Do you love the Christmas tradition of red and green but have a wandering eye for trendier holiday decor? If you still love the traditional Christmas combo, there are simple ways to freshen the look.
Remember, nobody has a better sense of your home’s feel at the holidays than you. So before you begin decorating, look at your rooms. Rearrange furniture, switch out curtains from one room to another. Pull out tablecloths and runners. Search the house for throws, pillows, vessels, vases –anything that can lay a base for your decorating. A tired couch becomes a cozy Christmas retreat when dressed with a soft, red throw and fluffy festive pillows.
A crisp, white tablecloth can become the “blanket of new, fallen snow” setting off a modern monochromatic collection of ornaments in varying shades of red. Check out craft and department stores for clear marbles or crystal look-alikes, artificial snow and glitter. Layer your materials in a clear vase with a wide opening then top your foundation off with an all-white or red cyclamen and you have a striking, “icy” centerpiece for the dining room table.
Look for every bit of space you might use to display a little something new, something with “current” Christmas appeal. Fill a corner with a favorite collection of things you love, creating an instant point of interest. It might be a grouping of stuffed Christmas bears, nutcracker figures, or colored glassware filled with candies. Don’t be afraid to arrange and rearranged until your display pleases your eye. Line a window sill with an eclectic arrangement of candleholders – silver, ceramic, cut glass. Add red and green tapers of differing heights and sizes. Scatter some small silver or gold baubles, even foil-wrapped candy will work, to catch the light when the candles are lit. Everything appears more beautiful bathed in candlelight. Don’t forget the mistletoe!
Instead of traditional fir garland, opt for lace-like cedar swags or loops of twiggy vines intertwined with colored lights to festoon the tops of cupboards or mantelpieces. If natural is your style, accent garlands with patterned or textured ribbon, pine cones, berries or even fruit. If you’d like to try a trendier look, string the bannister or mantle with red and white paper wedding bells or fashion tissue poinsettia flowers in varying sizes then stagger them along your staircase or around doors.
Decorate your tree with the ornaments that make your heart grow soft with memories. Glisten it up with gold and silver ornaments. Buy an assortment of trendier decorations you love and work them in amongst the well-loved favorites. Who says lime green, aqua blue, purple or pink can’t share the stage with grandma’s hand-crocheted angels? Santa still looks jolly hanging on a branch next to a fancy hand-blown glass creation.
Remember Charlie Brown looking for the real Christmas tree in a tree lot of pink and metallic counterparts? His tired-looking, old-fashioned tree was something to behold with a little TLC. For a fresh look this holiday season, use what you have in new ways. Satisfy that wandering eye with some fun, new ideas and suddenly, what’s old becomes new!
Send questions/comments to the editors.
