Welcome to the first ever bHome ~ app Christmas tour!  You are in store for a whole lotta Christmas creativity & inspiration and a fantastic give away from a favorite family business of ours.  Read on for my Christmas story, then visit the other bHome bloggers on tour today and all week.  Last but not least, pop on to bHome to enter to win a $150 gift certificate. Enjoy!

Sometimes it is better when things don't work out the way you want them to.

'Cause then you need to get creative… or cranky.

I chose creative when it became crystal clear that my Christmas bins would still be in storage right about now.

Fact is, there is too much going on here with the renovation to even enjoy unpacking all those bins, let alone a place to put them.

In case you are new here we are restoring an 1886 Victorian Farmhouse.  Have a peek here…oh and, welcome!! 

Back to my bins, or lack thereof.

What I knew I would miss most is the unwrapping of each ornament.  Remembering where we got it, how old the girls were when they picked it out… you know, the special memories attached to those precious trinkets.

So I thought & I thought and I came up with this very simple solution.  A name tree or a people tree, as Lara dubbed it.

How to create a Simple & Meaningful Christmas Tree

You can create a simple Christmas tree full of meaning by simply hanging tags with the names of loved ones on the branches.

What you need:

• a tree
• tags
• markers
• twine or ribbon

All you need to do is fill out those tags & place them on your tree.

But here is what we did to make it more special & more like unwrapping those precious ornaments.

We sat with pens and a pile of tags.  We used chalk board tags from Michael's & chalk pens.  As we wrote a name we said something we liked about that person or a memory we had of them.

Creating the tags turned into such fun with lots of laughter & sharing.  I think it was even better than unwrapping the ornaments.

As soon as we filled out our last tags, the girls wanted more.  So we'll have another session ~ "unwrapping" more memories of the special people we know.

I think we will keep the "people tree" and add to it each year the special new people who come into our lives.  It will become another of our Christmas traditions. 

If you make a people tree too, you can use the tags again & again or put them to use as gift tags or place cards after their time on the tree.  

Or have your holiday guests search for their own name when they are looking for the pickle.  ( do you pickle? )

Here is Emmett looking for his name...

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial on how to make your Christmas tree simple & meaningful while you are under renovation & all your Christmas bins are in storage and you are in a Christmas blog tour!

So things really did work out better under the circumstances.  

I LOVE our champagne colored blingy tree. (first ever artificial)  It, combined with the simple decorations of burlap ribbon, magnolia buds collected on walks with Emmett and our name tags, heralds what is to come here by way of palette & decor.

Burlap & bling, rustic & refined ~ Farmhouse glam.

Stay with me & stay focused on the tree, don't look over there...

I told you not to look.  Let's just keep gazing at the tree….ahhhh…

Merry Merry ~ how are you decorating this year?

Visit the other bHome bloggers on tour today for more Christmas ideas.  Then download bHome to enter to win $150 gift card to D. Lawless hardware.  If you are already part of the bHome community just pop on to the app and TAP the message from D. Lawless to enter to win.  It is that simple!

Now have a look around at the Christmas creativity of today's bHome line up!  I'll bring you the rest of the tour in the coming days.

Redhead Can Decorate | Jennifer Rizzo | Our Southern Home | Maison de Pax | Rooms for Rent
Cherished Bliss | Homemade by Carmona | Everyday Enchanting | My Soulful Home

xx Kelly xx