Minimalist Holiday Decor

I love holidays and everything that comes with them, so I figured I'd do a quick post about my approach to holiday decorations.

I love adding a few small touches around our home, but I keep it very minimal. The decorations are ones that I've had for years and I have yet to feel a need to add anything, with the exception of Christmas ornaments. I usually purchase a Christmas ornament at each place we travel, and I also look forward to an annual Christmas ornament exchange each year with friends. 

I think adding only a few small touches during the holidays accomplishes the following: 

1. It makes the decorations more meaningful by selecting just a few that you love.

2. It helps keep storage needs to a minimum (all of my holiday decorations fit in a small space under our basement stairwell).

2. You prevent the dreaded cleanup/takedown once the holiday ends.

I'm not sure if I've already said this on the blog, but I know I've said it to many people:

 Our house was made for the fall and winter.

With its mountain-lodge vibe, wooded views, exposed beams, and "modern rustic" style (I coined that), it is such a cozy home in the colder months. 

A nice candle, some blankets, a hot drink and bam....you feelin' cozy. No additional decorations needed. 

Here's the breakdown of decorations I use for each holiday and how I keep it minimal:

Valentine's Day - No decorations

Easter - I bought this Easter tree from Amazon earlier this year. It has been on my wish list for years  and I got notified of a huge price drop back in July, so I purchased it for around $10.

4th of July - No decorations, although I do think a patriotic touch on the exterior would be nice. We keep an American flag up year-round.

Halloween - A few spiders and cobwebs to add some spooky fun along with my skeleton dog.

Thanksgiving - No decorations

Christmas - We get a real tree and each year I look forward to my evening of decorating the tree while listening to Christmas music. We have a large ribbon bow handmade by a dear neighbor that we put on our mailbox. I have evergreen garland and stockings for the mantle. There are a couple of Santas I'll place around the house. In total, it's less than 10 items.

For me, the traditions associated with each holiday are something I cherish. I have found that I appreciate not spending much time, money and energy into decorating our house beyond these few small touches.