“They expect the tree to be ready on Thanksgiving Day,” Riley said. “It gets us into the festive mood for the holidays.”
Riley, a nurse practitioner for Graves County Schools, and her husband, Joey, a livestock dealer, enjoy decorating and opening their rural home to friends and family for the holidays. Three of their children — Brahm, Justin and Becky — are grown and live in Mayfield, and daughter Adley Jo is in college. Their home, with its wood-beamed ceilings in the family room, reflects their love of nature and of country living.
“I’ve never lived in town,” Riley said. “I’ve always lived in a rural area.”
Their home overlooks farmland and has a comfortable air, like the feeling one gets when coming home for the holidays. The home features a mix of rustic and traditional décor.
“It’s almost like a lodge effect,” said Gloria Galloway, a member of the Mayfield Women’s Club, which sponsors an annual holiday home tour. The Riley family was among those featured in 2010.
Rather than painting the woodwork and trim white in the family room, the Rileys left the trim a deep rich wood. A rustic rocking chair provides a comfortable seat and conversation piece. “We were in Montana cross-country skiing and had it shipped here,” Riley said. “I’m not one to go to the furniture stores and buy a piece. It’s just a personality thing.”
Hardwood floors accent the room, and a fireplace gives the room a cozy feel. The family room opens into the kitchen, which Riley decorated with Santa figurines and whimsical plates. A tree adorned with spiral decorations sits in the corner of the kitchen.
Riley decorated almost every corner of the house, even the bathrooms. She paid careful attention to the placement of decorations to accent other trees, such as the greenery lining an octagonal window in the bathroom that overlooks a tree on the front porch.
Riley decorated 10 trees inside and two trees outside. Trees appear in the usual places like bedrooms and dining rooms, as well as the unexpected ones: bathrooms and laundry rooms. Three small Charlie Brown-like trees line one side of a bathtub, and a wreath accented with a purple ribbon hangs from the mirrored walls.
She added a tree in daughter Adley Jo’s room last year. “I usually focus on one tree a year,” Riley said.
Even Santa has a place to hang his ensemble in the red-hued utility room. A Christmas tree sits in front of the laundry area. Riley laughed that the suit is dripping and drying, waiting to be worn again.
The tree in her son’s room features deer antlers set against a faux-painted brown wall. Again, the room feels rustic. She said she began decorating with antlers years ago. “It really fits our personalities,” she said of the decorations.
Riley also decorated with a saddle that she had a Mennonite craftsman refurbish. The Rileys enjoy riding horses on their land.
Even a little touch of whimsy — red chili pepper decorations in the china cabinet and on a tree — reflects the love of the land. “Being a gardener, in the summer, I do a lot of canning and pickling of peppers,” she said.
Outside, Riley decorated a pavilion with fresh greenery over the mantle and a Christmas tree. Another Christmas tree and a snowman figurine complete the decorations on the front porch.
