More Merry And Bright Christmas Tour

We all love a Christmas Home Tour! Get lots of ideas to decorate your home for the Holidays in Part 2 of our Merry And Bright Christmas Home Tour.

Merry Christmas friends! I’m so glad you are back for Part 2 of our 2022 Merry And Bright Christmas Home Tour! Our home is dressed up for the Holidays and ready for you to have a look around!

A big THANK YOU to Marty from A Stroll Thru Life for hosting this tour. Marty’s tours are famous as she has been bringing these special virtual open houses for years!

This year’s Christmas tour features 26 homes over 5 days. I can’t wait to see every one!

BUTTON FOR TOUR

A special welcome to all those coming from Marty’s. She is such a blessing and always has so many wonderful ideas for every season. But I must admit Christmas as A Stroll Thru Life is my favorite!

Come on in friends, old and new!

We started our Merry and Bright Christmas tour last week so let me catch you up before we head to the kitchen and sunroom. You can see Part 1 of our Merry And Bright Christmas Tour HERE.

I collect all kinds of Christmas trees, so the foyer holds a little smattering of my collection.

I usually am quite edited when it comes to decorating, but this year I went a bit wild! Or at least wild for me. I embraced the maximalist in me and layered with abandon! Again, at least for me. The reindeer art was a big hit this year. I got so many questions asking me where I got him. I found him at a local shop.

The lower shelf of the console table will give you a hint about the colors I’m using in my decor this year…

I like to have something in my foyer that is a nod to the colors you will find in the rest of our home.

One of the most important things we can do as home decorators is create a color palette for everything we decorate! This is a designer secret and once you start doing this you will see just how easy it makes decorating!

The color palette I chose for this year’s Christmas decor is browns, soft neutrals, a touch of red, and lots of white. Green is a free color because there are just so many evergreens and such in our homes during the holiday season.

Our foyer opens up to our living room…

The stair on the left went through a major facelift! They were all golden oak. Two stories of golden oak! In Part 1 of the tour, you can get a better look at what we did and our pretty new runner.

Our living room also had a bit of red incorporated into our Christmas decor! But just a little bit!

And so did the dining area…

And even the tree had a hint of Merry And Bright red too…

You can see the rest of the tour HERE.

Now, that you are a bit caught up let’s head to the kitchen…

A kitchen is a busy place during the Holidays. Starting a couple weeks before Thanksgiving right through New Year’s Day. After the new year, I take time to reorganize my kitchen and give everything a good cleaning and decluttering. Make sure you stop back for new posts in January all about organizing.

Here is the kitchen looking from the dining area.

I like to add a statement to the corner of our countertop. It can be seen from the living room, dining area, and sunroom.

I found these pretty hydrangeas at our local grocery store. I just could not resist them and was excited to show them to you. The red hydrangeas were dyed but what a gorgeous color. Originally, I was going to use white with just a little green but when I saw the deep red hydrangeas the plan changed! Aren’t these unusual? I also added a few pods to the arrangement too.

This year’s tour name, Merry And Bright, was inspired because of the red I added here and there to our home and this…

The long row of cabinets on the back side of our kitchen has a long countertop. It’s where we keep our coffee maker and on the other end our pop-up bar.

I hung a little boxwood wreath on the glass cabinets with French red and off-white cotton ribbon. A few festive items were also added to the cabinet inside. Tall ceramic Christmas trees and a glass bowl filled with little Christmas balls set on some bits of green. And green goblets I often use in the glass cabinets that work with the Christmas color palette too.

While I was looking for flowers for the urn I also found some darling tree cupcakes. And since our three little grandsons were visiting I could not resist getting them a treat. What happens at Gigi’s house stays at Gigi’s house! I take my grandmother role very seriously!

So before they ate the cupcakes I put them on a cake pedestal and create a fun pop-up dessert bar.

When I saw these darling little cupcakes and got over my initial oohing and aahing my next thought was, “I can make these. How hard can it be”. So I’m making these for when our whole family is together at Christmas.

The I-can-make-this kind of thinking has led me to all kinds of projects I should have never started over the decades. But I can absolutely do the cupcakes!

I found these little melamine tree dishes and striped bowls at Target last year. I also got matching napkins. They are just so pretty and useful! I call that functional and fabulous.

The Santa Claus Is Coming To Town Prints are from Etsy. I wanted to add something festive to the kitchen wall and when I saw these I just fell in love with them.


They are a watercolor with a blizzard of snow going on in the scene.

Let’s head into our U-shaped kitchen. It is very open and perfect for cooking and having company!

I like to keep my working surfaces free from clutter and decor. So I try to keep decor down to a minimum, EXCEPT at Christmas!!!!

I like to have something seasonal in back of my faucet. The bar stools are on the other side of the counter and looking at a little bit of seasonal decor is so much more pleasing than just a faucet! After New Year’s Day, I’ll plant pots of herbs and put them in place of the long wooden bowl of greens and candles.

They will stay until I transplant them in the herb garden in early summer.

The oven is on the other side of the kitchen along with more cabinets.

I filled a big jar up with candy canes this Christmas. I gave one of the candy canes from the jar to my little four-year-old grandson and he said that it was too beautiful to eat. Oh, I LOVE 4-year-olds. Thank goodness I have four more grandbabies to go through their 4’s yet!

I also tied the same ribbon from the wreath on the lid of the split peas. I don’t like split peas but I love their colors.

The tray on the oven burners holds three red bakers with lids, my favorite candle, a little tree wrapped in brown paper, and two reindeer salt and pepper shakers.

I love these little reindeer!

Let’s head through the dining area to the sunroom.

I used a bit more red in this room! Although it is tucked around the corner from the living room it is open to the dining area and kitchen. But I felt a bit freer to add more color this year!

This little room lives large! Here’s where we read and chat and watch tv. It has lots of windows on three sides that delight us with gorgeous views of the golf course and Lancaster County countryside. It’s really perfect for Bobby and me!

For some reason, however, our family likes to smoosh themselves in here altogether. I’m all about togetherness but with 6 little ones, it can get a bit loud and frenetic!

Right now it looks calm and Merry and Bright! When I was cleaning right before this photo shoot I found a dinosaur and a penguin under the sofa.

No wonder in 2023 we are adding a big family room in the basement with a powder room, kitchenette, and a place to eat.

We downsized but our kids just kept having babies. Thank goodness!

I’ve rearranged the little vignette on the coffee table a few times. We did have real hydrangeas in the vase. When they were spent I replaced them with good fakes. The Hypericum berries are real and they last a long time.

How To Style A Christmas Vignette Step-By-Step will give you a formula for creating beautiful vignettes and lots of ideas for what to put in them.

I found the plaid pillows at the Pottery Barn Outlet on a super sale! It wasn’t Christmastime but I bought them because I knew I would use them and my girls would want to use them too! When I found them in my pillow cover drawer I was thrilled! I knew just where they would go!

Mongolian fur pillows come out for Christmas and then get put away when I decorate for spring. I have a couple large lumbar Mongolian and lots of 20-inch square ones. They find their way to sofas, chairs, and beds! And I have a couple of Mongolian throws I love to use on our beds. They always look so inviting!

Source Details

I keep all of our ornaments stashed together by color. So when I got out the red ornament box after years and years, I was so surprised to find this pretty red vintage-looking ball!

This is our new swivel chair that was delivered yesterday. It’s nice to be able to swivel around and watch tv. It has a very small check-ish pattern in a pretty caramel color mixed with white.

On top of the garden stool next to the chair, I added another wreath, just like the wreaths hanging in every window with a wrapped gift on top of it to mimic the wreath and gifts on the ottomans in the living room.

I think I love the tabletop tree most of all the decorations in our home. We have had it for four years now and I always look forward to decorating it.


This year’s tabletop tree is so traditional! Red shiny Christmas balls and a plaid ribbon and a big bow at the top!

It hides the tree stand I even filled the white drink container up with red balls!

I wrapped a few gifts and scattered them around the tree. When I chose my Christmas color palette I chose the gift wrap right away.

I hope you have found a few ideas to use in your home. Our time here is up and now I need to move you on to the next home on our Christmas tour.

Alicia from Thrifty And Chic has such a beautiful, cozy vintage-inspired tour for you! I know you will enjoy it!

I wish you and your family a blessed and very Merry And Bright Christmas!

A Stroll Thru Life StoneGableThrifty and ChicSouthern Home and HospitalityWorthing Court

Tuesday December 6th

Our Southern HomeThis is our BlissThe Stonybrook HouseA Pretty Life In The SuburbsUp To Date Interiors Shiplap and Shells

Wednesday December 7th

Whispering Pines HomesteadCalypso in the CountryWhite Arrows Home Designing VibesDecor to AdoreClean and Scentsible.

Thursday December 8th

CitrineLiving Pasha is Home County Road 407 Simply2MomsSouthern State of MindChalking Up Success

Friday December 9th

Hymns and VersesEleanor Rose HomeDimples and Tangles

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47 Comments

  1. GOOD MORNING LOVE YOUR HOME BEAUTIFUL And the swivel chair where did you get it?…….MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HEALTHY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!

  2. Just wanted to say I have learned so much from you on decorating the last few years. Thank you! Grandchildren are the best, we have 14, the oldest is 12 years old. Merry Christmas.

  3. It is just beautiful, Yvonne. I don’t always have time to comment when I visit but I wanted to tell you how fabulous everything looks. Your talent really shines at Christmastime. Gotta love those four year olds. Sadly, our littlest one is 8 now so the wonderful “fours” are behind us.
    I hope you have a blessed, beautiful holiday- xo Diana

  4. Absolutely stunning. Your tours are always so beautiful and so full of inspiration and decorating tips. I adore the red you’ve added this season, so pretty and such a wonderful accent color for your home. Thank you so much for sharing your home and joining the tour again this season. Your home is such a favorite on everyone’s list.

    1. MERRY CHRISTMAS, Marty! Thank you so much for including me on your very popular tour! It’s the highlight of my year!

  5. Your home looks beautiful as always.I love the neutrals with the pops of red.I have used that same color scheme in my home this year !!

      1. Thank you ! Merry Christmas to you and your family !

  6. Your holiday decor never disappoints, Yvonne! This year your home definitely is merry and bright and amazing. The touches of red are just perfect and so cheery. I love to take in every vignette and surface in your Christmas tours – they’ve inspired me for years! I had to pin the tabletop tree in the bowl filled with ornaments. I think I’ll have to find a place to use that idea next year. And BTW I love the site’s new look! Have a wonderful Christmas!!

    1. Thanks so much Kate! We are still working on it! It just went live on Thursday so it’s a big work in progress. Merry Christmas!

  7. CarolBinTX says:

    So many good ideas in this post! I love all the red, your sunroom is my favorite. I use red every year, so cozy. I have so many favorites from this blog – the tree in the pot of red ornaments, the jar of candy canes (everyone in my except for my 8 yr old grandson hates peppermint, but it would be worth it, even if I throw them out at the end of the season), the tray on top of the stove (I’d need to make a commitment to put the tea kettle away and to keep the stove wiped down). I went nuts last year for mercury glass Christmas trees, they are everywhere in my house and I bought 2 new ones this year, but haven’t seen many. I also went a little crazy with plaid. My husband’s been a good sport about it all this year.

    1. Thank goodness for husbands who are good sports! Your home sound so festive. Merry Christmas.

  8. GL Gardener says:

    Lovely. Merry Christmas. Where did you get the white bowl in your kitchen with the pomegranates in it? I have been looking for one like that and have not had any success.

    1. Hi GL I found it on the crate and barrel website but I don’t see it anymore. Sorry I can’t help. Why not google large white decorative bowl?

  9. Debbie Atchley says:

    Hi Yvonne,
    I have been admiring the round lidded baskets that you stack and have used in your foyer for sometime now. Could you tell me where you purchased them? In this post one of them is still in the foyer but with greens and a gift inside of it.

  10. Calypso in the Country says:

    Your home is stunning! I love every festive detail from the pops of red to the little tree set in a container of ornaments. Great idea! I’m also admiring the way you decorated your mantel garland with all the ribbon…it’s beautiful! Thanks for the lovely tour!
    Shelley

  11. Christine says:

    I love your 2022 Christmas tour. I love and use red so it’s been great to see and admire your lovely home. It truly does make everything “merry and bright.” Merry Christmas !

  12. Mary Anne Russo says:

    You never disappoint! Your home always looks gorgeous for all the seasons! Love the little tree in the sitting room.

  13. Joyce Kennard says:

    Was hoping to see if you decorated the black bench at your front door. Love the red accents. Tried to copy somethings this year. Thanks for the ideas. Hope all is well at your house

  14. I always love your home tours, Yvonne. First of all, your mini Christmas tree with the red plaid ribbon and red ornaments filling the white container is so festive. Your ribbons on the trees and garland are just gorgeous. I would love to learn how to make mine look like yours. The hydrangeas are a beautiful touch for the holidays. I love the tree dishes and striped bowls with the tree napkins. So beautiful my friend.

  15. Hi Yvonne,
    What a beautiful home! So warm and welcoming. I bet that your grandbabies love visiting you. – and not only at Christmas.
    Thank you for sharing!
    Happy Christmas

  16. Julie Garza says:

    Where did you get the faux pomegranates? Those look so realistic!

  17. Your home looks stunning. I always love to see what you’re doing for the Holidays and you always delight and amaze me with your creativity. I especially love your tabletop tree. I know you said you’ve had it for 4 years but what kind (brand?) is it and how tall. I’d love to do one for my entry table. Merry Christmas to you and your family.

  18. Beautiful home for Christmas, Yvonne! I love how you used fresh flowers in the mix. I will have to do that!
    Those adorable cupcakes for your grandson…<3 I'm Gigi too! It's so much fun being a grandma!

  19. CarolBinTX says:

    I LOVE how you caught the steam coming off that cuppa in your sitting room!

  20. You home is beautiful, I love your style and your Sunday messages are so inspiring.
    Could you please tell me where you got the beautiful glass front shelves at the bottom of your stairs going into the living room.

  21. So beautiful Yvonne! I love the pops of red – especially the little tree in the pot. Wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas season!

  22. tracey clark says:

    Yvonne – Your daily blog is part of my morning ritual before heading to work. I just love what you’ve done this year with your home. I am wondering where you purchase the ribbon you use for your trees and displays. I am loving the light brown and white striped ribbon. I am hoping its still available. My grandaughters will be visiting for a week over the holidays. The candycanes are out and a couple holiday Pez are hiding throughout the house. Wishing you and your family a joyous holiday and a New Year filled with good health and lots of blessings.

  23. Tina Simon says:

    You have a beautiful home. I have a great room with a lot of windows just like your room. I want to put little wreaths on them just like you did. Can you tell me where you got the wreaths? Thanks!

  24. Oh Yvonne your Christmas décor takes my breath away! I love the happy pops of red paired with the calming neutrals. It’s such a delight to be on tour with you.

  25. What a cozy, light-filled sunroom with a view! I’m still in love with your rug in there. Do you have a source for it? Enjoy your holiday season filled with family and friends!

  26. Beautiful home tour as always! I love the pops of red and that table top tree is so sweet! Everything looks picture-perfect. Merry Christmas!

  27. Yvonne, your home is stunning! I especially love your mantle garland. Merry Christmas!