The TV personality isn't letting the fire that burned down her house keep her family from celebrating Christmas.
Rachael Ray is still making sure to find the joy in the holidays. Despite suffering a devastating fire this summer that claimed her family home, Ray is still decorating for Christmas, and she gave fans a look at her toned-down X-mas décor on Tuesday's Rachael Ray Show.
"This year, we're not putting up trees because no families are coming to visit and we lost our main home, but we absolutely would not let the holidays come and go without some decoration," said Ray, who also explained that, in years past, their home was filled with nine different Christmas trees to commemorate the holiday.
Instead, Ray decided that she would change things up when it came to making her family's temporary home -- a guest house on her property that wasn't damaged by the fire -- more festive. The tour began with a look at "the doodles I made on pages of my notebook at three o'clock in the morning," showing her wild, eclectic burst of holiday creativity.
As it turns out, Ray decided to go for tons of very ornate stands of garland wrapped around all the windows and doorframes, as well as strands of white lights and various other fun details.
Ray also showed off a beautiful centerpiece featuring a metal horse head sculpture, which she explained was one of the only things they were able to salvage from the fire.
"In the center of our back table -- saved from our house that burned -- is a horse sculpture that is exactly the same as one my mom had in our house when I was a little girl," Ray explained. "I found it in a flea market, no kidding."
While the temporary house is certainly bright and festive, Ray couldn't help but admit how much she missed having Christmas in her old home, with all the decorations she'd accumulated over the years.
"It honestly makes me want to burst into tears how much I miss our trees," Ray said, with a tremble in her voice.
However, she explained, "These partridges and pears and sugared fruits and things, they do make me feel at home and nostalgic and grateful for the family I have and the life I’ve led."
"I've got to tell you, I don't know where I'd be without friends, a community, and people so dear to me that helped me bring Christmas to life, even when we're not at home" Ray shared.
The TV personality and her husband, John Cusimano, have been working on rebuilding their home, but the process has been long and arduous, and could take over a year to complete.
ET's Kevin Frazier spoke with Ray in September, shortly after the fire, and she said, "It was just a shock when it actually happened."
"I mean, you can't imagine it. Our house is only 15 years old and we have our chimney cleaned twice a year. And literally it was just the chimney ... and then the whole house literally burned down. I think initially we were just in shock. We listened to our first responders and we left with the clothes on our back and the flip-flops and Ugg shoes on our feet."
Check out the video below to hear more.
The Rachael Ray Show airs weekdays on CBS. Check your local listings.
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