Yahoo Lifestyle 8 Secrets Magazine Stylists Use To Decorate For Christmas
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Anyone who has worked behind the scenes of a magazine knows that holiday shoots are a massive undertaking—“a heavy lift,” as photo stylists often say. In addition to getting a home ready for its close-up—think ironing bed linens, sweeping floors, zhushing up bookcases—there’s a whole extra layer of holiday spirit to be added.
Here’s why that’s tricky: Because magazines typically operate on a schedule a few months in advance of newsstand dates—for example, an issue that arrives on newsstands in December was likely photographed in August—there’s a good chance there’s a prop stylist stringing lights and pouring egg nog in late summer—or, more likely, pouring heavy creamer to look like egg nog. (This is not always the case—sometimes we shoot a full year in advance to capture snow!—but there always seems to be at least one holiday house that works its way into the issue at the last blazin’ hot minute.)
That was certainly true when we photographed Landon McAfee’s adorable 800-square-foot cottage in Stantonville, Tennessee, which now graces the cover of our December-January issue. As Senior Homes & Style Editor for Country Living, I’m always on the lookout for houses to feature in the magazine and online. Sometimes a property finds its way to me through word-of-mouth (“You have to see my cousin's Carolina cabin”), sometimes it’s pitched by the designer who brought the project to life, and, occasionally, I stumble upon a gem of a property while mindlessly scrolling Instagram late into the evening.
It was Landon’s living room—already whimsically outfitted with blue and green paper garland—that first caught my eye, so I reached out to him on Instagram to see if he would share more photos. It turned out he was a lifelong reader of Country Living—he has almost every back issue we’ve ever printed, which he had proudly displayed on an antique bench in his house when our crew, including myself, Staff Photographer Becky Stayner-Luigart, stylist Matthew Gleason, and Visual Editor Ian Palmer arrived on a sunny (and hot!) August day to make holiday magic.
If you’re curious to know more about how we get a house ready for its holiday spotlight, here are eight insider tips, including our secret weapon for adding pattern, good sources for faux greenery, and the best holiday album to play in the background while you decorate.
See The End Result of Our Tennessee Photo Shoot Here!
Pick a Tight Palette
A cohesive color palette goes a long way toward giving a space a strong point of view. Here at Country Living, we go to great lengths to make sure our homes in any given issue don’t feel redundant, decoratively speaking. For example, if one house goes all in on red and green, maybe there’s another house that opts for a neutral scheme. We’ll typically take the lead from the homeowners, as well as their surroundings. A mountainous, snow-covered log cabin, for example, feels like the perfect spot for a nature-inspired Christmas with loads of greens. However, a timeless white farmhouse might be the perfect spot for touches of tartan. This year, our stylist, Matthew Gleason, and I decided to play off the campy, colorful vibes of Landon’s cottage and his collectibles by leaning into classic blues and greens and accenting with retro-inspired touches such as colorful Christmas tree lights and picnic-friendly plaids.
Pile On The Pattern
The quickest way to add festive flair to any house is through textiles. In Landon’s house, much of that pattern came courtesy of plaid blankets, which can make a big impact if you’re on a budget. (Look closely and you’ll notice at least seven blankets throughout the house!) I love layering them over the back of a sofa to break up a big spread of solid color, draping them around the bottom of a tree like a tree skirt, or positioning them at the foot of a bed to add more interest to solid-colored bedding. (I’ve also wrapped them around a less-than-desirable dog cushion for the sake of aesthetics!) As much as I love vintage throws—and Landon already had plenty—you’ll also find lots of good options at the Tartan Blanket Company, Pendleton, and ChappyWrap. If you’re more into a block print or muted palette, check out Rejuvenation—we used a lot of the company’s textiles in Alyson Morgan’s Wisconsin home, which you can also see here or in our December issue.
Theme Your Ornaments
As much as a we love a collected tree of handmade family ornaments, trees tend to photograph better when there’s a unifying thread. You can focus on a material (felt, mercury glass...), a theme (woodland, Nutcracker...), or a color scheme (red and turquoise, orange and lavender...). Landon’s tree plays into his love of retro camp style with loads of mini plaid thermos ornaments, vintage Shiny-Brite ornaments, and just a few other finds with special sentimental value. (See if you can spot the brass bear at the top of the tree!) The crafted paper chain garland that spans both the tree and the living room adds the perfect nostalgic finishing touch.
Another tip: If you’re adding ornaments of assorted sizes, start by staggering your larger “hero” ornaments and then filling in remaining spaces with the smaller ornaments. This will help things feel visually balanced. Oh, and I love using green hooks on a green tree—they just blend in so much better.
RELATED: 40+ Rustic Christmas Tree Ideas for Your Country Farmhouse
Don’t Overlook The Kitchen
When we’re photographing a house for the holidays, we try to convey a sense of the season in every room—kitchen included. A lot of homeowners tell me they don’t do much when it comes to decorating the kitchen for Christmas, but that’s precisely where you should be putting forth some effort, since it’s where we all spend so much time. (Maybe that’s why the kitchen Christmas tree is trending.) In Landon’s house, we played off of his red-and-white checkered floors with ample greenery, adding shaggy garland around the window in the breakfast nook and more sprigs to the kitchen’s windowsill. Oh, and for the sake of the photo, we swapped the placement of Landon’s cool red metal chairs and his wooden bench. (Having the chairs in the foreground blocked out most of the table.)
RELATED: 35+ Christmas Kitchen Decorating Ideas for Cookin’ up Cheer
Layer On The Greens
You know that old Portlandia skit about putting a bird on everything? Take that same mentality and apply it to boughs. For this photo shoot, we worked with a nearby Tennessee tree farm to cover the house (inside and out!) with white pine, which (phew) we were lucky to source in the middle of August. I will, however, admit that we occasionally resort to faux greenery—and some of it is so convincing. I especially love Balsam Hill and Afloral for real-looking faux greenery. For live greenery we’re able to get in season, my personal favorite is shaggy cedar garland layered up with dried orange slices and pinecones. It just feels so quintessentially country! Plus, it’s more pliable than standard fir garland, meaning it’s easier for us to manipulate as needed.
Edit Your Wrapping Paper
I’m not gonna lie: One of the most tedious things about a holiday photo shoot is wrapping all the presents. I save Amazon boxes throughout the year (as does Matthew), so that we’re prepared with all shapes and sizes that we can reuse when it’s time for seasonal photography. And then there’s the wrapping! We pre-wrapped roughly 50 to 60 boxes for this shoot, most of which we hauled to the shoot in our roomy Kia Carnival, the Official Vehicle of Country Living. I find sticking to three or four gift wrap patterns is a good formula for feeling cohesive but not too matchy-matchy. You also can’t go wrong with simple brown kraft paper wrapped up with ribbon or chunky yarn. Another fun trick: Repurposing vintage vessels under the tree as “boxes,” which we did under Landon’s tree with tin picnic baskets.
RELATED: The #1 Top Tip From a Gift Wrapping Pro
Put Your Backyard to Work
Magazine stylists love a good branch. (You will 100 percent start noticing this!) Whether you’re looking to add dramatic height to a kitchen island arrangement or a bit of nature to a bathroom, the best thing you can do is head into your yard with a set of clippers. (Our stylist Matthew also styled this Mississippi farmhouse for a fall issue, and even raided a burn pile on the property for the dried branches in the boot room.)
Cue Up a Christmas Playlist
When you’re decorating during the off-season (any anytime, really), music is a surefire way to shift your mindset from hot-as-hinges to ho-ho-ho. I love to play the classics, but lately I’ve really been feeling Kacey Musgraves’s A Very Kacey Christmas. Music helps lighten the mood and puts everyone in the spirit—especially important when we‘ve invaded someone’s home for a few days!
RELATED: The All-Time Best Christmas Songs for Your Ultimate Holiday Playlist
Tour the End Result of Our Christmas Photo Shoot at Landon’s Cottage Here!
Special thanks to the roomy Kia Carnival, the Official Vehicle of Country Living, for helping us make holiday magic. (Stay tuned for the Kia Carnival hybrid coming in 2025!)
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