Christmas Whimsy in a Utah Home

Vintage holiday magic fills a Utah home and shows that a neutral color scheme and soft, romantic styling can be just as ‘Christmas-y’ as bright red and green.

Pretty silks, thin taper candles, vintage finds and cedar garlands fill a Utah home with Christmas whimsy and romance. It’s a wonderland woven by Alyssa “Lu” Long, a wife, mother, florist, owner of an online boutique called My Pink Box Co. and the creative mind behind @lifesfrostings, a lifestyle Instagram account full of all things pinkish and pretty.

Every Christmas, she spins holiday magic in her family’s two-bedroom, 1,200-square-foot home. Even a darling playhouse made by her husband, Colton, for their children, Evie and Harvey, gets a visit from the “Sugar Plum Fairy” (aka Lu).

Christmas whimsy tree with beige and pinks — Dressed to Impress. Alyssa “Lu” Long’s tree is bursting with Christmas beauty. Every season, she adds a few new ornaments to her collection and they get their debut on the tree. This year, dried florals from her mom’s garden, along with moss ribbon, dried mushrooms and pom-pom trims attire the tree in holiday romance. “Texture is always key when decorating, and Christmas trees should be no different,” she says.

vintage furniture and Christmas tree with soft neutral color palette — In Focus. “My tree is most definitely my focal point,” Alyssa notes. “I like everything to match and go with the tree in my living room.” She opts for an elegant, yet cozy, feel and decorates with decadent textures such as velvet and fur, along with more-informal and inviting woven blankets.

“There’s nothing like the Christmas season,” Lu says. “It’s such a fun excuse to transform your home and fill it with twinkling lights and enchanting details.”

Ever since Lu was a little girl, she dreamed of being a wife and mother and of having a home of her own to decorate. Her interest in interior styling surfaced early.

“When I was about 10, I found my love for decorating when my mom let me pick out my own bedroom and bathroom décor,” Lu recalls. “It’s so crazy that she let me, because everything I picked was bright purple!”

kids playhouse with Christmas wreath and garland — Picturesque Playhouse. The playhouse gets a lot of use during the winter and was made for additional play space, because the home has snug quarters. “There’s a heater out there, so I turn it on when my children feel cooped up inside,” Alyssa says. “I decorate the playhouse with whatever décor I have left over from past years, so it naturally reflects my style.”

kids playhouse with festive hot chocolate sign and wood snowman — Business Babies. Evie and Harvey, Alyssa’s children, play out of this window more than anywhere else at the playhouse. Many different pretend “businesses” operate out of it—thanks to these tiny entrepreneurs. “In the fall, I help them set it up for a pumpkin farm and, for Christmas, it’s a hot cocoa stand,” Alyssa says.

entryway in Utah home decorated with Christmas whimsy — Back Door. This is a small area that also feeds right into the dining room. Simple, pretty details, such as decorative pillows on the shoe bench, add a festive feel to the space without overwhelming it; and, it’s practical, because the door opens to the backyard.

By the time she grew up and had moved into an apartment, she already had just about everything she needed to decorate it—thanks to days spent thrifting as a teenager.

“Thrifting is something I’ve loved my whole life,” she says. “Out with the old; in with the … old!”

Now, Lu has the family and the home she dreamed of as a child, and both inspire her during the holiday season.

mantel decorated with cedar garland and layered with felt garlands and stockings — With the Group. Alyssa enjoys grouping décor. “It’s pleasing to the eye, and it gives more room for other details.” For example, having the stockings hung together to the right of the fireplace mantel allows for an abundance of greens and garlands to coil on the left-hand side. The fireplace is another focal point in the living room, so Alyssa gives it lots of love: “I decorate it to be cohesive and match the tree,” she explains.

Christmas kitchen with white wreath and holiday coffee bar — First Meal of the Day. A breakfast nook is where the family eats most of its meals. Alyssa coordinates it with the living room by using similar colors and placing fur pillows atop the built-in seating.

lighted cedar garland with bottlebrush tree vignette and faux mushrooms — Woodland Wonder. Alyssa finds mushrooms and moss enchanting and magical. “Throughout the year, I decorate with them,” she says. For the holidays, she sprinkles faux snow around her metal Anthropologie mushrooms and moss for a wintry look.

“Some of my favorite things in life are traditions. Christmas is the perfect time for traditions and making memories with the ones you love,” she says.

She enjoys going slowly and relishing her time decorating her home for yuletide. When her kids were younger, she decorated at night, one room at a time, and Evie and Harvey would awaken the next morning to a festive dreamland.

“But now, Evie asks to help, so I’ve recently started decorating in the day so she can join me,” Lu explains. “My home is all decorated for Christmas the week of Thanksgiving, because after that, it’s full-on tradition mode.”

Christmas village in exposed shelves in pantry — It Takes a Village. “My Christmas houses comprise one my most treasured holiday collections,” Alyssa says. She stages them on cake stands so they have varying heights and can also be easily seen. A dusting of faux snow and a forest of bottlebrush trees finish off the shelves.

play kitchen with white and pink wreath — Welcoming Whimsy. The playhouse has a fun and whimsical feel. Here, ”Sugarplum Fairy” was the theme, and Alyssa really emphasized the sugar part. “I painted Styrofoam balls and dipped them in glitter to make lollipops and also wrapped painted Styrofoam balls in cellophane to make them look like candy!” she says.

Christmas whimsy with boho macrame chandelier and coffee bar — -Hostess with the Mostest. Alyssa loves to entertain and have people come over. “Usually, we keep the get-togethers small, because our home is snug,” she points out. “It makes everything so cozy.” Her sister-in-law is a fabulous cake-baker, and Alyssa often enlists her to make custom cakes for her parties.

If Lu were to choose a word to describe her holiday home, it would be “whimsical.” She mixes old and new pieces, heaps of texture and unique décor pieces. As a florist with 15 years of experience, Lu naturally fills her home with Christmas florals.

“I use both silk and dried flowers, and they immediately make any space more elegant,” she notes. Soft tapers in romantic colors, diaphanous silks, knitted pom-pom garlands, taupe and pink glass mushrooms, chunky yarn stockings and fresh cedar greenery fill her home, giving it a distinctly ethereal style.

white pink and coral tapers and garland around swan figurine — DIY CANDELABRA. A dazzling candle display was a DIY project Alyssa’s husband took on. “I saw this DIY display made by author and stylist Liz Marie Galvan,” Alyssa says. “My husband drilled holes in a board, and I found all these soft-hued candlesticks at Hobby Lobby.”

The family’s Christmas tree is a masterpiece that embodies Lu’s magical aesthetic. It’s chock-full of detailed ornaments accented with glitter, profusions of dried flowers and glimmering bulbs.

Another eye-catching moment occurs in her kitchen, where a village of sparkly, wintry houses form a village across open shelves. “My mother-in-law, Diana, also has a love for holiday decorating, as well as traditions,” Lu says. “She gifts me a Department 56 Christmas Village house every year for Christmas. I will treasure these houses for years to come and get so excited to add to my collection year after year.”

kids in Christmas whimsy Utah home — Treasured Keepsakes. Alyssa collects quite a few keepsakes for Christmas. “One day, I hope to pass them down to my children,” she says. Nutcrackers, a Papa Noel pitcher and various plates and cups fill her collection.

And because Lu loves mixing and matching, she also adds in her larger glitter houses.

Wherever you are in Lu’s home during the holidays, you can feel the magic emanating not only from her décor, but also from the memories made decorating the home, baking Christmas cookies as a family and making merry with those nearest and dearest.

Christmas whimsy play area decor with cupcake and cake pops and pink mini tree

festive coffee bar with beaded garland and vintage Santa mugs — Florist’s Flair. Alyssa’s florist background comes alive in her décor. “I must have flowers, always, always, always!” she says. “They just make me happy!”

sugar plum fairy inspired Christmas whimsy — Ho Ho, Cocoa. Hot cocoa, cookies and marshmallows are a must in the Long household. “However, we don’t go for basic cocoa—we like it ‘cute,’” Alyssa says. She stops in at HomeGoods to find fun marshmallows and visits Trader Joe’s to find creative goodies for hot chocolate.

cedar garlands and white wreath decorating the primary bedroom — Pure SimplICITY. Cedar garlands above the windows make the primary bedroom smell amazing, as do a DIY wreath and a garland from Maddox and Klaus. “In general, I keep things pretty simple in here, but these little touches have a big impact and make it magical,” she says.

tree in woven basket in kids room in Utah home — Quaint Cottage. A warm, Christmas cottage sensibility is created in the children’s room via a tree in a bucket. While most of Alyssa’s trees are festooned with lots of decorations, this one is only adorned with twinkle lights for a more sweetly-simple look.

soft pink green and blue and beige and white Christmas ornaments

Christmas ornament on tree with soft neutral palette — Hope and Joy. Alyssa’s “Hope” ornament is made by Maddox and Klaus, a small shop she loves browsing through to find unique pieces.

One of Lu’s favorite traditions is making Christmas cookies.

“Is it even Christmas without baking all the Christmas goodies?” Lu asks rhetorically.

As Lu was growing up, her grandmother would gather all the grandkids at her house to decorate gingerbread cookies. Her recipe is a treasured family heirloom.

“There’s nothing better than a soft and chewy gingerbread cookie,” Lu says.

Ingredients

½ cup butter
½ cup brown sugar
3.5 oz. dried butterscotch Pudding packet
1 egg
1½ cups flour
½ tsp. soda
1½ tsp. ginger
½ tsp. cinnamon

Directions

Mix butter and sugar.
Add egg and pudding mixture.
Add dried ingredients.
Chill the dough between two and four hours in refrigerator.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut out shapes with a cookie cutter.
For medium-sized cookies, bake at 350 degrees (F) for 10 to 12 minutes.

holiday baking in Lu's Utah home — Smart Cookie. It’s a family tradition to bake at least a few recipes for the holidays. “It gives me so much joy and brings back memories of my childhood,” Alyssa explains. “I hope to do the same with my kids. Don’t cookies baked just for Christmas taste better than at any other time of year?”

Lu’s Approach to Christmas Decorating

Lu’s holiday interiors are magical without using the traditional red-and-green Christmas color scheme. Here’s how she creates the soft, yet dynamic, look through a creative use of color:

Christmas whimsy in play area with pink artificial tree — Ethereal Christmas. The delicacy of the décor in the playhouse is akin to spun sugar in pastel colors. Alyssa uses her daughter’s dresses as part of the design, and their soft, frothy textures work exquisitely with the “Sugarplum Fairy”-inspired tree.

Think Pink. It’s taken Lu a bit of time to figure out what colors she truly loves, but one that’s claimed her heart is pink. “I consider pink to be a neutral, and I use it that way,” she says. “I pair it with anything and everything.” Pink comes in a range of hues, so finding a soft shade of pink makes it perfect for using as a neutral.

bottle brush trees, Nutcracker print and pompom garland in home with Christmas whimsy — Tiny Trees. Nothing says “nostalgic Christmas” quite like bottlebrush trees! Alyssa dyes hers to get the exact colors she wants. In addition, she sometimes sources them from Hobby Lobby, Anthropologie and Glitterville.

Go Gold. With pink as a neutral base, she then adds in warmer tones to create her inviting and ethereal holiday aesthetic. “My other favorite colors that I consider cozy are beige, golden yellows and browns, mauves, mossy greens and creams, so I layer those into my designs,” she says. Using these hues for Christmas is unexpectedly fresh and packs a lot of “punch,” despite being softer colors.

Color Pop. Finally, Lu sparingly incorporates pops of holiday hues as accents. “I just sprinkle them in,” she says. They are striking against the neutrals, but because they aren’t used heavily, the neutrals stay center stage.

For more Christmas charm, read on for A Cozy Christmas Kitchen and Christmas Palette: A Splash of Red with Neutrals. Of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to get your daily dose of cottage inspiration!