Tree Lot Themed Christmas Foyer

I still remember getting bundled up as a kid and the whole family piling into the car to head to the tree lot. This is how we did things “back in the day”, and those memories bring back a warm and cozy feeling of Christmas that I wanted to capture in our home this season.

The tree lot that we always drove to was in the parking lot of the Pay-n-Save, a popular Washington state drug store chain from the 1940s until around the mid-80s. The trees would be corralled in neat rows of a roped off corner with strings of large-bulb Christmas lights hanging overhead to light the area.

We’d walk through the rows looking for just the “right” tree that fit our family’s vision for the year. Some years they were full and short, other times tall and sparse…somehow there was always one among the bunch that would speak to us.

Then, our parents would haggle with the vendor over the price in much the same way as the famous scene in A Christmas Story while my sister and I got to pick out a candy cane from the large bucket near the check-out.

A random high school boy working at the lot would inevitably be tasked with getting the tree tied up and strapped to the top of our car, and then we’d all drive home happily singing carols. My dad would trim the end and fuss with the tree stand until it was finally ready to decorate.

That night, with our bellies full of Christmas treats and wearing our cozy fleece pajamas, our little heads would nod off staring at the glow of the lights and smelling the sweet pine wafting through the air.

I imagine that my childhood memory is a story shared by so many of you, too!

This year, I wanted to bring in some of those elements from my past when I planned our holiday decor for both the entryway and foyer of our home. {Check out my entryway post here}

For starters, I used a couple of tree lot signs that I just adore from our shop. The first one greets us in the entryway, and the second complements it in the foyer.

The lanterns tucked beside a chippy old wood box have a rustic feel that I really love.

The only non-neutral color I used in our home this season was a vibrant barn red that really captured all of the warmth I remember from childhood holidays. On my acorn wreaths, I paired the bright red of the ribbon with burlap, which was always plentiful in tree lots.

Pine cones, ornaments, and snowflakes are nestled into little nooks, and this design would not have been complete without cuttings of pine branches! For height, I used one of my found vintage twine spools (just like the ones in our shop) that reminds me of the twine used to tie the tree to our family’s car.

Our foyer is bringing us so much joy this Christmas as we remember all of the wonderful times from our youth. Wishing you a merry and memorable Christmas too, friends!