For the month of December, I decided to host a decorating contest, looking for the best decorated holiday home. The winner to receive a full length photograph feature and written article, here on my Cottage of the Month page, as well as other prizes. Pat and her husband J were the winners of my contest, and here is the story of their home and decorating endeavors...

 

Pat and her husband J reside in a small town, just outside of St. Louis, Missouri. They worked closely with a contractor and designed their 3000 square foot home, exactly 4 years ago. A member of the local garden club, Pat and J hosted a holiday tour and welcomed over 300 visitors inside their home last year.

 

Pat's favorite holiday has always been Christmas, ever since she was a teen. Pat and J have housed up to 18 decorated trees for the holiday season, with the largest being 10 feet tall. With 18 foot tall ceilings, height certainly isn't an issue. Holiday decorations begin to fill their house around Thanksgiving, and then everything is taken down after the first week of January, until the following year.

 

One of Pat's favorite holiday collectibles are her Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments, which she has over a hundred of. She enjoys continually shopping throughout the year for next years decorations. One of Pat's favorite things to decorate are her tabletops, where you'll find unusual items such as Santa Claus bells used as plate ornaments, and birdhouses lining the center of their table. She simply picks a theme and runs with it, and it works beautifully.

 

You can visit Pat at her blog, Back Porch Musings. And if you do pay her a visit, please tell her you saw her home featured at The Old Painted Cottage!

 

NOTE: During the process of accepting entries for this contest, I found that picking a winner was a fairly difficult decision to make, as there were some real favorites. So I decided to pick the top 5 runners up and created a little movie slideshow for you all to watch and enjoy. Just click the green arrow (twice):