A Homespun Holiday Home

Dallas antiques dealer Donna Damon believes that if you have a favorite collectible or decoration, you should enjoy it. That's why she decorates nearly every room in her house with her Christmas collections that tell stories and bring back memories. Her Christmas tree ornaments, for instance, are very personal: a pair of mittens worn by one of her grown children, a folksy jack-o-lantern signifying another of her favorite holidays, holiday cards from past years, and old family photos.

Donna decorates her tree with a jolly mix of Santas, from modern versions to portraits of Father Christmas. Like the vintage ornament shown here, all are part of the Santa Claus collection she has accumulated over the years.

To anchor her artificial tree, Donna sets it in an antique barrel and fills the creative base with a glittering assortment of extra ornaments.

Old-style stockings are hung across Donna's fireplace for each member of the family. She takes a no-fuss approach to labeling each stocking by writing names on tags and trimming them with decorative scissors before tying one to each stocking.

In the dining room, Donna adds an elegant holiday touch with a tree-shape centerpiece of glass ornaments amidst a forest of bottle trees.

On a side table, Donna displays lightweight ornaments on mini trees made of delicate goose feathers dyed green.

Donna displays her abundant Santa collection in groupings on shelves and furniture all around the room. At every turn, the mix of figurines she has collected over the years reminds her of happy times in her life.

The clever outfits and unique facial expressions of this mix of old and new Santas lends a creative personality to the arrangement. Donna's display approach can be used with any favorite Christmas collectible.

For a simple holiday bouquet in the master bedroom or a guest room, try this idea from Donna: Arrange evergreen branches in a sap bucket and decorate them with glass ornaments.

Donna adds holiday touches in unexpected places to spread Christmas throughout the house. Here, a cedar wreath with fabric candy canes puts an antique horse in the holiday spirit.