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Simple Christmas Window Decor

I have a confession to make.

I haven’t started decorating for Christmas yet. I haven’t even thought about getting the boxes out of storage. We haven’t been listing to Christmas music. I haven’t baked a single thing. Gifts? What gifts?

Now I’ve always been strictly in the “no Christmas before Thanksgiving” camp, and this year I’ve done a particularly excellent job of holding out. My kids have been really patient, especially considering that they are ALL ABOUT Christmas decor. As soon as they see the trees go up in Hobby Lobby in, like, AUGUST (so ridiculous) it’s go time for them. They were particularly excited about it this weekend, but since Adam worked all weekend I had to tide them over a little longer. Gotta decorate as a family, you know?

So I pulled out my trusty old snowflake stencils (and few others sent to me by Cutting Edge Stencils) and some chalk markers and let them go to town on the windows. I was really just trying to distract them while I cleaned and placated their Christmas cravings…but it actually turned out to be a great project. I joined in and got carried away, and the boys had a blast. And the windows look festive as all get out.

So I thought I’d share, just in case you have kids that like to color on windows (in other words, in case you have kids). Also, it’s nice to have decorations that don’t have to be packed away each year. A little windex and  paper towel and they’re gone forever.

So here’s a quick tutorial.

  1. Tape a stencil to the window.

snowflake stencil

2. Color it in with a chalk marker. (We have these)

Crafty Croc Liquid Chalk Marker

Boom…tutorial complete.

Stenciling windows with chalk markers

stenciling for Christmas

Every one of our windows is decorated…we have candy canes, Christmas trees, Santa, ornaments, snowflakes…the works. (You can find them all here.)

Stenciled Christmas trees on window

Evidentally, my kids are so deprived of Christmas that they don’t even know which way ornaments hang. It’s sad, really.

upside down

My favorite is the front windows, they’re pretty and subtle during the day and really stand out at night.

festive Christmas window

How to create festive holiday windows. It’s so simple and the kids love it!

festive holiday windows

I think we will make decorating the windows a tradition, I’m just imagining Christmas next year in the new house and all the big blank windows canvases we will have. I could keep the kids busy for days.

 

christmas windows

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9 Comments

  1. You’ve just illustrated a fabulous parenting secret that many parents don’t understand anymore…things are better if you have to wait for them! ;) And I love those upside down ornaments. They look like lollipops, what kid wouldn’t like them better that way? Haha, thanks for a fun and refreshing post that totally improved my grinchy mood today.

  2. That’s such a smart activity! Keep them busy:) I’m also firmly in the wait-until-after-Thanksgiving camp. But we just put lights up yesterday and now I’m really feeling festive:)

  3. This is a fabulous idea. My niece and nephew are a bit older, so I think I’m going to do this with them when I babysit next weekend and make it a deal that they have to clean the windows beforehand so they have a clear canvas, then again when it’s time to take all the decorations down, and just let them freehand it on the windows that face the backyard. I’ll probably do snowdrifts on the front window, seeing as we live in the one part of Canada where white Christmases don’t happen.

  4. Jiov! Hee hee. That’s the upside down version! It looks like a Russian scene! Cracked me up totally. I snorted my cup of tea out my nose. I think maybe the boys are onto something. A NEW Christmas tradition in decorating. Jiov!

  5. I am firmly in the not until after Thanksgiving camp as well, and frankly, with losing Mom this year, I am not as excited for Christmas as I would normally be. I finally got the little tree up yesterday, but I think that and th Navtivity are going to be it for this year. The boys did a great job with the stencils, and I agree with Jan Elizabeth above that things are better if you wait for them. Something we all need to learn, or re-learn these days!

    Merry Christmas to you and the whole family!

    Hugs,
    Maureen

      1. Ashley,

        It hasn’t been a very good year. Mom passed at the end of June and by the end of July I was very ill. I thought at first that it was all related to the stress of losing her. Instead, I have had a pancreatitic cancer scare, and now am facing some tough medical issues in addition to my chronic ones. I was out at Mayo clinic in Rochester, MN last month for almost three weeks and need to go back. Not the happiest of Christmas seasons for me. Thank goodness for Our Lord or there really would be no reason to go on! I am trying to concentrate on the miracle of his birthday and all He did for us to get me through this first year without Mom.

        I pray you are all well and looking forward to finishing your beautiful new home. Be well and know I think of you often and keep you all in my prayers. Thank you for your kind words and for always being so good to my Mom.

        Love,
        Maureen

  6. You always make me laugh! I’ve tried to redo my garage. I got some pretty sweet storage units built and things are way more organized but I still have piles of things I need to go through. I hate going through stuff! Your project looks amazing and if I had my stuff together, I’d finish going through all my junk, get rid of at least 1/3 of it, and make a sweet floor like yours. But I’ll probably go take a nap instead. Merry Christmas to you as well, and way to go spreading those flakes like a boss! Looks great!Garage

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