2020 Christmas Home Tour (Continued)

Welcome back! I had such fun showing you around last week and I’m so glad you came back for another visit! Let’s head down to the lower level. I have so much I want to share with you there as we continue my 2020 Christmas Home Tour.

Christmas Home Tour Continued

If you follow the blog, then you’ve probably already met Flipper! He has put on his Santa hat for the home tour today.

Christmas Downstairs

While the upstairs completely changes with every season, the lower level remains the same for most of the year. This is the place where all of the things that reflect our love of the ocean reside. I tend to just add a few seasonal touches here and there. That’s true all year… except at Christmastime!

Miniature Village

During this season, it is a little more than a touch! This is the home of our Miniature Christmas Village which is by far the most time consuming thing that I do. Over the years I have developed a system though, and it no longer takes me weeks to put up. Still, it does take quite a bit of planning.

The village is a combination of two separate collections, mine and my husband’s. They merged into one when we married. I have to be honest, the fact that he had his own Christmas village was part of the attraction for me! I knew I had just met someone who loved the season as much as I did. A rare find indeed! We have since added quite a bit together and it now spans an entire wall. We love it all but of course the ocean is our favorite part!

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(You can see the village in action on Instagram by clicking here.)

In fact, the village has grown so much I no longer have enough space on the tables! So, I have moved some the larger pieces to the window sill…

… and some of the smaller pieces to the bar…

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In years past, this was always the busiest part of the house. The downstairs bar was a pretty popular spot during our annual Christmas party!

Christmas Bar

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We started having the party about the time our oldest hit middle school. I had been a stay- at- home mom until then, and here I was with two almost- teenagers! The thought of letting go, even a little bit, terrified me!

We were always the hang-out house for our daughter during those years, which meant any given weekend I could have 10 giggling girls downstairs for a sleepover. I have to say, I miss that so much!

By the time my son reached that age, however, new developments were popping up all around us. The projection TV and foosballl table downstairs weren’t as cool as the theater rooms and video arcades in the new homes his friends lived in. So we lost our status as the after school hang out and with it I lost my peace of mind.

So… we decided to have a Christmas party. We not only invited their friends but also their friend’s parents. I needed to know that they were safe when they were not here, under my roof. As years passed, our kid’s interests and activities changed. Friendships changed as well. We, however, stayed friends with many of the parents. Which meant our party grew and grew and grew.

I’m rambling! I told you that entire story just to explain why this tree is not bigger!

A Nautical Christmas Tree

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With space at a premium for the party, I chose a skinny tree for this room. Although it is smaller than the others upstairs, it is really my favorite. The ornaments are all from many wonderful trips we have taken in the past. A trip to Newport Beach each December for the Christmas Boat Parade netted several new ornaments every time. Others were from summer vacations that always involved a beach somewhere. Each one brings back so many memories!

Santa Loves the Coast

My nautical Santas are also so special to me. Several are gifts from my favorite sister-in-law! My home tour would not be complete without stopping here!

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We had the name of our boat written on this special piece as a gift for my husband one year.

Christmas Guest Room

Although I do have a guest room upstairs, most of our visitors prefer this one. It is much more private and one of the coziest rooms in the house. I will be showing more of this room in a coming post.

The guest bathroom also has a bit of the season.

A New Year’s Nightmare

The table here is actually a poker table. We have had many fun nights playing poker with friends. However, there is one night that will be burned into my memory forever.

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It was New Years Eve the year we finished the downstairs rooms. We invited several friends for a poker night to celebrate the new space and the new year ahead. We had three tables for cards, a ton of food and festive drinks, and I set up a chocolate fountain for dessert. It was gorgeous. Everything was so pretty and new!

Just after midnight, with the party still in full swing, I was checking the food supplies and noticed the chocolate fountain looked funny. It seemed to be vibrating a bit. Then all of a sudden, something came loose and chocolate was shooting everywhere! It covered the chairs, the shades, the carpet, not to mention everyone’s clothing! Such a mess! Needless to say the party ended shortly after but I saw the sun rise while still cleaning chocolate from everything. As pretty as they can be, I will NEVER have another one.

Christmas Nights

During the Christmas season, we tend to spend a lot of evenings downstairs. This year even more so. Since most everything is closed down right now, staying home and watching Christmas movies is the thing. It’s always warm and cozy with a fire going, the village lights, and the tree.

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Thanks you for stopping by today. If you missed the first part of my Christmas home tour… you can click right here to see Christmas in the main part of the house. I hope you’ll come back often during the season! If you haven’t subscribed yet, please do! I have so much more I’d love to share with you. Stay safe everyone!