Maybe it’s the writer in me but I’ve always loved seeing inside other people’s homes. Even as a little kid, I’d peek around my friends’ moms, who’d answer the door with a dishtowel draped over their shoulder or have a younger child perched on their hip with one arm holding the screen door open. I loved to get a little glimpse of the story being told in their house. I still love seeing the art people choose, the photos they frame, the evidence of full and colorful lives being lived.
And Christmastime is my very favorite time because you can tell so much about a person based on the things they display. My cousin, Beth, posted a beautiful picture on Facebook last week of her mother’s Christmas village. It wasn’t staged to look like a Pottery Barn catalog or edited with Instagram’s latest filters. It was a simple photo to commemorate that this was the first time she’s brought those little houses out since her mother passed away. I’ve thought so much about the tenderness she must have had pulling the houses out of the boxes and arranging them just so. Our stories are so deeply woven in the things we bring out at Christmas. We keep our hearts on the mantle instead of our sleeves.
This year I’ve been invited to join the 12 Days of Christmas Tour of Homes, which will feature the homes of some of my favorite bloggers. The tour kicked off yesterday with Jenny at Evolution of Style and Amanda at Dixie Delights. Jenny’s style is so polished and sophisticated and no one does Southern-glam like Amanda. Both tours are magazine-worthy yet if you spend time looking at the photos, you see such warmth. You see evidence of loved ones, pets, childhood memories. You see stories.
Today Tamara at Provident Home Design gave us a peek into her home. I think I’ve found a kindred spirit in her after spotting this beachy painting, which she says she kept out as a reminder in the long, dreary winter of the good things to come. Being a sun-worshiper myself, I can’t bring myself to trade driftwood for pine cones entirely.
And Vel at Life & Home at 2102’s tour is complete eye-candy but what I loved most was the evidence of her sweetness towards her daughter. I love how she created beautiful rooms that are functional and inviting for a busy toddler. I’m in the same boat and I imagine many of you are, too. We want beautiful homes that are lived in…full of soul and stories.
Here’s the full schedule for the tour of homes so you can keep up. And please watch out for our humble-yet-storied home, which will be featured on December 11th!
