Christmas at The Sugar Maple House
Simple Christmas decor in the Sugar Maple house great room, featuring mantel decorations, pillows, flowers, and a Christmas tree!
Welcome to the week before Christmas! I hope this finds you ready, and resting up for the big day. I’m still not ready, but the clock is ticking, so I know I need to get busy! I’m very glad I’m able to share our great room decorated for Christmas…and a few shots of the kitchen. (I’ll be showing you the entire kitchen next month.) I wasn’t sure I was going to make it, but here I am!
The Mantel
The Christmas decor in our great room happened slowly, because I honestly wasn’t sure what I was doing. The first thing I tackled was the mantel. I already had the Norfolk pine garland, so I simply placed it on the mantel. No swooping or draping…but I might attempt that next year!
The little white houses were nestled in, and fairy lights were added. After that, I hung our stockings on one side, and my new set of gold bells on the other. Simple to do, but festive and fun.
Note: the Norfolk pine garland is currently sold out everywhere. I had linked to it several times earlier in the season. I will let you know when it’s available again.
Festive Accessories
We lived with the mantel decor for a week or two, and then I was ready to finish the room. Christmas pillows and throw blankets softened the furniture. I hadn’t treated myself to fresh flowers for a few months, so I added them to the coffee table. The pine, along with the red and white flowers, provided the perfect holiday touch.
The Christmas Tree
At this point, I had to decide if I was going to bring in my tabletop trees, or perhaps go another route. It’s been many years since I’ve featured a big tree, but I decided to give it a go, and not only was it fun, it was very easy. (You can read my tabletop tree journey HERE.)
When we lived on Sutton Place, our basement stairs were enclosed and small, and carrying up a Christmas tree was a chore. The Sugar Maple house has an open and wide basement stairway, so bringing up a tree is so much easier.
I purchased a pre-lit, slim tree that went together in, and I’m not kidding, about 10 minutes. (I got the tree at our local Hobby Lobby, and it’s sold out…but I linked to a few similar trees below.) I also purchased a tree bag, so that will help with the storage issue as well.
Decorating the Tree
Decorating the tree was an interesting experience! I felt a little out of my comfort zone, but I decided to keep it very simple so I wouldn’t be overwhelmed.
I love the way the ribbon garland turned out, but there was no rhyme or reason in regards to the way I hung it. I know there are many, many tutorials on how to add ribbon garland to a tree, but I didn’t look at a single one. I just wrapped, fluffed, and attached the ribbon to the tree in various places. To attach it, I found a flexible tree branch and twisted it around the ribbon.
I had the striped balls from last year, and I’ve had the collection of red balls for many years. I spaced them out the best I could, and they filled the tree nicely. Every square inch of the tree is not covered with ornaments, but I’m OK with that. Maybe next year!
The last thing I knew I wanted was a tree collar. I’ve seen them on Instagram trees and in catalogs for several years, and I was lucky to find one at a decent price when I got the tree at Hobby Lobby. Again, it’s sold out, but I found a couple of similar ones that I linked to in the shopping section below.
One of the reasons I stopped putting up a big tree, and there were many, was that I didn’t enjoy doing it by myself. It felt like a difficult chore, and it was definitely no fun. This year, I didn’t feel that way at all. It was a challenge, but I loved every minute. For me, keeping it simple and straightforward was the key to a positive experience. Our “simple is best” motto proved to be the answer.
The Tree Placement
Another big difference between the Sugar Maple house and the house on Sutton Place was the placement of the tree. On Sutton Place, I needed to move furniture, and actually remove a chair in order to make room for a big tree.
This year, there was no moving needed! The tree is the first thing we see when we walk in the front door…and I think it’s the best Christmas greeting ever.
Click the images below to be taken directly to the product listing. Every effort has been made to provide sources for the items found in this post. Where actual items were no longer available, I’ve provided similar options. If an item is out of stock but may be restocked, I left it on the list.
*Affiliate links included. See my disclosure statement. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
This is my last Christmas post for 2021…but I’ll be back Thursday with a very fun post about layering a neutral bed. Until then…
