A Tender Tennessee Christmas...

Welcome to our home!  If you are new here, I hope you are visiting from the Christmas Open House Link Party hosted by Brenda at Cozy Little House and Debra at Common Ground.  If you've been here before, I'm so glad you are joining the party!  I just love parties, don't you?! 

I have been decorating for Christmas since the day after Thanksgiving.


We like to put our tree up a little early so that we have longer to enjoy it.  Of course, if we celebrated the actual 12 Days of Christmas, we could keep it up until January 5th.

We used to have one of those tall, fat trees that took up most of the room.  A few years ago, we decided the tree needed to go on a diet, so we exchanged our large tree for one of the thin pencil-style trees.  We've been happy with it.


When the kids were little, I would decorate everywhere with everything...Santas, snowmen, reindeer, mistletoe, garland, etc.  Over the years, I've dwindled the decor down and each year put out less and less.  I found that it was so much more fun putting it all out and not so much fun putting it all away, so I adopted the "less is more" mentality.


This year, I decided to use primarily silver and gold, with some touches of red thrown in here and there.  The dining table has a little bit of black, which goes perfectly with silver and gold.


These little reindeer are chalk-coated and serve as place cards.  Since I have my little place card stumps, I tied these around my napkin ring.  Prancer stands proudly in the center of the table, guarding each place setting and those glasses that I decorated.


He makes sure no one steals my cute little tags or fancy goblets! ;-)

The entry table has more Christmas decor than any other part of the house because it is the first thing you see when you walk in the door.


I wanted it to be festive, bright, cheery and welcoming.  This space stays flooded with light, even on cloudy days.

My decorations are pretty basic and simple, but they work for this house...and for us.


I do have a couple of other small things scattered about, but they aren't worth mentioning, so I will let you see my snobby reindeer on the fireplace hearth.


I don't know what their problem is...they've had an attitude ever since I brought them home!

I'm so glad you have visited today and hope you will come back again soon!  I hope your holidays are filled with peace and blessings!

Merry Christmas!


36 comments

  1. Benita, it's all beautiful. I hope you are enjoying your first Christmas in your new house. Less is more for me too. :)

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    1. Thank you so much Stacey. Less is so much easier to deal with and so far, so good in the house! :-)

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  2. Just beautiful and simple...I love it, Benita.
    Thanks for the musical treat this morning-I love Alabama. xoxo

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    1. Thank you Tina! I love Alabama also....their voices harmonize so beautifully together! Hugs sweet lady!

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  3. Everything looks so pretty on a white backdrop. What a great welcome when you come in the door of your pretty home!

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    1. Thank you so much AnnMarie….of course, I will keep piddling with it until it is time to pack it up…LOL

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  4. It's lovely, Benita. Merry Christmas in your new home!! :)

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    1. Thank you so much Kim! Still fooling around with it all trying to find the right spot for the little things! Merry Christmas to you too! :-)

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  5. Your new home is looking very cozy and comfortable and I love your Christmas touches. So pretty!

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    1. Thank you so much Darrielle! Trying to keep it simple for my frazzled mind…LOL

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  6. Gorgeous, exactly what I would expect from you, beautiful Benita!!

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  7. Your home looks stunning, Benita! I love your touches of Christmas...just enough, but not too much. So elegantly appointed.
    Mary Alice

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    1. Thank you so much Mary Alice! Just trying to keep it simple for my peace of mind this year! :-)

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  8. simple.
    elegant.
    touches of humor. whimsy. even adorable snobby reindeer! LOL!
    love the tartan scarf welcoming all who come forth.
    i'd say nigh onto perfect dear bean!
    xo♥

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    1. Thank you so much Miss T! And you know, I would be the one to have to buy the snobby reindeer...LOL I like that pop of color with the scarf also...something bright and festive when you come in the house! :-) Love and hugs to you!

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  9. Beautiful tree and home. Love the lighter colors and your entryway is fabulous. I hope you are having a wonderful pre Christmas season. Hugs!!!

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    1. Thank you so much! I like the pops of color with the neutral colors…keeps it simple for me. I hope your Christmas season has been wonderful too! Hugs!!

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  10. I think it's perfect. I adore the color scheme. My favorite piece has to be the tree topper...so creative!!

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    1. Thank you so much Julie! I've loved that tree topper for the last few years but wouldn't buy it. This year, I took the plunge....something a little whimsical! :-) Hugs sweet friend!

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  11. Look at you with a new banner and slogan – one small design step at a time – keeping it real! Looks like you and your gold pen had some fun with the paper clip holder too! I am pretty sure I would need to find a 12 Step Program for Gold Pen decorating addiction if I bought one of those! lol

    One of my first ever decorating loves was white décor but with winter white outside all our doors and windows for seemingly 6 mths of the yr I needed color so never went with that. So like a kid spellbound for hours with the old Sears Wish Book of childhood, I became totally engrossed with all the white textures in your beautiful Christmas home! Then I was abruptly knocked out of my trance when I spotted that it looks like Rocky Horror Columbia helped you decorate the top of your tree – I L O V E that plaid hat – where did you get it from? And please Virginia if there is a Santa Claus make it somewhere that ships to Canada! Lol

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    1. LOL…I needed a subtle change…one of those small changes I was referring to a few weeks ago. I was tired of the boring b/w. I like it clean, but wanted a little change. I’m with you on that pen….I want to use it on everything…LOL

      I love the winter whites also but don’t know if I could do it looking at all that snow. I would definitely need some color. And yes, I went with some whimsy on the tree topper this year. Kirkland’s carries these and they’ve had them the past few years, but I wouldn’t buy one. This year, I did. They also come in black. I thought the plaid would tie in with the scarf on my entry table! So yes, Kirkland’s should ship to Canada! :-) Thank you so much sweet Kari!!

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  12. Those boots! I just love them.
    Beautiful!
    Merry Christmas - Carla
    P.S. I love Alabama xx oo

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    1. Thank you so much Carla...me too and me too! :-) Hugs and Merry Christmas!!

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  13. Benita,
    i enjoyed this enchanting look through your Christmas décor and I love your choice of silver and gold. Your home has a genuine feeling of embracing your family with love and that in my book rocks!
    xx,
    Vera

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    1. Thank you so much Vera! I wanted to keep it simple this year. I’ve never used silver and gold in Christmas decorating before, so I thought I would give it a try this year! :-) Thank you so much for visiting. I do hope you will visit again! Hugs and Merry Christmas!!

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  14. Your Christmas decor looks beautiful and elegant, Benita, you really have a great sense of style. Less is more in so many cases and I agree, putting things away in January is tiresome. I really love your tall skinny tree (I've always dreamed of that for my 'physical self'! lol! No such luck. Maybe someday I will have one in the family room. Space is hard to find here.

    Your table is gorgeous...love the reindeer and gold accents. Everything is so pretty!!

    Jane x

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    1. Thank you so much Jane! This house is small, so even with fewer things out, it looks full. Oh, I so wish I could be the tall, skinny tree also...LOL We have room in the bonus room upstairs for another tree, but we just got all of that furniture settled into place and I did not want to shift it all around....so only the one tree. I had a white one years ago and would love to get a small white one for the bonus room...maybe next year. Thank you again so much! Hugs sweet friend!

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  15. Your home looks beautifully elegant, Benita. Even the snobby reindeer ;)

    I'm FINALLY feeling better. Now it's time to clean the house, so I can take pictures too.

    And thanks for mentioning the war. That's the other reason I haven't been on here. Scary stuff.

    love to you,
    rue

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    1. Thank you so much Rue! Those reindeer are something else….I thought they were hilarious and had to get them….such attitudes they have! ;-)

      I’m so glad you are finally feeling better…the flu just really knocks you down and takes so long to get over. I think about you and your son with all of this war and turmoil and keep you both in my prayers. It is scary and horrible! Love and hugs to you sweet friend….I’m looking forward to seeing your Christmas home! :-)

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  16. You're so right about black looking great with the gold. It really pops. I wish we could switch out our bodies to be tall and thin like we switch out trees, but alas, muffin tops are here to stay.

    I see you changed your header! Nice!

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    1. Thank you so much! The black and gold make me want to change up some more decorating in the house, but I don't have the energy...I just got it all into place...LOL. Yes, yes, and yes...to be tall and thin like the trees...my muffin top is here to stay also....it likes me too much to leave...LOL

      Yes ma'am, just wanted a small change at the top. The other one was boring! :-) Thank you! LOVE those vintage cars you've been sharing on IG!!

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  17. Perrrrrrrrrfect for your beautiful new home. Sooooo perfect.

    I hear you! Used to try to decorate everything that stayed still, long enough. But oh that putting it all away again. Eeeeeeeeek! Needless to say, we ended up being the house, where we were still thinking of putting the tree away, come St. Patrick's Day. -shudder-

    Our decorations have become less and less. And that's so much better. :-)

    Love that red plaid top hat, as topper for your tree!!!!! You are so "ding-dang-dern" clever, to think of something like that!!!!

    Happy, happy Holidays, Christmas, Yule, whatever!!!
    Tessa

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    1. Thank you so much Tessa! LOL…I’ve been that way before…waaaaayyyyyy past the holidays and still looking at a tree! That’s when the ideas to decorate for a year-round tree start running through my head.

      I like the less and less….it is just easier to put up and put away. Thank you so much! I wish I could take credit for the idea of using the hat, but I bought it at Kirkland’s...it is their tree topper. They have them in plaid and in plain black.

      Thank you again and I hope that you have a most wonderful, happy, blessed and Merry Christmas!! Love and hugs to you!!

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  18. Hi Benita,
    Just getting a minute...crawling out from under a pile of glitter, fake snow and yarn...and I am so behind in my post reading...man you are going like gang busters, I have 3 posts to read! ;)
    Beautiful, Beautiful, and did I say Beautiful? Your home is beautiful!! Love the pops of black, and love how your gum rubber boots made another appearance, I love them in your decorating!
    And decorating...ah, I still pull out all the bells and the whistles...well, there are no whistles - but I am up to my eyeballs in bells...and glitter, did I say glitter?
    Ok, I'm going back in my craft room now...banished from society! ;)
    Happy Weekend Friend!!
    Hugs, Kimberley

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    1. I know what you mean! I’ve been up to my eyeballs in wrapping paper and boxes and blogging. Trying to stay on top of writing and reading so I don’t fall so far behind….I’m not doing a very good job…I’m already behind…LOL

      Thank you so much sweet friend! I’m just trying to find the groove with this house. I do love the boots but have no idea what to do with them after Christmas…going to have to think of something pretty clever if they are to stay out. Of course, I could pack them away until fall and find something else cute to put under that table. Even with the few things I have out, I do believe the house is going to seem pretty empty once the decorations are put away…oh, what to do then? :-) Hope you are having fun with all of that glitter….make some new lipstick and take some pics! ;-) Love and hugs to you and hope you have a fabulous weekend planned! Can’t wait until Wednesday!! :-D

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