porch into the house people slow down to look at.
Iron Nutcracker Holiday Decoration
A whole lit-up village to go with the Honeydukes building already on the list, this fills out the rest of the street.
The Holiday Aisle® Pre-Lit 4-Piece Christmas Decoration Set
Tabletop trees that fill in the gaps our big tree can't cover, without eating up any real floor space.
Mini Flocked Pine Artificial Christmas Trees with Burlap Base
Deer, foxes, and owls instead of the same glass balls everyone else hangs. Fits right in with a farmhouse tree.
Woodland Animal Ornaments
The bubbling glow that instantly makes a tree feel like it belongs in an old photo, not a big-box catalog.
Christmas Bubble String Light
Turned our stair rail into the first thing people notice walking in the door.
Real Touch Cedar Garland/Vines for Staircase
Got everyone's name embroidered on theirs. Small detail, but it made the mantel feel like ours instead of a showroom.
Engraved Leather Patch Stockings
The thing that actually gets used every single night in December, unlike half the decor on this list.
Thoughtfully Hot Chocolate Gift Set
Making Midnight Feel Like Something Happened
What actually gets used every year to make New Year's Eve feel like an event instead of just a later bedtime.
Goes up the same day every year. It's not fancy, but it's become the signal the countdown is on.
Happy New Year Banner
Cheap enough that we don't think twice about buying a bunch, and they make photos look intentional.
Gold Balloons
The kids won't let midnight happen without these on.
Party Cone Hats
Loud, a little annoying, and somehow the best part of the whole night for the kids.
Noise Makers
Fun until you're finding confetti in February. Worth it anyway.
Confetti Poppers
Lets us actually enjoy the toast instead of worrying about the good glasses getting broken.
Disposable Champagne Glasses
Mostly for the kids, but the adults end up wearing them by midnight too.
HAPPY NEW YEAR Tiara
An easy backdrop for photos that makes the space look decorated with almost no effort.
Gold Foil Fringe
The first thing that goes up, and somehow the thing that makes the house feel festive again after Christmas comes down.
Door Banner with LED String Lights
Gets used more than we expect every single year, mostly by the adults.
Photo Booth Props
One less thing to clean up the next morning.
Tableware Set
Keeps the kids entertained well past their normal bedtime.
Glow In The Dark LED Bracelets
Silly, but they show up in every single photo from the night.
Happy New Year Glasses
Small detail, but it makes even a low-key night feel like an actual party.
Disposable Black Gold New Year's Eve Party Cups
The reason cleanup takes ten minutes instead of an hour.
Disposable Table Cloth
Sits out from Christmas straight through midnight without ever feeling out of place.
New Year's Countdown Hanging Sign -
The one decoration that makes people ask where we got it.
New Years Balloon Arch Garland Kit
Purely for laughs. They never last past the first hour, and that's fine.
Inflatable Instruments
Small enough to hand to the kids without worrying about a mess.
Mini Champagne Confetti Party Poppers
Goes down on the table right before midnight. Half of it ends up on the floor either way.
Black and Gold New Years Confetti
The one prop that actually makes it into every photo from the night.
