Merry Christmas!

Hi friends! I love the Christmas season and I have the pleasure of joining 2 groups of amazing bloggers who will all be sharing their home tours as well. These two tours are “Joyful Holiday Home Tour” and “A Farmhouse Christmas Blog Tour.” Whether you are visiting from IG or from Karen’s or Jordan’s tour, I hope that you will continue on to see the rest of these 16 beautiful homes (all linked at the end of this post). I also hope that you don’t mind my sweet pup, Chester, adorning my photos because he sure loves to be everywhere I am and most of the times he just goes and sits in my pictures like he knows what he is supposed to be doing. LOL!

As I’m sitting here watching “The Grinch” with my kids, what really stood out to me this time was when the Grinch said, “maybe Christmas doesn’t come from the store.” It sure doesn’t, and it never has for me! I think, though, that I am guilty of getting caught up in making “Christmas” just right, trying to make sure my kids are happy with all of their gifts, and making sure that everything looks just so, etc…when I sometimes get lost and push aside the real meaning of Christmas. Christ’s birth is what should define my Christmas and my whole purpose here on this beautiful earth. Sometimes it takes just a little movie phrase or a gesture of kindness to remind me of the importance of Christmas, and for this, I am thankful.

 

Well after that sentimental rant and while I still have some decorating to complete, I would love for you to come on in and join me for a little tour of our Kolter Christmas home. I wish I could pour you a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. I would love to sit and chat for a while but since that is not possible, here goes…

 

This is my entry way. I know it’s not much of an actual “entry way”, but my front room pretty much starts as soon as I walk through the door so there is not much space for an entry way. For me, this will suffice. I love this area! And, this bench means so much to me. My husband gave me some money for my recent 40th birthday to find a church bench that I had been looking for for so long and here it is! And my sweet daughter…there are no words to express how much I love my kids! And she sure does love Chester.

 

 

 

My entryway feeds right into my front room and this is where I love to decorate the most. If I said it was going to stay like this or any other way forever, I would be lying and my hubs and kids can vouch for that. They come home every day looking for what I have changed up in the house.

 

 

I can’t stop with all of these trees! When you can score them from thrift stores for next to nothing, why not put up several, right?!  And decorations on my trees? Well, right now, I am enjoying these naked trees too much, I’m not sure that they will see any other decorations this year. I think I may just have the kids go all out on their upstairs tree. I’m pretty sure Chester loves all of these trees too!

 

I made this old headboard into a sign a while back and it’s been one of my favorite wall decorations ever. I love the saying on it too. It’s the chorus from one of my favorite songs by Hillary Scott, “Thy Will”…this song has so much meaning and speaks right to my heart and experiences in life. If you haven’t heard it, I would highly recommend you give it a listen at least once.

 

My dining room is connected to my front room. I love Christmas trees and I just don’t think that I can have too many! 😂 Can you tell? Most everything in my dining room is thrifted. I love the words “budget friendly”. It’s what I do! 👏🏻

 

As we walk back through my front room/dining room, we enter the room where we all usually lounge to watch movies and eat popcorn.

 

I am in love with this fresh garland that I found this year at Trader Joe’s. I know, it will probably be dead long before Christmas but I am loving it for the time being.

 

 

Our TV room is shared with our kitchen and eat-in dining area. The kitchen will soon be decorated but for the time being I am enjoying all of the faux greenery on my barn wood shelves in this nook aside our kitchen.

 

Let’s head out to the back patio, one of my favorite places to relax. It’s so fun to have family dinners out here in the cool Arizona breeze this time of year.  These were my ice skates when I was little and I love the vintage shades that I turned into outdoor lighting.

 

A little white gloss spray paint and these ugly thrifted Santas were transformed into some great Christmas decor!

 

 

And after all of that decorating and posing, Chester is ready for another nap. Have a great day sweet friends! Thank you for stopping by! I hope to meet up with you on Instagram (@vingateporch),  Facebook, and Pinterest “My Vintage Porch” as well. Merry early Christmas!

 

Don’t forget to head over to my friends, Kim and Julie’s  blogs to see their beautiful homes next! Below are the links to all of the wonderful blogs in both tours that you will not want to miss!

 

 

Joyful Holiday Home Tour: (this tour will be posting throughout the week)

Marci @lemonstolovelys: http://lemonstolovelys.com/2016/11/joyful-holiday-home-tour-2016/

Jordan @jorddecor: http://www.jordecor.com/single-post/2016/11/29/Joyful-Holiday-Home-Tour

Kim @kimpowerstyle: http://www.kimpowerstyle.com/

Rachel @porchlightcottage: https://theporchlightcottage.com/

Lisa @farmhouseonboone: http://www.farmhouseonboone.com/

Laura @meaningfulspaces: http://www.meaningfulspaces.com/

Jennifer @delightnoted: http://www.delightfullynotedblog.com/

 

 

A Farmhouse Christmas Blog Tour:

Julie @littlefarmstead: http://littlefarmstead.blogspot.com/

Lisa @farmhouseonboone: http://www.farmhouseonboone.com/farmhouse-on-boone/a-farmhouse-christmas-blog-tour

Jolia @farmfreshhomestead: https://farmfreshhomestead.wordpress.com/

Haley @themountainviewcottage: http://www.themountainviewcottage.net/blog-1/farmhouse-inspired-christmas-blog-tour

Brittany @brittanyyork: http://duchessofyork.blogspot.com/

Lauren @laurenmcbride: http://www.laurenmcbrideblog.com/

Morgan @thewhitefarmhouseblog: https://thewhitefarmhouseblog.com/2016/11/27/a-farmhouse-christmas/

Sheila @maisondecinq: http://maisondecinq.blogspot.com/2016/11/a-farmhouse-christmas-home-tour.html

Karen @mrsrollman: http://perfectingthehomefront.blogspot.com/