A Walk Down Christmas Memory Lane

Today I decided to walk down memory lane of past Christmas blog posts. I've come a long way, baby! I thought you might enjoy seeing how my decorating and picture taking skills have changed over the years.

Before I share, I do want to say I do not want to offend anyone. If you use the same decor every year, that is great! I like to change mine frequently, I love to decorate and make things, and I love to update and freshen things up. Also, I am sharing trends that were popular certain years. If you are still decorating with a trend that was popular eight years ago and you still love it, yay!! You absolutely don't have to follow trends. Plus, certain styles are classics and will always be in fashion. 

Apparently I didn't share pictures of my tree every year, but I will share a picture or two starting in 2008.

2008

I had a lot of aqua and light blue in my decor so I decorated with blues and white and browns. My Cricut must have been a new toy because I had lots of Christmas decor with vinyl cut-outs on it, such as this mirror. These little trees were before the resurgence of bottle brush trees. 

2009

 I made white stockings from thrift store sweaters. I was still decorating with blues and dark red and white snowflakes.

2010

I didn't post much Christmas decor this year, but I made this garland with scrapbook paper in the colors I used. That was a lot of circle punching!

I used a lot of blue and silver in 2010.

2011

This year I decorated with red and a lot of rustic and vintage finds.

I included more natural items like pinecones. 

2012

I decorated with an all white Christmas theme. I made this tree skirt from a white wool blanket from the thrift store.

Farmhouse style was becoming popular--all white, burlap, chippy paint were very popular.

2013

Farmhouse is in full swing as Chip and Joanna have emerged on the national scene. I also started stenciling everything I could! Banners were definitely a big hit this year too!

Hot cocoa stations also were gaining in popularity in 2013.

2014

This year I decided I was over white and wanted lots of color--red, turquoise, and bright green. I made these patchwork stockings from thrift store clothes. I made a tree skirt to match.

I made all kinds of wood stars like this red one. I would call my style colorful farmhouse.

2015

This was our first Christmas in our old schoolhouse. It was fun to decorate a new space. my style was more woodland and I primarily decorated with tan and red and white.

I used more natural items, more of a woodsy and lodge look. Think foxes and moose and owls. Red and black buffalo check started becoming popular in 2015 too.

2016

Signs, signs, signs were a sign that it was 2016. Signs telling us about Christmas tree farms, and being naughty or nice, reindeer names (I haven't hung a single sign this Christmas). We stenciled them, hand-painted them, bought them. BIG letters were also a hit.

We put our sayings and signs on everything, including pillows.

I made the red stockings with a piece of red boiled wool from the thrift store. I added farmhouse style cuffs to them. Lots of red and white and snowflakes for me.

2017

I was still using lots of red and white, not so much tan because I had gone from browns to greys by now. I made lots of items with reclaimed wood. 

I made paper chains from old book pages to decorate a craft show booth and used them in my home after the show. A red tonka truck with a bottle brush tree in the back was on trend. There were plenty of signs picturing old trucks with trees this year too.

2018

Bottle brush trees had to be added to everything and with reproduction trees, it was easy. 

Battery operated fairy lights became readily available. I started using more green in my decor. I also continued to add to my snowflake collection.

2019

I was still making lots of signs, but fewer word signs and more easy art type. Picture ledges were hot and I hung my stockings from mine.

I also painted my first painting using only wood scraps as my paintbrushes. Although I am not using it this year, and my family made fun of it (I told them it is a cross between a caribou and reindeer), I still like it and still have it.

2020

Covid Christmas in a new home in a new state. I was all about the white and green, foraged and found decor, and boho--tassels, macrame, baskets!

Surprise! I made new stockings again from thrift store finds.

2021

Last year we were back in Montana in our schoolhouse. I decorated with much of the same decor I had used in Idaho. I used as many snowflakes as I could find.

Little wooden houses were very popular last year and I made a whole village.

This repurposed leather tool belt was a popular post last year.

2022

This year, the white is gone and has been replaced with golds and yellows and browns.

Texture and velvet and mushrooms, yes, shrooms, are popular for the tree.

I am using more natural tones, antique gold and brass, and focusing on layers and textures.

I hope you have enjoyed this review of Christmas past on the blog. It's been fun for me to see how my style has changed and how some things haven't changed. I still create most of my decor, I use thrift store and garage sale finds, and I enjoy decorating for Christmas. Of course, the most important decoration at the holidays is the people we gather around our trees and tables and that is something that will never change for me.