Through 20 years at their sprawling, sun-filled home in Chanticleer, Ann and Todd Taylor have seen many changes. Their four kids, who once raced down the staircase to see what Santa brought, are now grown and tend to stroll in at a later hour for coffee and breakfast. The tree, for many years, was the result of a family excursion to a farm to chop one down, and now she tends to go with a realistic faux evergreen.
But she has also noticed that the old cliche is true: the more things change, the more they stay the same.The kids who once raced down the stairs still flock to the house for Christmas morning, now with spouses and significant others in tow. Several now make plans to chop down their own trees, just like when they were kids. And best of all, the Taylors now have the first grandchild in the family, creating the perfect opportunity to relive all of her favorite traditions with a new generation.
Through all of life’s phases, Ann’s love of Christmas decorating hasn’t wavered. “It’s about tradition, and celebrating the season,” she says. “It’s such a special time of year. When it became just the two of us, I realized, I always did it for the kids, but I do it for me, too.”
She prefers curating a collection of rustic, elegant pieces and displaying them in different configurations each year. While she goes to the same key ingredients—greenery, winterberry branches, mercury glass trees, stoneware Santas—the items show up in different rooms, clustered together in ever-evolving ways.
A big first step is ordering greenery from the Cancer Society of Greenville, which she uses extensively outdoors and in: winding up the stair railing, spilling over windows, and draped across mantels. She also purchases multiple wreaths to hang generously wherever the mood strikes. She often accents the wreaths with bows she purchases from longtime favorite shop Twigs. “I’ve made bows myself, but theirs are prettier,” she says.
It’s Christmas Time Again in Chanticleer
She also gathers lots of greenery from her yard, especially magnolia branches and leaves, and she loves to add accents of winterberry, purchased by the box online, to centerpieces and mantel displays. “They can be messy, and the berries come off and roll everywhere, but I love them,” she says.
These days, she uses a realistic artificial tree, and appreciates how the branches don’t droop, the ornaments stay on better, and, of course, no watering. She is open to recreating the fresh tree tradition as grandkids join the party, but for now, she lights an evergreen candle to offer the beloved scent and says most people never know the difference.
Though her tree was once full of ornaments made by the kids, she now blends those favorites in with ornaments, garlands, and bows that speak to her design sense. “Sometimes, the kids give me a hard time, because my tree isn’t as fun,” she says. ”I still put their ornaments in there, but I try to make it all flow. They used to help decorate, but now, I can do it how I want, with pretty bows and garlands.”
With five fireplaces throughout the home, there are plenty of mantels to fill with her favorite reindeer, trees, and greenery, but the one thing you won’t find: stockings. She adores the needlepoint stockings gifted by her mother-in-law, but they are so large, they tend to take up an entire mantel, so she brings them out on Christmas morning.
This year, as always, Ann will take the boxes of ornaments out of storage in the guest house, gather up greenery from the yard, and most likely, visit Twigs for a new accent or two. And then, the day after Thanksgiving, she and Todd will get to work creating an elegantly festive atmosphere for everyone to enjoy.
“People are always coming and going,” she says. “The kids too—they are grown, but they still come by, and we’re looking forward to having a new baby here,” she says. “He’s the first, so we’ll start new traditions.” And a new phase begins.
Photography by Chelsey Ashford Photography.
