It’s the middle of October, which means Christmas has officially exploded at Thomas Lee Living.
While the rest of the world is apple picking and arguing over Halloween candy, we’re knee-deep in shipping boxes, unpacking holiday cocktail napkins, Penguins in Christmas plaid and placing dancing circus animals on consoles like it’s totally normal. Because for us, it is. Retail in the fall is basically a fast-forward button: September is Christmas, October is a blur, and by the time Thanksgiving rolls around, we’ve had glitter on our faces for two months straight.
We’re not complaining. (Okay, maybe a little when it’s in our coffee.) But truthfully? We love it.
Every day is like Christmas morning around here—literally. We’re unboxing pieces we picked out months ago, everything from stag candelabras to fox place card holders. It’s part holiday magic, part memory test. ("Did we really order 72 turkeys? Oh yes, we did.") The Old World Christmas ornaments have arrived, the Rifle Paper holiday wrapping is stacked and ready, and we’re officially in that special phase where the backroom looks like Santa’s workshop… if Santa liked antique brass and woodland décor.
We each have our own style when it comes to the holidays. Anne is a Thanksgiving traditionalist. She cooks for two, walks her dogs in the leaves, and puts up her Charlie Brown tree sometime mid-December. It’s simple. Sweet. Sentimental.
Kirsten, on the other hand, starts decorating before the Halloween pumpkins are even soft. Her tree is up early, down late, and stuffed to the branches with thirty years of ornament collecting—each one tied to a place, a memory, or a well-timed flea market find. (Yes, she’s going to Europe this year just for the Christmas markets. Alone. By choice.)
The point is: whatever your holiday pace—slow and steady or full-throttle sparkle—we’ve got pieces that help make it feel like home. Maybe it’s a set of brass turkeys, quail and pheasants for the Thanksgiving table. Maybe it’s a festive stag candelabra for your mantel. Maybe it’s just the right woodland creature to hold your place cards (because why not?). Whether you’re hosting a harvest feast or pouring an old-fashioned in your favorite armchair, we’re here for the little touches that turn gatherings into traditions.
Our Holiday Shop is officially open. Come find your next heirloom, statement piece, or "I definitely didn’t need this but I love it" ornament.
Because Christmas might start in September for us—but the joy is always right on time.
Cheers,
Anne Thomas & Kirsten Lee
