Her creative decorating style primarily relies on snowflakes she makes from brown and white lunch bags. These snowflakes have grown to number in the hundreds, providing a striking, high-impact appearance. Wendy playfully calls herself the "paper-bag princess." She complements these with earthy touches, like dried moss—which she prefers for its reusability and easy storage over fresh greenery—and handmade papier-mâché mushroom ornaments.

Wendy has mastered making the holidays feel special without overspending. “To me, Christmas is a homecoming,” she says. “It’s all about the cozy. It’s all about the nostalgia. But it’s also about affordability.”

Janet Kwan

Her paper bag creations, which she hangs along her stair railings with fishing line, began as a project during the early days of the pandemic following her layoff from a flight attendant position. Her Instagram account gained such a significant following that when she was invited back to her job, she chose to become a full-time social media content creator instead.

Each year, Wendy hauls up 18 totes from the basement, containing a mix of her handmade decorations, family hand-me-downs, after-Christmas bargains, and treasures from thrift stores and roadside finds. She's continually searching for clear glass bud vases, cloches, and containers to add a wintry sparkle or transform into snow globes.

Three now-worn paper garlands, spelling "fa-la-la" and other festive phrases, hold a special place in Wendy's heart. Her husband, Kwan Chan, gifted them to her early in their marriage to bring festivity to their small basement apartment. "I smile every time I put them up," she says.

Janet Kwan

In the two years they've lived in their home, Wendy envisions herself as a shopkeeper each holiday season. “I pretend I’m decorating a shop window, but for the enjoyment of us and our guests,” she says.“I like to think of my home as an installation.”

It begins with the entryway, where snowflakes enhanced with fairy lights cover the staircase. “They’re impactful, but I don’t know if I was going for impact as much as just thinking, Wow, what am I going to do with all these?” she says.

Janet Kwan

In other areas of the home, snowflakes and store-bought stars form arches that serve as enchanting backdrops for holiday snapshots of Wendy, her husband, and their friends. Above the dining table, more string lights glimmer from a canopy Wendy crafted using various lengths of copper pipes. “I always try to take advantage of vertical space,” she says. She also sets a wintry table adorned with candles, baby's breath, and glass vases.

While her decor is artful, it remains simple and uncluttered, even with hundreds of paper snowflakes. “I have to include them,” Wendy says. “These things have become a big part of my story.”

Janet Kwan

Wendy's light, open kitchen flows into the family room, where draped garlands accentuate the windows and views. During the holidays, the kitchen island transforms into a prep and package station for homemade marshmallows, a signature treat for her hot cocoa bar. "I always add festive touches to my kitchen. Everyone seems to end up there, and it makes cooking and baking more fun," she says.

Credit: Janet Kwan

Credit: Janet Kwan

On open shelves she constructed herself, Wendy arranges a village scene using her collection of ceramic and tin houses. A secondhand hutch showcases Christmas classics, like bottle-brush trees. Above the cabinets, Wendy uses reusable faux garlands instead of purchasing fresh ones annually.

Janet Kwan

Each year, Wendy fills her home with holiday spirit through simple decorating projects, such as crafting homemade ornaments and garlands. Easy-to-create papier-mâché mushroom ornaments and pom-pom garlands add cheer to the tree.

Credit: Janet Kwan

Credit: Janet Kwan

Wendy incorporates dried moss in her displays, using it as table runners and tree skirts. The only fresh greenery she includes are accents made from evergreen sprigs clipped from her yard. Baby's breath, typically used as a bouquet filler, is her chosen holiday floral and stands alone in bud vases. “It has that snowflake effect,” she says, noting its long-lasting qualities when dried.

Guests know to search for surprises in Wendy's displays. One such delight is a mouse dressed as a chef named Gus Gus. “It’s fun building tiny inside jokes,” Wendy says. “It’s just playful and nonsensical.”