I freely admit to being one of those people who has their Christmas decorations up early, like obnoxiously early/bordering on Halloween early. And I know I should make room for Thanksgiving decorating, but having pumpkins out from September through November gets too monotonous for me. I’m ready to remove them before I hear the first “trick-or-treat” at the door. I’m a live and let live kind of person, so I say decorate when you want, how you want, and for however long you want. Christmas is my favorite holiday and I want to enjoy it for as long as possible. I love to embrace the holidays with cozy decor tucked throughout the house. I’m no Martha Stewart, but I’ve been putting things out over the past week that I think work really well for our smaller living space. I wanted to share how I’m decorating our Amsterdam apartment for a cozy Christmas, because it’s a little different from how I’ve decorated our home in the past. I also have some similar cozy Christmas finds linked below plus a few extras that I thought were too cute not to share.
Watch a video of my cozy Christmas decor!
For those of you that follow me on Instagram, you know how much I enjoy sharing scenes from my daily walk with Lola. There’s so much inspiration all around us. I love the architecture in Amsterdam, especially those quintessentially Dutch canal houses. Each one is so unique and full of centuries-old character. They definitely inspired my decorating choices this year.
A small set of gold canal houses that light up is a welcome new addition to our cozy Christmas decor. I also found a white canal house with a gold roof that holds a tea light candle that I thought mixed in well. The trio of glass Christmas trees I just adore. I chose three different colors of glass and together they give this little corner a bit of a vintage feel.
Fairy lights are also a new addition this year. In the past I’ve used strands of bigger lights all over the house and I just love the cozy glow they give. But you need a lot of plugs. What I like about fairy lights, after the initial slightly frustrating job of untangling them – Russ? Russ? (in my best Chevy Chase imitation), is that they have a battery pack so I don’t have to search for an outlet, something that is not as prevalent in our Amsterdam apartment. They are also really lightweight. The wire strands make them easy to add to anything. I combined a strand of fairy lights with my crochet snowflake garland I made and hung it in the front window. We are planning on putting our little ceramic Christmas village on the window sill this weekend. We don’t have a way to hang lights on the house, so we thought the village in the window would be perfect (it was actually Paul’s idea ☺️).
The centerpiece of our dining table got a mini makeover with taper candles, crystal, and sterling silver and gold accents. I made use of a vintage silver plate I’ve had forever and added some crystal candlesticks we received as a wedding present. Glittery gold ornaments and a little wooden reindeer completed the rustic/refined look I was going for.
The rest of the apartment is decorated with Christmas pieces I brought with us. Before moving to Amsterdam I actually had 8 giant plastic tubs filled with decorations and I managed to whittle it down to 4 tubs, an actual Christmas miracle. I kept only the items that really brought me joy or I knew would work in a smaller space. I made room for the Weihnachtspyramide (Christmas Pyramid) I purchased in Germany a few years ago, as well as my menagerie of cozy Christmas critters I also picked up at a German Christmas market. Germany has the BEST Christmas markets, so I’m really excited to go to Cologne next month, plus drink alllllll the glühwein! I mean, who doesn’t like to drink wine and shop?
How I’m decorating our Amsterdam apartment is really all about space. Christmas decorations can be scaled down in size and still make a big impact. I actually think the house feels cozier this way. And I love how I incorporated elements of our new city, which makes it feel even more like home.
The last decoration for our cozy Christmas in Amsterdam will be our Christmas tree. We are getting a real tree this year from the little tree lot in our neighborhood, and I honestly can’t wait. We haven’t had a real tree in many, many years so I had to buy a tree stand that holds water as well as lights with a European plug. I am out of practice but also SO ready! It’s going to be amazing, so I’ll share more on another post and definitely a video. I can almost smell it already!
Of course, Lola is ready for her Christmas closeup in her festive flannel bandana!
I rounded up a small handful of cozy Christmas decor and gifts, too! Which one is your favorite?
Glass Christmas Tree Set | Mercury Jar Candle | Magnolia Leaf Gilded Wreath | Brass Reindeer | Plaid Dog Bandana | Birch LED Tree | Hand Hooked Pet Stocking | Ceramic Christmas Village | Christmas Cookie Cutter Critters
How are you decorating your home this year? Traditional or modern? Cute and cozy or big and beautiful?
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xo – Erin
How I’m Decorating Our Amsterdam Apartment For A Cozy Christmas appeared first on CathedralsandCafes.com. If you see this content published anywhere else, please email cathedralsandcafes@gmail.com.
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