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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

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January 7, 2016

Taking Your Decor from Christmas to Winter

I gave myself an early Christmas gift this year. And it wasn’t like that time that I bought myself a new pair of slippers and made my husband wrap them and put them under the tree and then I opened them on Christmas morning with all of the appropriate fake surprise and joy. 😉

Simple winter tabletop decor atthepicketfence.com

No, this year I gave myself the gift of time. The gift of energy. The gift of streamlining the transition from Christmas to the new year.

Back in November when I started decorating my house for the holidays, I made the decision to be very intentional. I was determined that when it came time to pack away the Christmas stuff that I wouldn’t have to work too hard to have the spaces still feel decorated.

After all, those tabletops and mantels and nooks and crannies still need some love even after Santa’s visit, right?

Take for example my entry table.

Christmas entry with garland on staircase

I removed all of the extra ‘stuff’ and kept out this little decorative sled but tucked the tree into a white pitcher for a pop of something bright against all of the brown-ish tones.

simple winter decor with a decorative sled atthepicketfence.com

I switched out the wire basket for this olive bucket but kept the logs and put it on top of the chest.

Simple and lovely.

olive bucket with logs

The living room mantel was the easiest area of all to change from Christmas to winter.

Christmas mantel with noel letters in twig frame

All I did was remove the ‘Noel’ plaque. The pine-cones and greenery help to keep things looking soft and winter-y so it was a no brainer to just leave them be.

Mantel with shutters and frames atthepicketfence.com

The family room fireplace received a little bit more attention but still only took about 5 minutes.

This is how it looked for Christmas.

Simple Christmas mantel decorating idea

And here is how it looks simplified for winter.

simple french country fireplace decor atthepicketfence.com

The little sprigs of greenery which were in the white pitchers all along the mantel (plus a few more) were tucked into a white urn so that there is still some color.

winter greenery tucked into an urn atthepicketfence.com

On the sofa table, I didn’t have to change a single thing. A wire tray held the candles we used for advent this Christmas and alongside a chunky wood column (one of my most favorite decor pieces!) it will stay this way all winter long.

Simple winter sofa table decor atthepicketfence.com

You know, when it was all said and done, I realized that I had given myself the gift that keeps on giving.

When it was all decorated for Christmas, it was more than enough.

And now, it’s just right.

Fill a wire basket with decorative items. Easy and simple decorating! At the Picket Fence.com

I honestly think that my soul let out a big sigh of relief when I stood back and took in the more simple decor.

It could be because it was less fussy, less dusty and less mussy (that’s a word right?).

But I really think that it’s because I won’t have to do any more decorating on these surfaces until it’s time to break out the Spring decor. Whew!

Hope you are all having a great start to the new year!

Vanessa signature

19 Comments Filed Under: Decorating, Good Ideas Tagged With: decor, decorating, winter decorating

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Comments

  1. Elaine says

    January 7, 2016 at 4:32 AM

    I too decorate for January, I live in south Florida but I put out snowmen and a door plaque that says winter. You have given me great ideas for other decorations, rthank you. I love white and your decorations are just great. I am digging out my white pitcher and putting greenery in it and using my white dishes for everyday during this month.
    Have a happy new year.

    Reply
  2. Sherri says

    January 7, 2016 at 5:05 AM

    I love this idea, I kind of do something similar. I live in a one bedroom apartment, I put up a small tree and then usually decorate the living room with lots of snowman and garland. This way I can take the tree down and still be decorated for the winter until Spring gets here! Your home is beautiful!

    Reply
  3. heidi @ Decor & More says

    January 7, 2016 at 5:37 AM

    Simple, lovely, and still so very fresh! Enjoy, Vanessa!
    xo Heidi

    Reply
  4. Doreen @ Hymns and Verses says

    January 7, 2016 at 7:10 AM

    So smart! I need to work on this a bit more next year!!! I unwrapped the gift I picked out this year from the hubs – a red Kate Spade bag! To give the hubs some credit, he went shopping with me to pick something out!!! Happy New Year!

    Reply
  5. Marty@A Stroll Thru Life says

    January 7, 2016 at 10:18 AM

    Everything looks amazing.

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      January 7, 2016 at 8:49 PM

      Thanks Marty!

      Reply
  6. Deborah says

    January 7, 2016 at 4:45 PM

    My word this year is intentional and I so love this. I love the intention. I love the pics. I love it all!!!!

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      January 7, 2016 at 8:49 PM

      Thanks so much Deborah!!

      Reply
  7. Anita says

    January 7, 2016 at 6:25 PM

    Oh Vanessa, I love it all! What I love most, though, is that it’s “winter” and your decor reflects the season outside instead of jumping ahead to spring. It’s all just perfect:-)

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      January 7, 2016 at 8:48 PM

      Thank you so much Anita!! I was SO excited when I was at WalMart the other day and saw your beautiful bedroom right there on the cover of a magazine!!! Congrats to you my friend! <3

      Reply
  8. Cindy says

    January 7, 2016 at 11:20 PM

    All so pretty! Hope you have a blessed and Happy New Year!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

    Reply
  9. debi says

    January 8, 2016 at 6:09 AM

    simply beautiful! I wanted a way to leave the garland and white lights over my living room window, but felt it still looked too Christmassy . I did leave snowmen (tea stained) and some white lights and lots of pine cones… wish I would have thought to keep greenery. I love winter!

    Reply
  10. Teresa says

    January 13, 2016 at 8:04 PM

    Great ideas

    Reply
  11. Karen says

    January 14, 2016 at 8:08 AM

    I went simple this year, as well. I didn’t put much out for Christmas so that it was simple to put back and then minimized winter decor with only a few snowmen on and around the mantel – and I have 3 poinettia’s and 2 greenery plants. Looks very neat!

    Reply
  12. Loni Lichfield says

    January 15, 2016 at 9:35 AM

    Vanessa, where do you get your lovely greenery and garlands? The only thing I can find in my small town is the fake wiry bushy stuff. I want so much to use something that looks like I snipped it out of my backyard, but I don’t know if what you have is real or fake. Can you share where you got yours? Thanks!!

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      January 15, 2016 at 9:58 AM

      Hi Loni! I get most of my greenery/garlands from Craft Warehouse. They have some of the most realistic ones I’ve ever been able to find! 🙂

      Reply
  13. Wynne Snell says

    January 16, 2016 at 8:37 AM

    Love your blog! Was just wondering if you can share where you found the wire basket and greens inside? I will begin at Craft Warehouse. Thanks!

    Reply
  14. Phyllis says

    January 1, 2017 at 11:02 AM

    I am so in love with your sleigh. Where did you find it please?

    Reply
  15. PAT says

    January 4, 2017 at 8:01 AM

    Hi there, just happened on your site, although we are now into 2017 and I’m a year late, I loved what saw! what a lovely way to keep in the spirit of winter!! It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one that keeps it wintry after the holidays!!

    Reply

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Yesterday on the way home from school I had the ra Yesterday on the way home from school I had the radio tuned to my daughter's favorite station and a song that was playing had a line in it that really stood out to me. It made reference to a 'season of the sticks' which I think its safe to say must mean winter. I thought that was such an accurate, albeiet kind of depressing, picture of this time of the year.

While we definitely have more than our fair share of evergreen trees here in Oregon, we also have plenty of trees and bushes that are reduced to sticks during the cold months. But, this morning as I looked out my kitchen window, greedily sipping from my mug of coffee, I marveled at the beauty of the winter sunrise. The sky was all pinks and oranges with frost on the rooftops and a little bit of fog. And, I realized that part of why it was so amazing is because I could see it more clearly through the sticks. The bare branches allowed me a view that I wouldn't be able to see if those same branches were covered in leaves. Being stripped down to almost nothing revealed something magnificent.

We have seasons of the sticks in our lives too, don't we? Times when we feel as though we've been stripped bare and left exposed. It's easy to think that this is a place where all is ugly and dark. And yet, just like the winter sunrise was more visible because of the bare branches, the vulnerability we feel in the winter season of our souls allows us to get a glimpse of beauty that we wouldn't see otherwise. In the lush, warm seasons it's so easy to become comfortable. But in the bare, cold seasons we recognize just how much we need to rely on the One who placed the stars in the heavens and is sovereign over all.

If you feel like your soul has been stripped bare and you've been left exposed and vulnerable, may I encourage you today to ask the Lord to help you to see the beauty in this 'season of the sticks'.

“Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." Psalm 143:7
I just went to make my mid-morning protein shake a I just went to make my mid-morning protein shake and grabbed a banana out of the freezer and was about to put it into my shake before I realized it was a frozen egg roll. Sooooo that's how my day is going so far! 🤪How about you?

It's honestly fairly representative of my state of mind these days as I can't seem to make the date on the calendar match the date in my spirit because it feels like it should be January 45th. Every year this month drags on and every year it seems to surprise me for some reason. In addition, my heart just feels heavy as I witness a lot of darkness and sadness around me. So, I'm choosing to control what I can control by making my house feel as cozy as possible, relishing the sunshine whenever it dares to peek through the clouds, gathering inspiration for warmer weather projects and, most importantly, resting in the comfort of the sovereignty of my Father.

“God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’ So that everyone he has made may know his work..." Job 37:5-7
What if you could do something at the beginning of What if you could do something at the beginning of your day that would be a gift to yourself later on? That’s what we’re talking about on this week’s Tip Tuesday! #tiptuesday
The sun decided to make another appearance today! The sun decided to make another appearance today! It’s been such a lovely Sunday. Chocolate croissants for breakfast followed by church then naps/football/reading/etc and soon we’ll be heading out to dinner with friends. These are my favorite kind of weekends. Hope yours has been lovely too! 🌿
Yesterday was stormy and cold but today the sunshi Yesterday was stormy and cold but today the sunshine is breaking through the fog and my house just seems happier. We definitely needed to see that light streaming in through the windows and it’s a gift I don’t take for granted.

And yes, there are still twinkle lights on my mantle because those help when the sunshine goes away again. ✨
Happy weekend! The rainy and gloomy weather here i Happy weekend! The rainy and gloomy weather here in the Willamette Valley has me feeling less frustrated about my migraine forcing me to just snuggle up indoors and these flowers in my kitchen are lifting my spirits. What are you up to on this holiday weekend?
It’s time for TIP TUESDAY! This week, I’m offe It’s time for TIP TUESDAY! This week, I’m offering a gentle reminder from my own parenting experience after feeling my heart pricked with conviction about what was waiting for my daughter every day after school. I hope it will encourage you! 🌿#tiptuesday
The day after Christmas I found myself laundering The day after Christmas I found myself laundering and folding all of the linens we used the previous night as we hosted my husband's side of the family for dinner and other festivities. As I laid out each cloth napkin and folded them one by one, I couldn't help but be struck by what a simple, yet meaningful, task it was. It's such an honor and privilege to be the hostess and, at this stage of my life, I realize that this has almost one hundred percent become my role now. Our parents are in their 70's and have either downsized significantly or simply don't have the energy to take on hosting duties for a large group. I could resent this. I could feel overwhelmed by it. But, instead, I'm choosing to embrace it knowing that, someday, I too will pass the hosting torch and I hope that I will be welcomed with love and attentiveness. So, I fold the linen napkins, taking pleasure in the way all of the creases line up and how neat and tidy they look in the drawer of my dining room buffet. These seemingly simple chores are part of the lifeblood of homemaking and my attitude towards them can either be one of gratefulness or grumbly-ness (yes, I'm making up words now). 

And I’m choosing gratefulness. 

“This job has been given to me to do. Therefore, it is a gift. Therefore, it is a privilege. Therefore, it is an offering I may make to God. Therefore, it is to be done gladly, if it is done for Him. Here, not somewhere else, I may learn God’s way. In this job, not in some other, God looks for faithfulness.” (Elisabeth Elliot⁣)
Welcome to Tip Tuesday! I’m so excited to be kic Welcome to Tip Tuesday! I’m so excited to be kicking off the year with a brand new series! Each weekly installment will feature a tip for everything from your home to faith to parenting to family life and so much more. My goal for 2023 is to have far more personal interaction with this community while continuing on with the mission of weaving together all things heart and home. I hope you enjoy this first tip and I’d love to hear from you about whether or not you decorate for winter! 
#tiptuesday #organizing #winterdecorating
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. H “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” 

Here’s to beginnings. Happy new year friends! May you experience the majesty and sovereignty of the Lord in 2023 like never before! ✨
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