Before The Hubs and I built and moved into our current farmhouse in 2017, we lived in THE cutest little vintage beach cottage that was right across the street from a small bay.
We bought it in 2012 knowing it was going to be a HUGE fixer-upper project inside and out, but it had such great bones and so much character and we saw the potential it had. There are times that I miss that house because it was so sweet and cozy, and one of those times is around Christmas.
Since it was right across the street from water (and only a couple miles from the Gulf of Mexico) and was an actual beach cottage, I naturally went with a coastal Christmas theme and had so much fun decorating my favorite room – the dining room!
COASTAL CHRISTMAS TABLESCAPE – TAKE 1
In all honesty, Christmas 2014 wasn’t a super Merry one for our family. Sadly, The Hubs’ father passed away in March that year and Christmas was his favorite holiday. He was always like a kid at Christmas – eyes filled with wonderous holiday joy. It wasn’t going to be the same without him there.
We contemplated doing nothing that year, but it just didn’t feel right. He would have wanted everyone to enjoy this time of year with family members so we decided to host Christmas at our home.
I had less than a week to prepare the menu and the tablescape, so that was a bit stressful. But I really wanted to create a space that would (hopefully) bring our family members some much-needed joy instead of sadness.
I didn’t have a clear plan for the tablescape but knew I’d be able to find some good stuff at Michael’s and Hobby Lobby and go from there. So I loaded up my shopping cart with anything that screamed COASTAL CHRISTMAS and got to work decorating the dining room.
I already had the coral napkin rings and thought the little pops of cherry red would look so cute against all the different blue tones.
I found the sailboat name-holders online and was able to get those shipped just in time. They were the perfect little touches for my Coastal Christmas theme!
I bought the glass vases at Hobby Lobby (super cheap!) and hot-glued some jute rope around the bottom of each vase and then filled each of them with jingle bells.
I found the aqua table runner at Marshalls for about $12 and scattered some seashells around each vase. And the finishing touch was that white pearl garland which I still use every year. I love that thing!
The Hubs’ family really enjoyed the dinner that year and we were able to talk about fond memories of my father-in-law and how much he loved Christmas.
It turned out to be a really fun night for everyone and it made my heart so happy to be able to create such a special space for my family. My father-in-law would have been so happy about that!
COASTAL CHRISTMAS TABLESCAPE – TAKE 2
We ended up hosting Christmas dinner for The Hubs’ family again the following year. They all enjoyed it so much the previous year that they wanted to have it at our house again. How sweet is that?
This time, I had time to prepare the menu and decorations which was awesome. I decided not to reinvent the wheel and used the decorations from Coastal Christmas 2014, making some minor adjustments instead.
I added some real garland, jingle bells, and this amazing fir tree candle from Anthropologie to the “Reindeer Station.”
I felt it looked a little too sparse the previous year and loved how it turned out this time with just these simple little additions!
For the life of me, I can’t remember where the hell I bought that reindeer but he’s in it for the long haul.
He’s just so darned cute and unique, I have to keep him forever.
For the tablescape, I used the jingle bells and seashells from 2014 and borrowed the candle lantern from a friend. I found those glitter balls (in the bowls) at Michaels for a few bucks.
I bought the little glass bowls for super cheap at Hobby Lobby and found some mini battery-powered twinkle lights at Marshalls to put into the glass bowls to add a little more ambiance.
I bought a jute runner from Hobby Lobby for a few dollars and love how it added yet another coastal element to the mix.
I also love how the real garland added such beautiful color and texture to the table and the smell was so heavenly!
I made my own napkin holders this time around just using some jute rope, tying it into a bow, and gluing a sand dollar to it.
Then I just slipped a little garland clipping under the bow and VOILA! Cute little coastal napkin rings that only cost a few bucks.
I have to say, this tablescape was my favorite of the two. The next time we host Christmas at our farmhouse, I might just have to recreate it!
I hope I was able to give you some inspiration on how to create your own coastal Christmas tablescapes. But whatever you design, just remember that it doesn’t matter if it’s “perfect” or not. What matters is that you put your heart and soul into it and that you created some precious lifelong memories for your family and friends.
So what theme do you use when decorating your home for the holidays? I’d love to hear all about your own tips and tricks!
Thank you so much for following my blog and for letting me help you create your own lived-in, loved-in spaces!
