Since my guy had the week off following Rex’s birth we took advantage of our time together (and I took advantage of his help around the house!) to put up the tree and decorate a bit for Christmas. I wanted to get everything done as early in December as possible so we could enjoy the decor all month long. In keeping with this year’s simplified holiday motto, I stuck to an all-white color palette of ornaments on the tree and classic white strung lights. I also recreated last year’s look and hung boxwood wreaths tied with ribbon in all of our front windows. I just love the festive vibe the tree, wreaths, and twinkle of the lights give the entire house. Plus, it’s making staying at home with a sleepy infant all the more cozy! I’m 100% convinced this is just the best time of year to have a baby.
Last year we switched from traditional incandescent holiday lighting to LEDs and picked up a few more LED strands to light the mantle in my office as well this year. The best is how it looks from the street when everything is plugged in and glowing through the windows. So magical!
We decided to make the switch from traditional lights to LED holiday string lights for multiple reasons: they use 75% less energy, are very durable (they’re shatter proof unlike traditional lights which we always seem to break when pulling them out of their box), long lasting (up to 20 years), and are cool to the touch (reducing the risk of fire and also great for little ones who might be running around). Also, this one is my husband’s pet-peeve solved: if one LED bulb goes out in the strand the entire string stays lit unlike incandescent lights. We’ve had lots of issues with this and our outside lights prior to making the switch.
Our little helper. Doesn’t that ear sneaking out of his beanie make him look like an elf?
Swapping our holiday lights in favor of LEDs led us to also decide to switch our everyday lighting around the house in favor of LED bulbs as they provide the same energy and cost savings. Our bar area is very dark and we’ve already noticed a huge difference in the brighter and more natural lighting that space is getting now that we’ve made the swap. You can shop for everyday LED home lighting online at PG&E’s Marketplace (just look for ENERGY STAR Advanced LEDs). PG&E’s Marketplace makes it easy to search and filter for the exact dimension and wattage you may need as well as other energy efficient appliances and products.
I picked up all of these boxwood wreaths at Trader Joe’s (same place I found them last year!)–and tied them with black satin ribbon for a simple yet classically festive touch.
This is a sponsored conversation in collaboration with PG&E. The opinions and text are all mine.
Photography | Susan Yee