I’ve been visiting trade shows across the country, attending trend talks galore, chatting with other decorating experts, and basically scouring every corner of the internet. All to bring you the latest Christmas décor tips. Holiday decorating is, well, an art, as well as a fantastic opportunity to have me over to do it. The line between tacky and tasteful can be an awfully thin one and blurred by personal opinion, so I’m not judging (much). I mean, what kind of cold-hearted zealot tries to restrain the exuberant joy of Christmas through good taste? I mean, if the spirit is moving you to hang a Christmas-themed Elvis black velvet painting (with blinking lights), I won’t stop you. Over the years, I have seen some take holiday decorating to new seasonal heights, most looking like a glowing snow globe has thrown up.Over-the-top yuletide enthusiasm is commendable, but exhibiting excessive and overly colourful outdoor decorations can be like wrapping a house in a “cringe-worthy Christmas sweater”, as well as traumatizing your neighbours. But just Ho-ho-hold up a minute. You don’t want to be a total Scrooge. A little can go a long way if you do it right. And I’m here to help. 1. Grinchmas All that glitters is not gold (and is now stuck on everything you own). What can start out as a small piece of seasonal decor here and there, can easily escalate and feel like something out of Christmas Vacation. ‘Tis the season for giving…away your cacophony of tacky decorations. Go all KonMari and decorate with Only Things That Provoke Joy. Just because you have it, doesn’t mean you should put it all out. No more than 10, please. For an elegant, sophisticated holiday style, keep the gaudy glory of decorations and Christmas propanganda door signs to a minimum. If the decor is done right, then everyone should know what time of year it is 2. Yuletide Your Way Outdoor holiday decor has really blown up over the last decade. We all know the drill. As soon as winter rolls around, the lawn inflatables come out. Embracing their inner Clark Griswold, up goes the 10-foot tall dancing polar bears, a giant Santa impersonator on the roof, and Frosty casting his candy cane to the heavens as a sacrifice to the Sugar God. Then Snowmen, The Grinch, and the ubiquous red-nosed majestic stag. And some people think they need to get an entire herd. I’m sure this can be resolved with a few therapy sessions. Instead place one or two large eye-catching pieces like a festive door wreath, a green garland draped around the door or stair railing, a couple of large lanterns, or urns laden with evergreen boughs and branches. 3. Blame it on the mistletoe Decorating the mantle is simply the icing on the fruitcake. Drape fresh or faux garland across the fireplace mantle along with pine cones, battery-operated candles and a few Christmas balls to give instant animation. Less can be more. And please, no Elf’s-On-A-Shelf, designed to strike fear into the hearts of man and all small children. 4. Stockings hung with care Ahhh, Christmas stockings never get old, even if we do. Or sentimental tree decorations. Urban legend has it that I bought the top of the tree ornament at the corner liquor store. It was a green felt tree puppet. It has long lost it’s pom-pom nose and one leg, nevertheless, he still performs his holiday duties with aplomb. 5. Cuddle up, cozy down For years people have been hemorrhaging Christmas holiday-themed items and spreading them throughout their home during the holidays. Filling them, stacking them, layering them. One or two could be tasteful, but too many feel as if we have stumbled upon three estate sales happening at once. There is just something odd about people buying pillows shaped like Santa’s head. (A healthy amount of criticism of one’s self and the government makes the world go around.)Instead, showcase vignettes of coziness with chunky, textured wool throws, fluffy pillows, or touches of fur layered placed strategically throughout your home. It’s like a divorce. You’re trading them in for younger models. It can make you want to curl up and stay for a while. Resistance is futile. 6. Blinded by the lights Since electricity was invented, people have been intrigued with twinkling and coloured lights. Year after year, people lose their minds and make Christmas lights into their entire personalities. If so, chances are, you’ll get a handwritten thank-you note from your local electric company every January. But no one’s house should be seen from space. For my money, I vote for warm white fairy lights, instead of those frenzied flashing and multi-coloured lights possibly scrouged from the bottom of the rack at Wal-Mart several years in a row. They burn people’s corneas just looking at them. By the way, if you compete with your neighbours over who has the most outdoor lights, maybe this year you should cede the award. 7. Have the right size tree. As much as you may want that Hallmark movie look, an oversized Christmas tree can be overwhelming. It’s hard for the tree not to be the focal point, so it also shouldn’t be too large for the room, impede a traffic path or conceal the liquor cabinet. Then there is the coloured fake Christmas tree. I do not get it. They do not exist in real life. But yet, is Santa real? I know I’m walking right into that one. And no tinsel. If you’re wondering what tinsel is, you must be pretty young, but those of us born in the early 1900’s know it as those flimsy plastic streamers that shine on Christmas trees. It’s all just so bad and belongs in the garbage can along with the potato peels. It just makes me want to drown myself in eggnog. 8. Baby, it’s cold outside. After you’ve finished decorating (or hired me) to suit your grown-up Christmas wish, reward yourself. A couple glasses of mulled wine and chocolate should do the trick. Merry Christmas to you! |
Unwrapping Christmas: Ultimate Holiday Decorating Tips
November 19, 2024 by
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