Style by Season

Mantel Decorating: A Holiday Tradition

Hello Balsam Hill readers! I’m Erin Vogelpohl from My Texas House! I’m honored to be one of Balsam Hill’s Brand Ambassadors this year and share my love of home decor and the holidays with you!

As a former teacher and stay-at-home mom turned blogger, I never would’ve dreamed I would be running a home decor blog for a career or working with Balsam Hill, the BEST holiday decor retailer out there. I feel so lucky to be able to share my designs and passion for home decor with you.

My Family Tradition: Decorating Our Mantel for the Holidays

Today, I’m sharing how my family celebrates the holidays and how my mantel decor transforms, not only from season to season, but also from year to year as I change decor styles and color palettes!

One of the main focal points in my home, as it is in many people’s homes, is our living room fireplace. I love the symmetry we have with our fireplace, how it is flanked by two large built-ins, and how the black mantel and corbels stand out against all the white stone.

Every year, from the beginning of the Fall season, through Halloween, Thanksgiving, and finally into the Christmas season, our fireplace mantel takes center stage! I love designing and creating new looks each year for each of the holidays. A beautifully decorated mantel really adds to the festive atmosphere at home this time of year. Our mantel has served as a backdrop to so many special holiday memories.

Fall/Pumpkin Mantel Decor

Fall is one of my favorite times of year! The weather here in Dallas finally becomes tolerable in late September. That’s when the leaves start to change, and outdoor activities like going to the local pumpkin patch are much more enjoyable!

I love to kick off the Fall season in our home by bringing the outdoors inside with the addition of fall colors, textures, and natural elements. We try to visit a pumpkin patch early in the season and get tons of beautiful pumpkins to use throughout our home, but especially on my mantel. Each year, I try to change up the look of my Fall mantel decor, but the same basic design elements are used…symmetry, greenery, and lots of pale-colored pumpkins.

How I Install My Garland

Here you can see the Jumbo Command Strip Hooks and the zip ties I use to attach the garland to the mantel.

When I show my mantel decor during the holidays, one of the most asked questions is: How do you get the garland to stay up?! What I have found works best for my mantel is using large Command Strip Hooks to anchor the garland. This year I found that the Jumbo-sized Command Strip Hooks worked best to handle the heavy load of the garland.

I install 3 Command Strip Hooks, one on each end of the mantel, and one in the middle. Make sure you let the hooks sit for several hours to ensure the tape fully adheres to the mantel. Zip ties are easy to use to attach the garland to the hooks. For convenient and quick garland change-out, I leave the hooks up all season long and simply change out the garland for each holiday.

For more tips on how to hang garlands, go here.

Thanksgiving Mantel Display

I usually use a mix of real and faux pumpkins. Here I have some real orange pumpkins, as well as the beautiful faux Heirloom Pumpkins.

One of my favorite memories as a child was the big family Thanksgiving dinners my family had in our home. It was often the only time I got to see my extended family from out-of-state. I have such fond memories of sitting around the table talking with my family, hearing stories of the good ‘ole days from my grandparents. It was such a special time and became a family tradition we now share with our children.

Shop this space: Autumn Medley Garland | Autumn Medley Wreath | Rustic Heirloom Pumpkin Set |
Ombre Gold Glass Candle Holders

One way I feel like I can help make Thanksgiving at my home extra special is creating beautiful tablescapes and decorating our home with warm Fall colors. For Thanksgiving this year, I created this Fall harvest-inspired mantel with the stunning Balsam Hill Autumn Medley Garland. I love the rich colors of this garland and how it contrasts with my light-colored fireplace stone. I also used the Autumn Medley Wreath, the Ombre Gold Candle Holders, and the realistic Rustic Heirloom Pumpkin Set from Balsam Hill to complete this Thanksgiving’s mantel display.

Christmas Mantel Decor

My three kids enjoying Christmas last year!

Christmas is the most special time of year for our family! From baking and decorating Christmas cookies to watching our favorite Holiday movies, we have so many family traditions we share together. Our great room is where we spend most of our time as a family during the holiday season, so I go all out for my holiday decorating. My kids love all the Christmas decor! They have their own big tree that they help decorate with all their special ornaments. We buy them one ornament of their choice each year to add to the tree!

I have tried out several different styles of garland and decor over the years. Since my home is very neutral, I naturally gravitate toward more neutral-colored Christmas decor. I love the beauty of white, silver, and gold themed Christmas decor.

Adding a pop color, like I did a few years ago, can completely transform the look and feel of the space! Bringing in color to a neutral Christmas palette can be as easy as adding some berry sprays, colorful ribbon, and some beautiful ornaments with the desired color.

Shop this space: Ivory Magnolia Picks |\ French Country Foil Ornament Set | Antiqued Snowflake Ornament Set

I just put up my holiday mantel decor for this year. I loved using these gorgeous Balsam Hill ornaments to create a rustic-glam look. Here I used the Antiqued Snowflake Ornament Set and the French Country Silver Foil Ornament Set. The amazing quality and beauty of the Balsam Hill ornaments are really unmatched!

I hope this little peek inside our home for the holidays and how I decorate our mantel throughout the holiday season has inspired you! Stay tuned this holiday season as I will show you my new Balsam Hill Christmas trees and how I decorate each one of them in a unique way!

For more tips on choosing holiday greenery for your home, visit this buyer’s guide.

Erin Vogelpohl

As the founder of home decorating blog My Texas House, Erin is passionate about transforming homes and decorating on a budget. With her farmhouse-chic style and penchant for clean lines, she inspires her audience with practical tips to beautify their homes. 

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