A Garden-Lou Visit to Dave Zettler’s Cozy Christmas Cottage

If you admired the Christmas tree on this November/December’s issue of St. Louis Homes and Lifestyles magazine or attended last year’s Cardinal Glennon Deck Hall’s fundraising tour when the photos were shot, you might wonder what that floral designer does in their own home for the holidays-if anything at all. Dave Zettler not only decorates his own home for the holidays but also takes holiday decorating to the extreme. Once again, he has allowed us to peek inside the cozy Christmas Cottage he calls home.

You might remember our 2023 visit, Spotlight on Dave Zettler and his Christmas Cottage but rest assured; no two years are decorated the same with Dave. His holiday collection is vast, but not his living space…only about 40% of the collection is on display yearly, with items rotating in and out according to themes or if something new is added. Some sentimental favorites are always included, like his grandmother’s vintage Bradford Celestial Star Motion tree topper in the dining room.

However, even if he reused all the same deco pieces, there would still be something new to see. Like this year’s elevated train in the kitchen that circles around what is normally the ceiling fan, Dave removes the blades in winter and uses the base for decorations, in this case, a train track meant for a Christmas tree that he supported with a dowel rod and layers of fun decorations.

Dave also likes to personalize or ‘tweak’ found objects, like the simple Santa image he framed and added lights to or the clever nutcracker lamps he made.

Dave moved to St. Louis in 2009 from DuQuoin, Illinois, where his father still lives. He credits his mom and grandmother with instilling in him the Christmas can-do attitude at an early age.

One of the most asked questions every year is where everything is stored. Dave is grateful for his basement and stores everything in bins. Another common question is how long it takes to put everything up. Normally, he starts decorating in September before work gets too crazy and hectic.

Since the sale of his flower shop in South St. Louis, Dave has been working at Ambius, putting in long hours to help get the rest of St. Louis ready for the holidays!