PHOTO BY MARK MENDEZ
CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS OFTEN CHANGE OVER THE YEARS. Families grow, and sometimes families get smaller. Homes change, rooms get bigger and storage gets smaller. What we hang onto as the pieces of Christmas evolves over time, too. Maybe you’re like me and you just have to have the same star on the top of the tree, the same ratty stockings on the mantel or the same cheap velvet ribbon ornaments on the tree that you bought for your first Christmas with your husband when you were young and broke.
Or maybe you do what I sometimes wish I would do more of—be always up for fresh new looks; trying out fun new accents, colors and motifs; or changing it up for Instagram. No matter which way your holiday bell rings, though, what we keep close as the fundamental spirit of Christmas around us stays the same. It’s the yearning for togetherness, for comfort and joy, and for being present for all. This issue is filled with all the colors in this seasonal spectrum. We visit new homes that bear the hopeful excitement of starting new traditions. We also visit older homes with creative homeowners who mix heirloom treasures with new classics. What these homes have in common—and what’s been our guiding light for this issue—is the idea that decking out our homes is part of a greater ceremony. It’s how we represent the merriness and cheer we feel inside, it’s how we extend our hospitality to others and it’s a way of practicing the spirit of the season in our own special creative way. I hope you find some of that inspiration within these pages. And that the ceremony of decorating your home brings you comfort and joy.