As I walk up the sidewalk of the McCrary family home located in the Madison Place subdivision, I am greeted at the front door by Tiffani McCrary, the one responsible for all the beautiful decorations inside and outside of this home.
She invites me in and just as I step in the entryway of her home, I am in awe! We make our way to the family room and take a seat next to one of the nine (and possibly soon to be 10!) amazing Christmas trees displayed throughout the home.
After only a few minutes of visiting with Tiffani, I know just what this loves about the Christmas season…..spending time with their family. Not only does Tiffani enjoy decorating for Christmas, but more importantly she does this for her family to enjoy. She smiles when she tells me, “The kids love to see what Mom does different each year.” For the McCrary family, Christmas is a time to spend together and “to just slow down from daily life.” Tiffani and her husband, Jay, have two children, Landon, age 16, and Chandler, age 13.
One of the things I most enjoyed visiting with Tiffani about was the nine Christmas trees she so professionally decorates herself. Several of the trees have a theme or a story behind them. Tiffani’s favorite tree to decorate, the “rustic” tree in the family room where Santa leaves his gifts, is beautifully decorated with “rustic-looking” ornaments and a variety of ornaments that would make one think of the outdoors.
She displays another tree that is all-natural and also decorated with outdoor-related ornaments; this particular tree, located in her mud room, is the tree that started it all…..Tiffani’s love for decorating Christmas trees! In the bar area, located off the family room, the McCrary’s proudly display a Razorback tree, one that actually stays up year-round.
The McCrary’s love for the Razorbacks is quite obvious when you see this tree fully decorated with things such as an autographed football, on old parking pass, a flip-flop, a license plate, a pacifier, Tiffani’s childhood piggy bank, and even a Razorback Pop-Tart! The Razorback tree carries with it some special memories as well. Not only does the family enjoy Razorback games together every year, but both Tiffani and Jay attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and met there. Also, Tiffani’s dad was formerly a broadcaster for the Razorback baseball team so the love for the Arkansas Razorbacks runs deep in the family. The tree that was so amazing to hear about was the tree that is located in her kitchen. Not only does this tree have a variety of cooking utensils, such as wooden spoons, a rolling pin, a ladle and a whisk, but it also has a variety of antique cookie cutters that once belonged to Tiffani’s grandmother. She also displays a fun wreath in her kitchen decorated with more of the antique cookie cutters.
The Christmas card tree is the tree that Tiffani says gets a lot of attention from guests that come to her home during the holidays. Everyone loves to look at all the Christmas cards the family proudly displays that they receive throughout the Christmas season. Not only does the tree have cards they receive, but it also has all of the Christmas cards she has made of her family in previous years.
The McCrary’s have a very special tradition they carry out each year after all of the trees are decorated…they simply hide the Christmas nail in each tree to serve as a reminder of what Christmas is really about for their family.
When I asked Tiffani what advice she would give anyone in regards to decorating for Christmas she said, “Have fun with it, use color and don’t stress!”
As most would, I had to ask how anyone could decorate like this and not stress. She then let me know about a designated room upstairs in their home that “houses” all of her trees January through October so she does not have to completely disassemble and reassemble the trees each year.
Although she does have fluffing, rearranging and, of course adding the new ornaments and decorations she purchases each year to add to her trees, she does admit that it definitely eases the amount time she has to spend on the trees.
After all, Tiffani’s decorating does not stop with the trees; she also has beautiful arrangements sitting throughout as well as a nativity scene covering her kitchen table. Everything ties together perfectly outside this west Conway home with the skillfully decorated front porch and portico area.
Tiffani describes the old sled that sits on her portico, strung with lights and displaying a wreath, as a symbol of her childhood while growing up in Fayetteville and sledding as a child.
While the décor in the McCrary home is simply amazing, it seems what is most important about the decorations is they are for the family, about the family and meant to symbolize what Christmas is truly all about for the McCrary’s…