SOPHISTICATED + SNOWY CHRISTMAS TREE

Note: This post contains affiliate links and I may earn a small commission if you choose to shop through my links.
Please keep in mind that the price + availability of items featured within the post may change after publish date.

From a tiny tabletop tree in an even tinier studio apartment, to a too-large tree in dominating our Plaza Midwood Bungalow — Joey and I have trimmed a number of Christmas trees together over the last 5.5 years and while the trees were all special in their own way, none of them really felt like the real deal, ya know?

Those other trees? They were pretty, sure.

But they didn’t paint a picture of the life we’ve built together.

They lacked a certain, je ne sais quoi.

They didn’t have that nostalgic, magical characteristic that’s only possible from years
of carefully curating ornaments and adding baubles to your collection to mark
life’s greatest milestones and realizing new adventures.

So, as we settled into our first Christmas at our new home, I set out to change that.

I knew I wanted to pour our story into our tree and lay the groundwork
for many more merry + magical Christmases to come.

It’s a 9 ft., hand-me-down tree gifted to us by my parents after many years of love in my childhood home. None of its pre-wired lights work but its branches are full as ever and make a handsome base for our many baubles.

We opted for a white, gold and champagne color palette for our tree because, honestly, I tend to grow tired of color after a few days. Like, it’s bad.

When I source any long-term products — whether they be for our home, our holiday collection or my closet — I always try to stick to a neutral color palette. Otherwise I will, undoubtedly, hate the colorful purchase after a few days (read: a day) and become overwhelmed with an insatiable desire to replace it. Or bury it in the back of a closet.

But, I digress.

After fluffing all the branches, Joey and I wrapped our tree with strings of functioning, warm-white Christmas lights. Next, we wrapped the tree with a glittery, ivory-tone wire ribbon, making a point to allow the ribbon to curl and swirl naturally as we draped it along the branches.

We used champagne berry picks sporadically throughout the branches to add texture and lighten the deep, evergreen base before adding ornaments. Next year I plan on flocking a few of the berry picks to add dimension and give the tree a snowier look!

Once the berries were secure, I added several, snow-white magnolia bloom picks throughout the tree. Not only do the magnolia blooms bring softness to the branches, but they offer a subtle nod to our home and the magnolia tree in our backyard.

OTHER SENTIMENTAL ORNAMENTS —

The squirrel ornaments represent my silly nickname from Joey.
The acorn ornaments represent Eleanor because we joke that she’s like a squirrel with a nut.
The reindeer symbolizes Theodore because he’s always looked like a little deer.
The star ornaments scattered throughout represent my love of astrology.
The golden “T” ornament represents our last name + the year we got engaged.
The acrylic ornament marks our first year of marriage.
The snowy house ornament represents our first Christmas as homeowners.

I selected the gilded star tree topper and some of the more ornate, metallic baubles because of their distinct, Art Deco-style design. The vintage accents infuse personal history and depth into our tree by offering a subtle nod to my great-grandparents who also happen to share both of our names. Read more about their significance on my wedding gallery on HGTV.com.

But, ALSO, the topper and baubles dial-up the glam-factor on our tree in a major way, so that’s always a plus, too. Right?

Oh, and if you’re wondering why there isn’t a Joey-specific ornament on our tree — don’t worry.
He’s got a fully-loaded Tennessee Titans tree bringing a heavy dose of holiday cheer to
his basement man cave and he’s very happy with it.