Some of us love the holidays so much, we get a little too excited about them. We sprinkle our homes with so many red, green, blue and white trinkets that it can eventually become a mish-mash of holiday kitsch. Not to worry, there are classy, yet festive decoration tips you can employ without making it look like the holiday season hit your home like a glittery, tacky tornado. I’ll even throw in a quick gift idea and tricks to decorate your small space, too.
Don’t over-decorate your tree. Before you use EVERY ornament you own to dress your tree, remember how much stuff is really going up there. Sometimes, less is more and this theory also applies to Christmas trees. Once you have lights and garland in place, the tree already has a lot going on. Try to give your eyes a break, too many competing colors and textures can be visually overpowering. Here’s the trick: step back every so often as you dress the tree to get a good feel of how the ornaments are balanced. If you’re thinking you’ve decorated enough, you probably have! Step away from the tree.
Are you tired of the traditional poinsettias – or other red flower – used to ring in the holidays? Fresh poinsettias are also poisonous, so it could be a bad idea for pet owners. As lovely as they are, fresh flowers also don’t last very long.
You can still class up your home with red décor, but this time, replace a vase of flowers with cranberry or pomegranate branches (or just red berry stems). They give the room a punch of color and cheer, but in a refreshing way. These can be found at Pier 1 Imports, Michaels, or Target. Just drop a bunch-full of stems into an empty vase, and you’re ready for the season – and they’ll last that long, too.
If you live close to the coast here in Orange County, don’t think it’s cliché to use some beach-themed holiday décor – just make sure you do it right. There’s a way to slip some coastal culture into your holiday themes without making it tacky. After all, we live pretty darn close to the ocean, so why shouldn’t we?
Star fish can blend exceptionally well with red holiday d̩cor Рuse a few to accent a table setting or opt for ornaments. There are plenty of seashell ornaments out there, the more natural in color and appearance, the classier. Adding little hints of the beach into your holiday motif can personalize your home. Tuvalu in Laguna Beach, a coastal home furnishings and accessories store, has oodles of beautiful shell and beach themed ornaments.
Please don’t forfeit decorating for the holidays because your place “is just too small.” That’s a bad excuse.
When it comes to your Christmas tree, opt for a tall, slender one. You’ll still get the most out of the tree with space to decorate its branches if you select a tall tree, as opposed to a small, squatty tree. Make space by moving an end table or floor lamp elsewhere. You can deal with an ill-placed piece of furniture long enough to enjoy some holiday spirit.
If you live in a small apartment, simply switch out some of your current décor with holiday colors. Use the berries- in-a-vase style idea mentioned earlier, throw some red and gold accented pillows on your couch and place some colored glass ornaments in a bowl on your coffee table.
Do you have a couple holiday parties to attend? Sometimes it is hard to pick something nice, yet affordable to present the host with. Wine carafes or decanters can be lovely and relatively inexpensive if you look in the right places (yes, Target and Pier 1 Imports). It’s not only a nice gift for the host or a friend, but chances are you’ll be drinking wine this season and your gift is the perfect device to open up that red varietal.
Information Provided By The Orange County Register
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