STORY BY JOANNA GAINES
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LISA PETROLE
Early November is the longest I can wait. By then, I’m already pining for scents of cinnamon and nutmeg. For twinkle lights that catch my eye and Bing Crosby on the turntable. I’m longing to unpack every moment and memory of holidays past. Yes, I’m one of those. By the time we’re ushered into the second-to-last month of the year, I am more than ready for Christmas to settle inside my home. The way we deck the halls at the farm doesn’t change much year to year. For me, this season isn’t about introducing a lot of new but about celebrating the old, the passed-down, the patiently waited for. It’s about the sights and scents and stories that say to us, “Soon, it will be Christmas Day.”
A HOLIDAY START
ALL THROUGH THE HOUSE
Our sitting area is one of the first spaces you see when you step into our home, so I like to keep it neutral but still very festive. The tree always gets dressed up with tinsel and my collection of mercury ornaments, and this year I was inspired by this sense of storybook nostalgia so I enclosed vintage books and moss inside a large cloche. The garland down the staircase is a yearly tradition, and in recent years I’ve loved the addition of velvet ribbon.
THE STORY OF US
The family tree is the Christmas hero in our living room. Chip can get pretty passionate about having a real tree, though when the day comes and I watch him and the boys lug a 14-foot pine into the house and onto its stand, I’ll be honest, I’m often thinking about how easy and efficient a fake one would be. Lighting it alone takes a full day. Keeping it alive for two months takes real effort. But then—when we’ve hung the last ornaments and we watch the strands of twinkle lights go from dark to light—I am always glad to have given this tree so much attention. Every ornament is a memory, and all together, they tell the story of our family over the past 25 years. For all the work this beautiful tree requires, it is without a doubt my most treasured gift each year. The mantel is another place I love to dress up. Garland is a must, with its deep green hue and heavy pine scent. The layer of dried oranges is a nod to Little Women, one of my favorite winter stories. Hung above a crackling fire, it adds to the feeling of nostalgia.
SET FOR THE SEASON
This will be our second Christmas dinner in our new dining room, and because we don’t eat meals there nightly, I like to keep it decorated all season long with ribbon-wrapped tapers and a floral arrangement that’s a bit more dramatic than what I’d typically display—but just right for the holidays.
A LOVE OF WREATHS
If you haven’t noticed, I have a small obsession with wreaths this time of year. I’ll hang one up just about anywhere: on a mirror, a window, a door. Of course, it’s hard to beat the real thing, but I also love having a few on hand from our Magnolia collection that I can reuse every season, like this real-feel cedar wreath that hangs on the door in my butler’s pantry (left). This table under the window (right) is often where I drink my morning coffee, so I sprinkled in a hint of holiday here too with another wreath, a miniature tree, and a winter candle.
This is the time to lean into whimsy, savor the nostalgia, and let yourself be swept up in the magic of the season.
MAKING MERRY LITTLE MOMENTS ALL AROUND
Not every corner of my home is a place I go big. Sometimes, it’s these
smaller moments of festive story that mean the most to me.
CHRISTMAS RHYTHMS
The picture of Crew with Santa at the Silos (above) is one of my favorite moments to unpack every year. It’s always the first thing I put up in early November, followed by swapping out our year-round records for our favorite holiday ones.
CUPS OF COCOA
Since my kids were little, I’ve always set out a hot cocoa bar (left). Making a cup is still their favorite thing to do when they get home from school or, honestly, at the first sign of a winter chill. I love watching them make it their own. This year I got to set up the bar in our new butler’s pantry.
A GIFT FROM THE BEES
The Nativity scene (center) was a gift from a beekeeper friend who helped us start our hives at the farm. He made this out of leftover wax from our first harvest years ago. I’ve always loved sentimental Nativities, and the fact that this one came from our bees here at the farm is really special.
CREW'S TREE
I love to see the kids get excited about decorating a tree, especially when it’s their own. This one (right) is my youngest son’s, and we call it the woodland tree because it’s home to anything outdoorsy, which is just like our Crew. But mostly, it’s the place I reserve for my favorite mushroom ornaments I’ve collected (and can’t seem to stop!) through the years.
STAY AWHILE
Some years, winter break is the longest my kids will all be home, so I’m always looking for ways to encourage our family to settle in and connect with one another. I’ve loved the addition of this card table the past few years. It’s more of a grazing table, always there for anyone who’s in the mood to work on a puzzle together.
This story has been adapted from the winter 2025 issue of Magnolia Journal. To see it in print, pick up your copy here or on a newsstand near you. Then, start a subscription for inspiration year-round.
