Anyone who has worked behind the scenes of a magazine knows that holiday shoots are a massive undertakinga heavy lift, as photo stylists often say. In addition to getting a home ready for its close-upthink ironing bed linens, sweeping floors, zhushing up bookcasestheres a whole extra layer of holiday spirit to be added. Heres why thats tricky: Because magazines typically operate on a schedule a few months in advance of newsstand datesfor example, an issue that arrives on newsstands in December was likely photographed in Augusttheres a good chance theres a prop stylist stringing lights and pouring egg nog in late summeror, more likely, pouring heavy creamer to look like egg nog. (This is not always the casesometimes we shoot a full year in advance to capture snow!but there always seems to be at least one holiday house that works its way into the issue at the last blazin hot minute.)That was certainly true when we photographed Landon McAfees adorable 800-square-foot cottage in Stantonville, Tennessee, which now graces the cover of our December-January issue. As Senior Homes & Style Editor for Country Living, Im always on the lookout for houses to feature in the magazine and online. Sometimes a property finds its way to me through word-of-mouth (You have to see my cousin's Carolina cabin), sometimes its pitched by the designer who brought the project to life, and, occasionally, I stumble upon a gem of a property while mindlessly scrolling Instagram late into the evening. It was Landons living roomalready whimsically outfitted with blue and green paper garlandthat first caught my eye, so I reached out to him on Instagram to see if he would share more photos. It turned out he was a lifelong reader of Country Livinghe has almost every back issue weve ever printed, which he had proudly displayed on an antique bench in his house when our crew, including myself, Staff Photographer Becky Stayner-Luigart, stylist Matthew Gleason, and Visual Editor Ian Palmer arrived on a sunny (and hot!) August day to make holiday magic. If youre curious to know more about how we get a house ready for its holiday spotlight, here are eight insider tips, including our secret weapon for adding pattern, good sources for faux greenery, and the best holiday album to play in the background while you decorate. See The End Result of Our Tennessee Photo Shoot Here!Pick a Tight PaletteA cohesive color palette goes a long way toward giving a space a strong point of view. Here at Country Living, we go to great lengths to make sure our homes in any given issue dont feel redundant, decoratively speaking. For example, if one house goes all in on red and green, maybe theres another house that opts for a neutral scheme. Well typically take the lead from the homeowners, as well as their surroundings. A mountainous, snow-covered log cabin, for example, feels like the perfect spot for a nature-inspired Christmas with loads of greens. However, a timeless white farmhouse might be the perfect spot for touches of tartan. This year, our stylist, Matthew Gleason, and I decided to play off the campy, colorful vibes of Landons cottage and his collectibles by leaning into classic blues and greens and accenting with retro-inspired touches such as colorful Christmas tree lights and picnic-friendly plaids. Pile On The PatternThe quickest way to add festive flair to any house is through textiles. In Landons house, much of that pattern came courtesy of plaid blankets, which can make a big impact if youre on a budget. (Look closely and youll notice at least seven blankets throughout the house!) I love layering them over the back of a sofa to break up a big spread of solid color, draping them around the bottom of a tree like a tree skirt, or positioning them at the foot of a bed to add more interest to solid-colored bedding. (Ive also wrapped them around a less-than-desirable dog cushion for the sake of aesthetics!) As much as I love vintage throwsand Landon already had plentyyoull also find lots of good options at the Tartan Blanket Company, Pendleton, and ChappyWrap. If youre more into a block print or muted palette, check out Rejuvenationwe used a lot of the companys textiles in Alyson Morgans Wisconsin home, which you can also see here or in our December issue.Ian PalmerLandons pup, Benjamin, double-checks our ornament selection. Theme Your OrnamentsAs much as a we love a collected tree of handmade family ornaments, trees tend to photograph better when theres a unifying thread. You can focus on a material (felt, mercury glass...), a theme (woodland, Nutcracker...), or a color scheme (red and turquoise, orange and lavender...). Landons tree plays into his love of retro camp style with loads of mini plaid thermos ornaments, vintage Shiny-Brite ornaments, and just a few other finds with special sentimental value. (See if you can spot the brass bear at the top of the tree!) The crafted paper chain garland that spans both the tree and the living room adds the perfect nostalgic finishing touch. Another tip: If youre adding ornaments of assorted sizes, start by staggering your larger hero ornaments and then filling in remaining spaces with the smaller ornaments. This will help things feel visually balanced. Oh, and I love using green hooks on a green treethey just blend in so much better.RELATED: 40+ Rustic Christmas Tree Ideas for Your Country FarmhouseDont Overlook The Kitchen When were photographing a house for the holidays, we try to convey a sense of the season in every roomkitchen included. A lot of homeowners tell me they dont do much when it comes to decorating the kitchen for Christmas, but thats precisely where you should be putting forth some effort, since its where we all spend so much time. (Maybe thats why the kitchen Christmas tree is trending.) In Landons house, we played off of his red-and-white checkered floors with ample greenery, adding shaggy garland around the window in the breakfast nook and more sprigs to the kitchens windowsill. Oh, and for the sake of the photo, we swapped the placement of Landons cool red metal chairs and his wooden bench. (Having the chairs in the foreground blocked out most of the table.) Becky Luigart-StaynerStylist Matthew Gleason and his assistant Teddy Schober put the finishing touches on the living rooms holiday decorations. No detail goes overlooked!Layer On The Greens You know that old Portlandia skit about putting a bird on everything? Take that same mentality and apply it to boughs. For this photo shoot, we worked with a nearby Tennessee tree farm to cover the house (inside and out!) with white pine, which (phew) we were lucky to source in the middle of August. I will, however, admit that we occasionally resort to faux greeneryand some of it is so convincing. I especially love Balsam Hill and Afloral for real-looking faux greenery. For live greenery were able to get in season, my personal favorite is shaggy cedar garland layered up with dried orange slices and pinecones. It just feels so quintessentially country! Plus, its more pliable than standard fir garland, meaning its easier for us to manipulate as needed. Ian PalmerWe turned Landons desk into a makeshift wrapping station with color-coordinated papers.Edit Your Wrapping PaperIm not gonna lie: One of the most tedious things about a holiday photo shoot is wrapping all the presents. I save Amazon boxes throughout the year (as does Matthew), so that were prepared with all shapes and sizes that we can reuse when its time for seasonal photography. And then theres the wrapping! We pre-wrapped roughly 50 to 60 boxes for this shoot, most of which we hauled to the shoot in our roomy Kia Carnival, the Official Vehicle of Country Living. I find sticking to three or four gift wrap patterns is a good formula for feeling cohesive but not too matchy-matchy. You also cant go wrong with simple brown kraft paper wrapped up with ribbon or chunky yarn. Another fun trick: Repurposing vintage vessels under the tree as boxes, which we did under Landons tree with tin picnic baskets. RELATED: The #1 Top Tip From a Gift Wrapping ProIan PalmerWe packed a whole lot of presents into the Kia Carnival, the Official Vehicle of Country Living!Put Your Backyard to WorkMagazine stylists love a good branch. (You will 100 percent start noticing this!) Whether youre looking to add dramatic height to a kitchen island arrangement or a bit of nature to a bathroom, the best thing you can do is head into your yard with a set of clippers. (Our stylist Matthew also styled this Mississippi farmhouse for a fall issue, and even raided a burn pile on the property for the dried branches in the boot room.) Cue Up a Christmas Playlist When youre decorating during the off-season (any anytime, really), music is a surefire way to shift your mindset from hot-as-hinges to ho-ho-ho. I love to play the classics, but lately Ive really been feeling Kacey Musgravess A Very Kacey Christmas. Music helps lighten the mood and puts everyone in the spiritespecially important when weve invaded someones home for a few days! RELATED: The All-Time Best Christmas Songs for Your Ultimate Holiday PlaylistTour the End Result of Our Christmas Photo Shoot at Landons Cottage Here!Special thanks to the roomy Kia Carnival, the Official Vehicle of Country Living, for helping us make holiday magic. (Stay tuned for the Kia Carnival hybrid coming in 2025!)Tour More Houses All Styled up for Christmas:Anna LoganSenior Homes & Style EditorAnna Logan is the Senior Homes & Style Editor at Country Living, where she covers design and decorating trends, home features, and gift guides. She also produces home features and styles content for the print magazine. When she isnt working, can often be found digging around antique shops for the perfect find. Follow her adventures on Instagram!