1 Year Old Friendly Family Room Christmas Decorating Ideas

Next up in our Christmas home tour – our living room. It's also feeling festive and cozy for the holidays with pops of red and buffalo check. One thing that's changed in my decor is making it much more comfortable and kid-friendly.

I love a beautiful holiday home, but I also don't want anything to be too precious.

My kids hang out here with us and play here. I have learned to be realistic and manage my expectations. So this is the area that focuses on fun and cozy touches.

This cozy space is a festive space for the holidays and a comfortable space for kids and families.

Our upstairs tree is pretty simple this year. I focused on items that my 2-year-old wouldn't break. (Bonus: I won't break them, either. I tend to break more things than my kids do.) Lucy has left the tree completely alone so far, but I don't anticipate that lasting forever. So, I used some buffalo check ribbon, a few large (non-glass) bulbs, berry and poinsettia sticks. It still looks festive and fun, but it's also safe for all the kids in our life. And my kids love the snowman hat on top.

A tree can be beautiful and safe for kids. This tree has ribbon, flowers, berries and non-glass ornaments.

For the record – I never worried about trees being broken with my 7-year-old. He listened to me when I said "no touch." To my daughter, "no touch" actually means "touch fast before mom catches me." Second children are humbling.

Toddler friendly Christmas decor

I picked up the "holiday greens" bucket three years ago after the holidays from Magnolia. It's such a great way to add height and interest to the tree. And as a bonus, the skirt doesn't get bunched up or sucked up in a vacuum. (Am I the only person this has happened to?) Also unlike tree skirts, my daughter cannot pretend that the bucket is a princess skirt. Buffalo check ribbon, ornaments, poinsettias and berries make this tree extra festive.

Our Christmas tree had a whole strand of lights go out this year, so I had to rip out part of the lights (it's pre-lit) and restring some lights. Hopefully they last me a while longer because I have no intention of purchasing a new tree. Details of berries, buffalo check ribbon and ornaments on this modern, family-friendly Christmas tree.

One thing my toddler DOES love is this Santa sack. She carries it around like she's the jolly guy himself. I just stuffed it with tulle so it's full and light. Also, someone remind me to check what's inside before I store it away after the holidays. Goodness knows that toys will be hidden in here that will never see the light of day again.
Santa sack, red truck pillow and a little buffalo check for the holidays On top of the record player/tv console, I displayed my DIY nativity on a barn beam. DIY barn beam nativity scene on a record player

On the other side of the room, I added a few other festive touches. Including a small basket of non-breakable ornaments.
Get your jingle on sign with festive red ornaments

This is "mom's chair," if you ask Lucy. No one else is allowed to sit here. I don't mind. It's the comfiest spot in the house. A holiday home tour with lots of festive red touches

The secretary is filled with photos of my kids – I like to have at least one photo of the kids printed each Christmas. You could also just swap out photos in frames. It's such a fun way to decorate for the holidays – and take a trip down memory lane. The large canvas on top is of Henry at his first Christmas. Display kid photos through the years during the holidays

Another way I like to keep our holiday decorating kid-friendly is to add decor that my kids can actually play with. So, I have out a wooden nativity and loads of Christmas books, which they take out every day. And then I added these small metal houses to the side table that are perfect for pretend play. Both my kids know that things that are here are up for grabs. Sometimes you'll spot little peg people or Mary and Joseph from the nativity in here. It's all fair game. Choose decor that can also be played with by kids - like plastic ornaments and metal houses

Oh, and we cannot forget the play kitchen. You already saw our big kitchen decked out for Christmas. But, we also spruced up theplay kitchen this year and it's so cute I can hardly stand it.

Kid play kitchen decked out for the holidays

If you missed it last week, I shared some of my favorite play kitchens. I love that this one can be in our main living space and look like it fits in. The cabinets are full of play food and toys that my kids play with every single day. I don't mind taking up the valuable real estate in our home if it's being used. And maybe some day, all this playing will mean that my kids can cook ME dinner every night. (Hey – a girl can dream.)

Kitchen santa decor

Lucy is pretty fond of this Santa. I got him years ago at JCPenney for 90 percent off and he's just hanging out, making a gingerbread house. NBD. Santa decor in the kids kitchen

The small table is a perfect spot for crafts and snacks. Lucy loves having her own size table. I covered it with a vintage tablecloth that belonged to my grandma Lucille. It fits perfectly on the kid-size table.

Vintage tablecloth on a kids table

I guess that having kids has made me realize that having a beautiful home and a comfortable space for my family don't have to be mutually exclusive. My house isn't always perfectly put together, but that's okay. (And yes, sometimes I need that reminder.) Get your jingle on

I feel like I cannot go through an entire post without posting a photo of my kids – since I promise they live here.

Here's proof that I really do have children and I even let them into these spaces. Sometimes I even get them to wear the same Christmas pajamas and smile for the camera. (Spoiler: I bribed them with a cookie.)

I guess nothing is too precious – except for these three.

Now that our Christmas decorations are up, our home feels even more cozy and inviting for our family. Which is perfect, because we are spending a lot of time at home together in this space. The best gift of all.
Red and silver striped ornament

If you liked this post, here are some other past holiday decor posts you may enjoy:

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