Home renovations icon Joanna Gaines is going big and going home this holiday season—at least when it comes to her family’s spectacular Christmas tree, which she proudly unveiled to her fans this weekend as it was installed inside her Texas farmhouse.
The 47-year-old “Fixer Upper” star, who lives in Waco, TX, with her husband, Chip Gaines, 51, and their children, revealed a video clip of the tree being brought into the property, explaining in the caption that her husband was largely responsible for the size.
“Chip’s motto: the bigger, the better,” she joked, while sharing the video of the tree being delivered to their home in a truck—before it was carried inside by an army of helpers.
Luckily, Joanna and Chip have plenty of room in their farmhouse—which features vaulted ceilings in the living room ideal for housing such an enormous tree, which the Magnolia mogul jokingly compared to the spruce on display at New York City’s Rockefeller Center.
Sharing a picture of the Rockefeller tree surrounded by scaffolding ahead of its unveiling, Joanna took the opportunity to mock her husband, writing on her Instagram stories: “Chip, I need this scaffolding system to put up the ornaments.”
Luckily for Joanna, while she may not have quite such an intricate scaffolding system, she does have a team of helpers, who she later revealed had been helping to decorate the tree with an astonishing 20,000 twinkle lights.
Posting video of her “sweet friends” helping to adorn the tree with all those lights, Joanna wrote: “Always such a fun day. These sweet friends help me every year because lighting a tree this big is not only an art but also requires a master’s degree in electrical science. 20,000 lights!”
Her glimpse into her holiday home comes after she shared how she unwinds for the holidays in the winter issue of Magnolia Journal.
She noted that she always prioritizes a “slow Christmas” season to allow her to relax and spend some quality time with her family.
“I’ve learned I’ll have to fight for these next few months as the tendency to keep hustling blurs my reach for Christmas as it should be.
“It isn’t always so easy in a season that can pull us in lots of directions. Where the peace we long for, the time back we’ve earned, is constantly at war with expectations of more,” she said.
She noted that she will be going against the grain and opting for a life of peace instead of continuing her usual hustle.
“I’ll be the first to admit that I’m generally a do-whatever-it-takes kind of girl. It’s in my nature … but Christmas? This is when I want to rebel against my own nature and rebel against the voices in our culture telling me it won’t be the day of my dreams if I’m not out there hustling,” she added.
And, Joanna takes her relaxation time extremely seriously, so much so that she begins declining invitations as early as November.
“For me, the slowdown starts in November—by saying no. No to the hurry. No to the stress of doing things that don’t fill my cup. No to the temptation to do more. Because we know that time doesn’t double for those who run faster. It disappears,” the home expert said.
The mom explained that she prioritized this mindset after overexerting herself during the holiday season and missing crucial moments with her family.
“I have spent the day I waited for all year waiting for it to be over. Wondering why I let the moments that mean the most slip through overworked hands. … But Christmas stripped down is what I’m after,” Joanna noted.
During her relaxation time, Joanna focuses on transforming her sprawling dwelling into a winter wonderland fit for Mr. Claus himself.
“Early November is the longest I can wait. By then, I’m already pining for scents of cinnamon and nutmeg. For twinkle lights that catch my eye and Bing Crosby on the turntable. I’m longing to unpack every moment and memory of holidays past,” she said of when she begins her decoration journey.
And, Joanna noted that you shouldn’t worry about reusing the same decor as last year, noting that she rarely changes her trinkets out.
“The way we deck the halls at the farm doesn’t change much year to year. For me, this season isn’t about introducing a lot of new but about celebrating the old, the passed-down, the patiently waited for,” the designer said.
She also shared her secrets for decorating several areas in your home, including your entryway, sitting area, tree, mantel, tablescape, wreaths, and how you can set up a hot cocoa bar.
Although it seems small, Joanna noted that she has an “obsession” with wreaths, adding that they can really add to the festive spirit of a house.