2020 Seasonal Décor Inspiration

Holy Seasonal Décor Time Batman! I don’t know about you but I am SO excited and SO very ready to break out all things festive and fun! One incredible bonus about being a military family and living in so many amazing places is being able to collect things that tell a story from all over the world. One of my favorites things is placing these treasures all over our home and being able to re-live the memory of a special trip or tell the story to new friends at our new duty station.

How to Get Started

If you are a “new” military family member and just getting started put some time and thought into exactly what it is that you want to collect. I have always wished someone would have told me to get a Christmas ornament from every country we visited or a magnet from everywhere we traveled. By the time I realized that would be AWESOME I was a little late to the party and felt like I missed my chance to have a dedicated collection of sorts.

Christmas is my favorite and I would love to relive those special memories as I decorate my tree each year.  Where I did NOT miss the boat thankfully was picking up little things from all over the world that just “spoke” to me. It may not be a true collection but it has enabled me to “curate” our home in a way that makes it truly “ours”.

My Own Collection

I enjoy decorating and putting our home together with each move. My philosophy has always been to pick out things you love when shopping and when it all comes together in your home it will all fit together perfectly because those pieces are telling the “Story of You”. What a beautiful, ornate, one of a kind story that is.

The same thing goes for your Holiday and seasonal décor. Over a span of 20 or 30 years your style will change, your family will grow, cheap décor will break and unfortunately a few things will not survive all the moves. Even though styles change the pieces you collect from your travels will always remain timeless…the Nutcracker from France, a Gingerbread House from Switzerland, a Father Christmas carving from Germany, a tapestry from Italy or pottery from Portugal. No matter the latest trend, truly collected pieces from all over the world will always be in style.

Seasonal Décor is More Than Ornaments

Collecting and curating your home in the beginning of your military journey takes some creativity because you are so early that the travels and memories are only just beginning. This is where being crafty, thrifty and a little sneaky comes into play. Take a trip to your local Hobby Lobby or hit up some yard sales, secondhand stores or antique malls. Keep an eye out for things that look exotic and bobbles that tell a story (even if it is not your own).

Over time you can replace your budget finds with real trinkets but it helps to bridge the time/experience gap and it keeps your young, new family home from looking like a dorm room or like Target sponsored your living room. (<~ now that wouldn’t be all bad but you know what I mean, a collected home wins over all brand new purchases every single time when it comes to the “feel” of a cozy home)

Why I Love a Seasonal Home

Seasonal décor is fun and it definitely fills me with joy and even though we always say, “Home is where the military sends us” to me the truth is: “Home is wherever the Holidays are”. I want my house no matter where it is located to make my family feel closer, more connected, happier, more joyful, more grateful and more giving so we can make the memories to last a lifetime. At the end of the day THAT is all that lasts and all that matters.

Written by Ashley Peebles