A 60° Miracle & A Dirt Road Christmas Porch Makeover
We got blessed with a 60° day…
in mid-November…
in Michigan.
And listen, when that kind of miracle happens, you don’t waste it.
You MOVE.
I threw on my favorite bumblebee muck boots — and if you know me, you already know exactly which ones I’m talking about — pulled on my trusted leggings, my cozy sweatshirt, piled my hair in a messy top-of-the-head bun, and out the door I went.
Fall décor was coming down.
Christmas was going UP.
Now before anyone gets all judgy about decorating on November 15th… honey, listen:
You do what makes your heart happy.
If you want to decorate in October? Do it.
If you want to decorate the day after Thanksgiving? Do it.
Normally, I’m a day-after-Thanksgiving girl, too.
But you give me 60° in Michigan after 4.5 inches of snow melted overnight, and guess what?
I’m taking full advantage.
The inside of my house is STILL decorated for fall — she won’t get touched until Thanksgiving night.
But the porches?
Baby, they were fair game.
⸻
🌲 Cutting Fresh Greens, Michigan-Girl Style
Boots on.
Clippers in hand.
Out to our woods I went.
This is one of my favorite blessings of living on our property — we have mature evergreens of every kind: blue spruce, white pine, tamarack, and more. Even bittersweet sometimes, if I can beat the birds to it (not this year… I’ve been a little busy).
There’s something about cutting fresh greens in the cold air that just makes it feel like Christmas before Christmas.
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🏡 The Front Porch — Our Screened-In Living Room
This porch is our unofficial living room from late spring through early fall.
We read books out there.
Take naps.
Watch neighbors drive the dirt road.
Sip coffee.
And just breathe.
So it deserves to be cozy.
First step: grab the fall bins from the basement.
Everything is labeled (of course it is — you know me).
Fall goes straight into its bin and onto the industrial shelves.
Then the cleaning begins:
🧼 scrub the glider
🧺 wash pillow covers & blankets
🧹 shake rugs
🧽 wipe down the watering-can shelf
🧼 remove the chalkboard
🚮 declutter & reset
Once she’s cleaned, it’s time to decorate.
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🎄 The Theme: Buffalo Plaid & Simple Joy
Black-and-white buffalo plaid from fall + red-and-black plaid for Christmas = perfect mix.
I wiped down my chippy white bench.
Put the cloche over the battery-operated candle.
Grabbed my eucalyptus wreath to sit around it.
Then it was time for the best part:
The tiny Christmas tree.
Let me teach you the Dirt Road way:
- Grab ANY container.
- Fill it with dirt.
- Step outside and cut a pretty branch.
- Stick it in the dirt.
- Boom — FREE tree.
Outside greens don’t need much water.
Inside greens? Whole different story.
But outside — she’ll last all season.
I stuffed my Charlie Brown tree into my drover watering can until it sat sturdy and perfect.
Added red-and-white ornaments.
Topped it with my vintage 1960s star.
And it was magic.
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✨ Layering the Magic
Top shelf:
• watering-can tree
• lanterns
• vintage Santa
• fresh greens everywhere
Show-stopper:
the galvanized “BELIEVE” garland — five bucks at Hobby Lobby years ago.
And yes…
Command strips.
Always.
Then came my sentimental favorite:
our horseshoe Christmas tree, one of the many things Joe and I made back in the day.
Finally, Mama’s chunky wooden Santa — moved twice until it felt “just right.”
Wreath on the door.
Porch DONE.
And sis… she looked GOOD.
All from things I already had.
Zero new purchases.
Just creativity, greens from the woods, and Christmas joy.
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❤️ A Final Word From My Dirt Road to Yours
Decorating isn’t about perfection.
It isn’t about trends.
It isn’t about matching a label.
If you love it…
If it makes you smile…
If it brings you peace…
decorate with it.
Let your home tell your story.
And if Michigan hands you a 60° day in November?
Girl… decorate the porch.
See you in Blog #3 —
the entryway to my massage office.
🎄✨