DecorBook Classic : A Magical Christmas Collection
- kathleen
- Dec 20, 2025
- 3 min read
Just a few miles east of Oakland, CA, there's a storybook town where a magical Christmas spirit lives. Inside her house, every piece tells a story of travels with her family, childhood or a local adventure. But to tell the truth, Jo Anne had me at these handpainted Santa faces. Let's take a look at the rest.
Before Jo Anne and her husband were married on December 10 over 50 years ago, she was given a Christamas ornament shower. At the party, her mother gave her this handcarved Italian creche by Henri. Over the years, Jo Anne found the 3 wise men from the same artist.
And in the living room, a second creche and other pieces by the same carver were later found. As you'll notice in Jo Anne's rooms, there is an overlying theme of incredible antique blue&white pieces.
The exquisite tree in the living room is filled with glass ornaments.
No matter what time of the year she's traveling, Jo Anne keeps a lookout for Christmasy items. She spied this beautiful ornament in a St. Petersburg (Russia) museum gift shop.
Many of the glass tree ornaments were purchased at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City. Others are from Jo Anne's mother.
Jo Anne's complementary fabrics lay a founation for the large open plan rooms. Toiles and checks predominate. See that pinkish toile in the background? That's the print on her dining room chairs as well as on pillows and stools, When I first saw Jo Anne's house a couple of years ago, I had a light bulb moment - and that's how I got my orange with blue&white color theme for my Christmas decor. Thanks, Jo Anne!
A toile covered chair and Staffordshire dogs by the fireplace.
Every year, Krakow (Poland) has a nativity scene competition, open to all ages and contests for both individuals and families. Jo Anne found these in a Krakow museum gift shop.
A base of pinecones and snow is sprinkled on many of her tablescapes.
The living room sofa and treasure-filled buffet.
A sweet collection from Germany. See it below on the coffee table?
Let's move into what I'd call the "snug" - see the adjacent room?
An Oakland instituion, florist Ron Morgan was known for these Christmas trees filled with small treasures.
Inside the snug, a special tree trimmed with glass birds, mostly from Ron Morgan's collection.
In the dining area, German wooden collectables, mostly from a now-closed store in Pasadena. Jo Anne stores each display in its own containers, clearly labelled. Even with that organization, it takes her 3 to 4 days to complete her annual decor.
The dining room table sets a winter wonderland theme.
In Sciliy, Jo Anne spotted this charming ceramic tree made by a local artist. Each ornament is handpainted and full of personality.
Another signature of Jo Anne's design is that she keep collections together. These sweet polar bears are made by artist Vickie Smyers. Jo Anne has filled out her collection by buying on EBay and Etsy.
Near the entryway, another delightful Ron Morgan tree discovered years later!
And Santas greeting visitors by the front door.
In Jo Anne's yard, a wall of camellias showed their final blooms before winter starts this morning. Thank you, Jo Anne, for sharing your love of Christmas! It is was so contagious that I'm taking another look in my stash to see what else I can display before the big day. I'll be back on December 28th with other friends' Christmas decor. In the meantime, enjoy your Sunday and a wonderful week!
PS - Jo Anne told me about Ron Morgan, who was an Oakland, CA florist for many years. In 2017, he sold his Christmas collection in two sales. Jo Anne went to both sales, adding to her collection. If you have a minute, this blog about his collection is fascinating, I've never seen anything like it.
I'd love it if you'd like to share your decor, please email me at kathleen@decorbook.com.
