French Country Cottage Christmas

By Courtney Allison

Christmas decorating maven Courtney Allison shows how to create a cozy and aspirational French country Christmas style wherever you are.

Celebrate the season in cozy French Country Cottage style with luscious photography and a plethora of inspiration and ideas for trees in themes from baubles to flowers; décor indoors and outdoors; flowers, garlands, and wreaths; tables, dining, and entertaining; entryways, stairways, and every room of the house; outbuildings; pretty packages; and twinkle lights galore. Plus a little bit of Christmas magic from a Paris apartment with a balcony overlooking the Eiffel Tower, a snowy mountain cabin, and a vintage travel trailer at the lake.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith
• Release date: Aug 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9781423662587

Courtney Allison

A freelance photographer and author of the blog French Country Cottage, Courtney also works as an editor, brand ambassador and designer.  She has a floral collection with Balsam Hill and with several licensed collections launching in 2018 and 2019,  Courtney's product lines will join her long list of creative accomplishments.  Her photography and home has been featured in magazines in the US and Europe including several cover shots. Courtney is a mother of three and lives in her vintage cottage in the California countryside with her husband and adopted dog Sweet Pea; you can often find her with camera in hand capturing a whimsical moment.  

Book preview

9781423662570.jpgPhoto of greenhouse decorated.Photo of decorated fireplace.Photo as described in caption below.Photo of home interior decorated.

For my family—my husband, children, and grandchildren. You inspire me every day to create a home filled with the beauty and magic of Christmas all year long.

Photo of glasses on a tray.Photo of decorated Christmas tree.

Contents

A Little Merry & Bright

25 Inspiring Trees

All Through the House

Christmas in the Cottage

French Country Christmas Entertaining

Handmade & Natural Christmas

Christmas Cheer Outdoors

Away for Christmas

Resources

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Photo of floral arrangement.

A Little Merry & Bright

Photo little Christmas village.Photo of decorated mantel.

Full of all things merry and bright, the Christmas season feels magical and full of excitement. When the trees start to twinkle for the first time each year, I am touched with a nostalgia that takes me right back to the wonder of my childhood. During the holidays, our house was aglow with Christmas cheer. Every morning and night when it was dark outside, the rooms were filled with a warm glow from the tree and fires crackling in the fireplaces. Anticipation of the holiday season filled every room in our home—from the decorating and baking my mom would do before the big Santa party, to lying under the tree looking at the lights, to staring out the breakfast nook window with my brothers and sister watching for our grandparents to arrive on Christmas morning. Even as an adult, the first time the tree twinkles and the Christmas music plays each season, I feel a bit of a misty-eyed child again.

When our children were born, watching their wonder and excitement, my husband and I experienced all that childhood enchantment through their eyes. Setting out the cookies and milk for Santa—and the carrots for Rudolph, of course—baking cookies, buying gifts for the community Giving Tree, and the fun evening we would spend driving around to look at all the houses lit up with Christmas displays were some of my favorite things. And now, with our grandchildren, the holidays are overflowing with childhood wonder once again. Enjoying holiday moments and memories with our family in a home full of Christmas cheer is truly the most beautiful gift of all.

When I was dating the man who would become my husband, I was nineteen and living in Montana in a second-floor studio apartment in a building full of old character and charm. I loved all its quirks, like the step up to the bathroom and the living room, which became the bedroom when the Murphy bed was pulled down. As the holiday season approached, I knew what the tree would look like that year: a simple, spindly, wispy, tree with dainty branches that would be perfect for holding just a few pretty, little baubles.

Photo of boxes of ornaments in front of decorated tree.Photo of decorated Christmas tree.Photo of Christmas decorations.

Of course, my husband was a complete opposite. His ideal Christmas tree was the chubbiest, fullest, and tallest he could manage to squeeze into his house. When we went to get our trees together,