Home Makeover for Christmas! 

Definitely leave the shelves wooden, you could even get a water-based poly-in-one top coat to protect and seal the wood so that its protected from scratches overtime. The water-based/poly-in-one finishes are safe to apply indoors, non-smelly and safe for kids and pets, so don't get anything oil based as its the opposite, one tiny can is enough for those shelves. Hope that helps!

Jessica is one of the only people whose eyes sparkle almost every time she smiles. There is so much love within her that I can feel it through the screen. I envy you! But more so than that I adore your shine.

I think the wood shelf looks great against the new white walls! It makes them stand out more if you leave them as is 😊

A little painting tip for future projects: Remove switch plates and outlet covers before painting a room because it will ensure that the finished paint job will have a clean look. It also makes painting those areas so much easier.

If it were me, I would stain the shelves a little darker, but you'd still have the natural wood feel. Love you all! 💜

For the shelves- Get a nice stain that matches the shade of white (warm, neutral,cool) the stain will emphasise the grain and give that space more purpose rather than having white shelves and then blending in/ getting lost in the corner 😁

Duncan’s Acomplishments: “I got to paint, and pour cereal”. I wish my acomplishments were as simple as that. 😂 Gosh you’re kids are so funny and cute. I love your family! 💛

Duncan: "This is the best day ever! I got to paint, AND my first time pouring cereal." That's the most wholesome thing I've ever heard.

I would do a light stain and then seal them. The cabinet/side table below the shelves really pops as it is right now, so something to compliment it.

A stain would be nice and warm but before you do anything, remove the shelves from the walls and stain them outside and then bring them in so you don't have to worry about getting stain on the walls. Also, in the future remove the face plates and outlet covers before painting.

Lukey is a beam of light every time the camera turns to him! Nothing makes me happier than the noises he makes! The "DAHHHH" in the intro song is so fitting for his sweet personality.

WHEN DUNCAN WINKS MY HEART MELTS. SO GLAD TO SEE WHAT WE LEARNED IS BACK!!!!

The shelves look great, and a sealant or stain plus sealant would indeed be beneficial because it will help prevent warping from humidity and scratches, dinks, and splintering from general use. The wood angles not lining up perfectly will come in handy for running the electrical cords for Santa's Village.

luke stealing all of jessica’s food is hysterical!!

Christopher - instead of a metal plate you could join the shelves with a dowel pin joint. Drill aligning holes, pop the dowel pins in and slot them together just like Swedish flat pack. Joining them this way should decrease the movement of the join from the wood warping as well.

Wood worker here! I love the contrast of the wood vs the white walls. If you don't paint them you can seal them in polyurethane (smells and takes a long time to dry) or shellac which is quick drying and doesn't smell as bad. I suggest clear shellac, sand lightly between coats, and do 2-3 coats of it, only because it dries fast. Polycrylic is a water based sealer you can use too. Let it cure overnight before putting things on it. 🖤

Chris’ quick, “cause I never sleep!” statement cracked me up 😂

Omg Duncan being so thrilled about pouring cereal for the first time. That was so pure.

Jessica was especially adorable and hilarious in this vlog (she always is… but I her “this is the house” and “designer people tell me what’s right and wrong” slayed me)

Every time my family moved when I was a kid, my dad would paint my brother's and my room any color we wanted. It was so fun to see him paint. The paint looks great, I know it had to be a lot of fun for Chris, Jacob, Parker, and Duncan!

Hey advice from a carpenter! The reason your shelf is not stable is due to the type of brackets you’re using and the placement of said brackets. You should put one of the brackets directly in the corner of the room so it is holding broth pcs of wood. Also the type of brackets should be as long as or close to as long as the wood being installed, also should be a 90 degree bend rather than the curved corner.

Thank you for bringing back “let’s talk about what we learned today” I love it!!

Stain the wood! Stain would show the grain of the wood even more. Love the shape of the shelves. Really cool.

The natural wood adds color and texture so the walls not boring

I love how far Lukey has come.. from having a bit of a tougher battle learning to talk to being so happy and eager to say just anything at all! He is so sweet :)

i swear duncan says the cutest things ever. im dying!

Duncan being excited about pouting his own milk for the first time warms my heart so 💕

its kinda amazing how many talents chris has. woodworking,guitar maker, magician, comedy writer/producer,master video editor, extremely fertile, also super nice.

Duncan makes me laugh so hard he is such a natural comedian

Wood looks good! I would use a very light stain and seal it! Natural is always best!!

I love this entire family so much, and Duncan just makes my freaking day. Duncan is the definition of someone who marches to the beat of his own drum. Like, Duncan is living in his own little world and it’s full of light and happiness. 😂🙌🏼

You guys are just parenting goals. 6 smart, respectful, responsible, creative kids. Amazing.

Someone needs to make a compilation at the end of vlogmas of luke wanting to say hi and then duncan popping in to say good morning everyone!! Because it is just the best!

That look when Dunkin said “I’ve been waiting to do this for a long time” 🤣

Hey guys - home schooling question for you. I do not have children currently, and i was not home schooled, but i have heard it’s expensive and seeing as you guys have a sport team sized family ;) i was curious how you guys keep your costs managable for the kids and balance cost with quality/resources for them? Would love to see a video of you guys discussing logistics of this.

I would Mod Podge the shelves with family photos in a collage so you can keep adding new stuff as time goes on

Love the natural wood shelves against the white walls xx

Ditto to the comment on Jessica's eyes. So much sparkle spunk and so much love. Your a wonderful person and strong. Caring sincere which is a good thing to live by. All your children are so caring, loving too. Fantastic parenting. God bless you and your family. Thank you for sharing the videos

The bottom shelf would be good for a desk area too like you could buy a small stall with the lid lifts up for storage but other then that it can be turned in a desk or back to holding items but thr stall with just look natural in the house so u can go back and forth using it as that space randomly thought lol

I personally love the look of natural wood, however, if you paint it then you can caulk the gap and paint over it.

I think the wood looks good. Don't know about stains and such but I think the wood makes the cabinett underneath look better. If it was all white it would feel "unballanced" to me

i like the wood. with like a light stain color. white shelves would look nice also, but they remind me of ikea shelves lol

When Duncan squints his eyes being serious, that right there makes any bad day turn around. Tell him he is the coolest guy ever!

The wood on the shelf is definitely the way to go! It ties perfectly with your couch and the table underneath. Jessica definitely has a keen eye for design, we love to see it 🥰

Jessica is so funny, I just love her energy so much!!

Team natural wood!! I would NOT even stain the wood a different color, I love that light cool tone wood! Very Scandinavian! I would maybe add a touch of clear polyurethane finish to protect the wood, give a slight shine (not as dull or flat), and most importantly easy to clean/dust!

For the shelves, I like the natural finish. It gives it a nice contrast against the walls. If it were white, I think it might blend in too much.

The new color brightens up the house nicely!

I like the natural wood. You all did great! I didn't mind the patchwork paint though, made me feel like I wouldn't have to be embarrassed if you randomly showed up at my house. 🤣

Love this family, they are amazing parents and I have no idea how you do it all but you do an amazing job, all of your children are a absolute credit to you both 💖💖 xxxxxxxx

I like the natural color for the shelves!

I'd definitely leave them natural colored! It looks really good and it makes a nice contrast with the all-white walls. Also, if you would put bright colored accesoires on them it will make them pop more against the white and the wood :)

It's been a tough year, and it's still a ways to go till it's over. Vlogmas is more needed than ever this year

I’m in love with that little, green stand!! Maybe you could do like a white wash on the shelves? Something where you could still see the grain, but there isn’t as much contrast between the white and wood.

I like the wood. I think if it was stained a touch darker the contrast would be greater and look even better

I like the natural wood look, plus white will show up every scratch, mark and nick. They look great the way they are!

The natural wood looks great. You are going to want to seal them though. They don't wipe down and they absorb everything. So you want a clear coat of sealant. You can get a matte sealant if you don't want it shiny. Also put some flat metal brackets joining the joints so they don't move on you making them one solid piece. Rachael would be able to help you pick those out.

I love the wooden shelves as they are! You’ve transformed that corner of your living space, it looks gorgeous!❤️

the natural look it brings the wood to a whole different level.

I work as an architect, so I love the before and after of houses get painted and this video it's very satisfaying to me haha!

I think painting the wood the same color white as the walls would be really pretty and draw even more attention to the unique color of the table underneath them.

Wow!! I like the look of the natural wood as well. Painting them white might make it look more uniform, but leaving them is a bit more eclectic and fun. Also, I love that the kids are so excited about projects like that- less pushback as they get older(maybe)

The wrap up is.always my favourite. You guys did amazing work today. I am inspired to tackle my way. Seems overwhelming to choose and just begin!

When you were peeling that tangerine for Luke he looked sooooo much lake Jacob! So adorable!

I like the natural wood for the shelves I would add a coat of stain to them and it would really make the wood grain pop!

It already looks great, andI love the wood's natural look and grain! I would definitely seal/finish it, and maybe stain it a natural color to bring out the grain and make the colors pop a little more. If those brackets can take the same paint you used on the wall, I'd paint them as well to bring it all together!

It looks great!! I know the feelings of having unfinished projects around the house for months at a time so I'm happy for you guys that you went for it. This makes me want to work on some of my unfinished house projects We currently have some white spots in our doorway at my home right now too ahah

You are such a handy dad. You teach your kids so much!

I love the natural color and grain of that wood! it would definitely need a coat or two of varnish, but i'm sure Chris could do a fantastic job of that too!

I love that gorgeous wood and think it looks great with the green furniture underneath.

Those shelves are beautiful! Awesome work, Christopher and kids!

You guys are so genuine and just love each other so much, I love you guys!

Jessica, you can definitely leave the shelves as they are. It is beautiful. You can put a stain or just a top coat to seal it. I love that you want help deciding, but you know what you want and know what you like. You have a great eye for things too. You all did so great on the painting and shelves.

Duncan is my literal spirit animal 😂❤️

Natural looks great! You can get a pocket hole jig by Kreg (and some wood glue) to attach those pieces together which should help them stay together over time as wood often shrinks/moves over time since it's live and not manufactured

Love your family and so excited for over a month of daily vlogs

Christmas village shelf idea: Change it out for the seasons! For my shelves, I do a fairy village for the spring and summer and Halloween village in the fall! So fun!

I think that the shelves looked amazing with just the wood

I love and can relate to Parker being serious and safe on the outside and exploding on the inside 😅 that’s some relatable content right there 😅

The shelves are so pretty! I would say if you like the natural look to find a stain that is really close to the natural color of the wood so that they have a sealed feel and look.

The wood is super pretty! I would leave it like that. Love you guys xxx

Jessica is so cute! She is me trying to show those shelves off! They look lovely natural. Just be sure to seal them with something OUTSIDE to protect them. Outside bc most options stink! Christopher is a rock star building those shelves! Love them. My husband just built a new 7' dining table. His first time wood working. (He is a welder/fabricator/maintainer). He redid our existing table by sanding, painting, sealing the legs white and then covered up the table top which was cherry laminate to now be natural pine with white trim. Then sealed and trimmed feet down a bit. Saved us about 1k! It looks lovely. Handy people are a blessing! So great that the kids helped paint too. I use to help my dad paint, roof etc. Great life experience! Hugs from Florida!

I love the natural wood color of the shelves and I think it complements tan from the couch nicely! That being said if you guys decide to paint it white, I think it would look nice too. Wish you the best with the house projects! The walls look great!

Your videos are just so happy and it makes my day even happier when I watch you and because of vlogmas it’s going to be even better

I love the wood how it is.❤️

Love the wood as it is. Love watching your family too

yes i think the natural wood color looks really nice with the white walls! I am not an expert in interior design but I absolutely ADORE interior design haha.

I like to the natural wood color for the shelves because it goes really well with the walls and green table. It gives it like a natural look, I think!

Hey guys! I'm a Painter by trade, the shelves look great as is, but if you do not paint them you should stain them and/or put a clear coat to seal the wood to make it easier to clean and it will protect the wood. Also another cool thing about velvet paint is it touches up really easily, if you ever need to, without alot of "flashing" (being able to tell the spot where you painted). It looks great guys!

I love the shelves as the wood, seal them with a warm stain the wood stands out lovely however they would also look great white

“🎶Cause I never sleep🎶” Same, Chris. Same.

So glad what we learned has made a comeback! Thank you, Chris

looks great lovelies!! so much fun and a great memory💝

I love the shelves! Definitely loving the natural wood look - maybe with a slight stain to bring out the grain!!

I love the natural wood.

I still remember painting my families kitchen and bathrooms as a kid and always a fun time great memories

I believe your children are being better educated than many in the system. 1st of all, you have a personal interest in it for them, are being creative in tailoring it to how each of them learn, as well as, feeling JOY & accomplishment in learning. Bravo 👏

Hmm I think the white shelves would match everything else a lot more cleanly than the natural wood. Also. It'd make things that are on it be more of the focus!

wow, that paint job and the shelves are so impressive, it looks really good! I love the shelves kept as they are personally, either would be pretty though. 💜 Also Parker’s internal monologue is so relatable, love it 💜

8:02 Jessica's thinking face is like when you see kids trying to remember something which is so cute and adorable at the same time (#funny face)