Merry Christmas, friends! I’m so excited to share some photos of our home. I call it a home tour because that’s what other bloggers call it, but I’m just here to share a bit of our home decorated for this holiday season. The kitchen has minimal decor, the bathrooms have none, our bedroom and bonus room aren’t decorated, and Sawyer decorated her own bedroom (but wouldn’t clean in for the blog). The main areas of our home are frosted with greenery, sparkle, ribbons, and other little touches. I usually go with non-traditional colors, but this year I used reds and greens to pull everything together. Thanks for checking out this post, I hope you enjoy the ideas and festive touches.

This post will be short and sweet, but before I start the tour, I’d like to share a Christmas simmer pot recipe with you as well as tags for you to print for free. There are so many recipe combinations to create amazing simmer pot scents, just check Pinterest. I had everything on hand for my recipe except the rosemary, and I had to have the rosemary for the amazing pine scent. Luckily, I had leftover dried orange slices from the tres leche cupcake garnish at our annual party. Just gather some 8 oz. mason jars, the ingredients (shown in the photo below), print these instructional tags, and assemble. Christmas simmer pots are great gifts, especially for friends and family who are sugar-free or are impossible to buy for. This handmade item is a simple gesture to say Merry Christmas with a wonderful aroma.

Dried cinnamon stick, capful of dried cloves, 2 star of anise, 2 dried orange slices, rosemary, and 2 tbs. dried cranberries. All the dry ingredients will last but be careful with fresh rosemary because it will mold.

2.5 inch paper punch

That’s it, the house is decorated and we’re enjoying all the festive coziness. Now, I’m spending the rest of the month baking, wrapping, and doing our traditional Christmas activities. This year is the last year with both of our girls under our roof, they’re still both kids, and we’re all together. This year feels different though, but I’ve been incredibly blessed thinking about how the birth of our Savior changed everything. The hope and peace we have is priceless. Christmas is not about the decor, the food, the gifts, or even me or you and how we feel – it’s about the greatest gift, a Savior was born and now we get to celebrate the miracle of Him.