Next up in our Christmas home tour our living room. Its also feeling festive and cozy for the holidays with pops of red and buffalo check. One thing thats changed in my decor is making it much more comfortable and kid-friendly.
I love a beautiful holiday home, but I also dont want anything to be too precious.
My kids hang out here with us and play here. I have learned to be realistic and manage my expectations. So this is the area that focuses on fun and cozy touches.
Our upstairs tree is pretty simple this year. I focused on items that my 2-year-old wouldnt break. (Bonus: I wont break them, either. I tend to break more things than my kids do.) Lucy has left the tree completely alone so far, but I dont anticipate that lasting forever. So, I used some buffalo check ribbon, a few large (non-glass) bulbs, berry and poinsettia sticks. It still looks festive and fun, but its also safe for all the kids in our life. And my kids love the snowman hat on top.
For the record I never worried about trees being broken with my 7-year-old. He listened to me when I said no touch. To my daughter, no touch actually means touch fast before mom catches me. Second children are humbling.
I picked up the holiday greens bucket three years ago after the holidays from Magnolia. Its such a great way to add height and interest to the tree. And as a bonus, the skirt doesnt get bunched up or sucked up in a vacuum. (Am I the only person this has happened to?) Also unlike tree skirts, my daughter cannot pretend that the bucket is a princess skirt. 
Our Christmas tree had a whole strand of lights go out this year, so I had to rip out part of the lights (its pre-lit) and restring some lights. Hopefully they last me a while longer because I have no intention of purchasing a new tree. 
One thing my toddler DOES love is this Santa sack. She carries it around like shes the jolly guy himself. I just stuffed it with tulle so its full and light. Also, someone remind me to check whats inside before I store it away after the holidays. Goodness knows that toys will be hidden in here that will never see the light of day again.
On top of the record player/tv console, I displayed my DIY nativity on a barn beam.
On the other side of the room, I added a few other festive touches. Including a small basket of non-breakable ornaments.
This is moms chair, if you ask Lucy. No one else is allowed to sit here. I dont mind. Its the comfiest spot in the house. 
The secretary is filled with photos of my kids I like to have at least one photo of the kids printed each Christmas. You could also just swap out photos in frames. Its such a fun way to decorate for the holidays and take a trip down memory lane. The large canvas on top is of Henry at his first Christmas. 
Another way I like to keep our holiday decorating kid-friendly is to add decor that my kids can actually play with. So, I have out a wooden nativity and loads of Christmas books, which they take out every day. And then I added these small metal houses to the side table that are perfect for pretend play. Both my kids know that things that are here are up for grabs. Sometimes youll spot little peg people or Mary and Joseph from the nativity in here. Its all fair game. 
Oh, and we cannot forget the play kitchen. You already saw our big kitchen decked out for Christmas. But, we also spruced up theplay kitchen this year and its so cute I can hardly stand it.
If you missed it last week, I shared some of my favorite play kitchens. I love that this one can be in our main living space and look like it fits in. The cabinets are full of play food and toys that my kids play with every single day. I dont mind taking up the valuable real estate in our home if its being used. And maybe some day, all this playing will mean that my kids can cook ME dinner every night. (Hey a girl can dream.)
Lucy is pretty fond of this Santa. I got him years ago at JCPenney for 90 percent off and hes just hanging out, making a gingerbread house. NBD. 
The small table is a perfect spot for crafts and snacks. Lucy loves having her own size table. I covered it with a vintage tablecloth that belonged to my grandma Lucille. It fits perfectly on the kid-size table.
I guess that having kids has made me realize that having a beautiful home and a comfortable space for my family dont have to be mutually exclusive. My house isnt always perfectly put together, but thats okay. (And yes, sometimes I need that reminder.)
I feel like I cannot go through an entire post without posting a photo of my kids since I promise they live here.
Heres proof that I really do have children and I even let them into these spaces. Sometimes I even get them to wear the same Christmas pajamas and smile for the camera. (Spoiler: I bribed them with a cookie.)
I guess nothing is too precious except for these three.
Now that our Christmas decorations are up, our home feels even more cozy and inviting for our family. Which is perfect, because we are spending a lot of time at home together in this space. The best gift of all.
If you liked this post, here are some other past holiday decor posts you may enjoy:
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