Holiday Decor Transition

Whew!  

This holiday season seems to have flown past....

and yet it also seems like the Christmas decor has been around forever!

Was it because Thanksgiving was early this year?

Was it because we decorated the Festival Tree a whole week before Thanksgiving?

This year, I noticed that my Christmas Decor Style had changed.

I wouldn't call it minimalist....but I definitely limited the things that I used this year.

It also felt like I was sort of "organic" in the way I approached the actual decorating process.

Instead of going all out and doing every bit of decorating in one day, I spread it out over a couple of weeks.

I added a touch of Christmas to different areas each day.

AND

I only put out the things we actually LOVE!

Would you believe that there were actually boxes of decor that never made it out of the closet!

Now it is time to UNDECORATE! 

I plan to use the same "organic" process to take away the obvious Christmas and transition into Winter.

The first step in editing all those decorations is to get ALL the boxes out.....

ARGHHHH! 

I have lined the boxes that will get filled along the wall in the lower level.

I have tossed out all the ornaments with no hanger tops, the tacky nutcrackers and the junky looking stuff...that is....the junky looking stuff that has no sentimental value.

I ran across this great list of things to get rid of as you store your decorations away.
Martha Stewart Guide to Decluttering Holiday Items

The tree will stay up until New Year's Day.
The greenery on the front steps will probably be there until February.

Now as I wander around the house...I am deciding what can slowly start going in the boxes.

I am also looking for ways to use the Christmas goodies in a wintery way.
There is still a box of greenery in the garage.  I will be able to freshen up the different arrangements for at least a month.
It is good that the red poinsettias look nice in the living room and they certainly like the bright winter sun.

Here are a few things that I have done so far:

This is a vignette a a big arrangement that sat on the dining room table.

I took it apart....




All the red is gone for this arrangement.  The green pods and pine cones along with some curly willow now say Winter instead of Christmas.

 I adore these artificial pomegranates and couldn't bear to put them away quite yet.  In the smaller container with a seed pod, they look nice in the kitchen.

When I took the garland off the mirror in the dining room, the faux magnolia leaves and glittery grape clusters moved to a simple white tray on the sideboard. 

More of the magnolia leaves and some decorative natural looking balls were "rescued" from the mantel. 

Please note the "Wintery White" cat!  A definite addition to the scene.

I will keep picking away at the Christmas "undecorating" until it is all put away or transitioned to a cozy winter look.


I really can't wait to get all those boxes stored away until next year.

Mr. S can't wait to get all the leftover greens out of the garage!





I will keep you posted....and share the other things I come up with for winter decor.
In the meantime, here are some of my inspirations:

Source

Maybe the old window in the lower level will get the snowflake treatment for awhile.

Source

I still have lots of birch twigs left from out Make and Take Workshops.

I think a trip to Goodwill for some basic glass vases might be in order.

Do you think driveway salt would work in the bottom?

Source

That airy pine is a favorite of mine.  And there is still some of that in the garage too!

And of course.....Mr. S has provided me with plenty of antlers!

What are your best hints for transitioning from all that red and green to a more restful look?
I would love to hear what you do.

Have a Happy New Year!