Holiday House Tour ~ Family Room

I love this room.  I love how it feels when it's 'full' at Christmas.  I like the huge windows overlooking the backyard and the field beyond.  I love the sliders that lead to the patio.  And I love the fireplace.



When Scott and I first moved into this house we talked about redoing the room it was then.  It was teeny tiny.  And it was attached to a screened in porch.  I know, I know, a screened in porch is lovely.  Beyond lovely.  But this is an old Connecticut house.  And the screened in porch was beyond repair.  Okay, well beyond a million dollar, tear it down and rebuild it kind of repair.



So when we talked about all the options we decided to close in the porch and build a bigger family room.  It took us seven years to actually be able to afford this project.  But we never stopped talking about it.  I remember (pre babies) going out to eat and drawing it out on the paper place mats.  We'd draw out where the couches would be and I'd always draw in a huge fireplace. We had the room done but Scott built the bookcases that are built in.  I love them!



We already had a fireplace in our living room.  But the 'new' family room would be the room we'd 'live in'.  So I wanted one in there so much.  Scott decided that it would be a good idea to have the fireplace the main heat for that room so we had to go big!

Now there are things I LOVE about living in an old colonial house.  And there are things that I don't.  If I could I could have this family room attached and more 'open' to our kitchen.  A way for me to be working in the kitchen and be with everyone in the family room.  But it's okay the way it is too.  But sometimes we draw it out and dream about 'someday' how we'd attach and open the two rooms up together.  Someday...

But for now this room is just the way I like it.  And at Christmas it's perfect to me.

This room as our 'memories' Christmas tree. (the ornaments they are given every year and the ones we've bought on our travels.











It's also the Christmas tree that our gifts to each other wait to be opened on Christmas morning. (Santa leaves his presents in our living room)

The girls have to save their own earned money and stretch it to make it work. They have to wrap themselves (they love that though) and they like to do that as soon as they get home from a store.

(I love how Anna crossed out from and wrote love)


And I could care less if there were dirty socks in this box. It's the word "mommy" and how she wrote fragile.



This one for daddy... what could it be?? "marry" (love that) and "chips = happiness"



I don't change the painting but I decorate the mantle around it.







I always have a puzzle on the coffee table... inviting relaxing time.





And stories for reading ... always...













Santa left 'christmas in the forest' last year and it fits just perfectly against the glass doors for the season.







The girls restrung popcorn and cranberries fresh for this year.





It is also a place for us to cuddle up with a Christmas movie.











Yes, I know we've outgrown this but really I haven't. I had the 'record' of this as a little girl and listened to it every year.











This is looking into the living room.









I love when we're all together in this room. I love when the girls are in here enjoying this room. And I love when they are sleeping upstairs in their beds and it's Scott and I on my favorite kind of date night in this room. I love a cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie, some popcorn, hot chocolate, and cuddling.