I grew up in California and we mostly entered our home via the garage, which was attached to the house and always had a door into our home. When I was in the 4th grade, I received my own key to the house and began to come home from school by myself. I entered the house via the front door. I felt this to be rather fancy, given the fact that only guests came in our home via that door. Sometimes, I would sit outside on the front step, reading a book and imagining that I was sitting on a stoop in New York City, something I had never seen but had read about.
Every house I’ve lived in as a grown-up has been older, built in the 1930s or before. Two of them had garages, but they weren’t attached, necessitating entry through a front or back porch. In 2005, when I first saw the current Sassafras House, the generously-sized and open front porch was one of its greatest charms.
When we come home each day, we enter through our front door. It’s just as pleasing and fancy-feeling as it was when I was 9 years old. Part of my enjoyment comes from my ability to swap out the decor on my front porch each month. It’s a practice that marks the passing of time and the seasons; a reminder to enjoy all that Mother Nature has to offer. It makes the porch welcoming: we're home! It’s also a source of happy daydreaming, as I think about what will decorate the porch in the coming months. For January, I’ve kept things simple. The front door has a bare-branch wreath, plain, to keep with the season.
The table has some pinecones and evergreens in a rustic wooden bin that T scored last summer. The tablecloth is a vintage Etsy find that I've had for years.
The flag invites snow.
Though it’s not particularly decorative, there’s ice melt at the ready for the snow and cold I’ve invited. It is Winter, after all.
We’ve yet to see any snow or ice but it’s been too cold to sit outside and rock on the front porch; this corner is bare for the season.
I’ve already begun to think about what I’ll set out for February’s front porch. That’s happy!
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