A Bromstad Family Christmas Makeover

David Bromstad, the exuberant host of My Lottery Dream Home, might spend his days helping people who have found themselves suddenly wealthy, but to him, one of the most valuable things in life is family. To make time with them extra special, David likes to go all out at the holidays, which is something he learned growing up in the cheerful Bromstad family.

That's why David enlisted his sisters, Dynelle and Dyonne, to help him with a holiday makeover to surprise their parents. Having grown up in a home where holiday decorating was always a big deal, they are definitely his secret weapons. “We get this from our mom and dad. They go crazy for Christmas, and they just gave us those crazy genes,” David says.

While David might be known for his over-the-top outfits and colorful designs, he wants to go with a simpler, Scandinavian look. Inspired by his dad’s Norwegian roots and his mom’s Swedish ties, David plans to use a more neutral color palette and pared-down decor to give the space that cozy, Nordic vibe. “Whites, creams, reds and greens. That’s it,” David explains as he tries to convince his sisters that he will be creating a more restrained look this year.

The family room gets an instant Scandinavian-inspired upgrade thanks to the addition of faux wooden beams, which are much easier and much less expensive to install than real wood beams. And they aren’t temporary either. “These beams aren’t just holiday decorations; they’ll be a permanent fixture … giving it great character,” David explains. And he’s absolutely right, they add instant warmth to the space.

Outside, David has an idea to help make the Florida lawn look more wintry: he wants to display several large-scale artificial trees to give the yard a forestlike feel. This is such a fun and unexpected idea that would work great in any setting that needs a little Christmas oomph. “Let’s start with the 14-foot one,” David tells his team as he directs them to stagger different height trees in the front yard.

David wants to fill his house with trees, "ridiculous amounts of trees!" (His sisters nod in complete Bromstad agreement.) With these trees being artificial, the first thing they need to do is “fluff” them, which, per David, is the art of making the trees look full and happy after they’ve been unpacked by spreading out each branch individually and helping the tree relax. Apparently, it’s all in the way you fluff, too, because, according to David: “There’s no sad trees, there’s only sad fluffers!”

David has an idea to create a nontraditional Advent calendar: Instead of a single Advent calendar, David wants to hang 24 individually wrapped gifts from the bannister using simple wrapping supplies like paper bags and plain, white boxes. “We’re going to hang them all going down, all different shapes, sizes,” he explains. His sisters add the garland to the bannister first, which will give the decorations something to anchor to and prevent them from sliding.

The Bromstad siblings have clearly trimmed a tree or two before, so they have some serious pro tips to share to make this task more efficient. David likes to get all of his ornaments out and organized by color before he gets started. “That’s where the inspiration is going to come from,” he says.

Dyonne suggests when adding lights to trees with thicker branches, tuck the lights in rather than wrap them around each individual branch and, “when you get to the end, wrap, and that will give the depth of light all the way back through the tree,” she explains.

And Dynelle likes to use items that aren’t necessarily ornaments as tree decor, like mini gnomes. “These will be really cute in there,” she tells David, and she’s not wrong. In fact, they’re adorable!

To make the exterior entryway welcoming and whimsical, David and his sisters create two gnomes that flank either side of the front door. These are made from two potted cypress trees topped with cone-shaped hats made from felt, covered with craft paper. David uses Styrofoam balls for their little gnome noses. They add some ribbon and burlap for the finishing touches. “They give you that little gnome moment without going overboard!” David declares.

The fireplace and mantel already have a bit of the Scandinavian look he’s going for, thanks to the all-white finishes. To give this some holiday flair, he creates a vignette made from simple wooden house cutouts of various sizes and shapes. “We’re going to just mix them all together, simple, clean. But we need white lights behind it,” he directs his sisters as they add the lights to the mantel first, ensuring that the soft glow will show through the miniature's windows after they’ve placed them.

David wants the dining room to have a dramatic moment that still fits his simple, Scandinavian theme, so he brings in a large tree branch that will hang over the dining table in place of a chandelier. The plan is to drape it with white lights and garland, which, while a little tedious, will be well worth the effort. “Have patience,” says Dyonne as she helps David untangle the battery-operated lights that will allow this organic centerpiece to twinkle in the space.

After a tour of all of the fully decorated spaces, David’s mom toasts approvingly “to creativity and gnomes,” and it’s clear that David has successfully created Christmas magic with a Scandinavian spin.