When I was growing up, there were things that were so congruent with Christmas, like the nativity scene, some of the decorations that went on the tree, and the chocolate coconut cookies, that the thought of Christmas without those things seemed impossible. Those things are the traditions of Christmas but they are not the essential décor of your home which can change year after year.

 

Sometimes, though, it’s too easy to repeat the look of the year before, and the year before that, and so on. Sometimes freshening up the look of your home can help freshen up your holiday experience. After all, while we wish the Christmas experience was the same as it was when we waited for Santa to slide down the chimney, we now wonder how it is that our arches have fallen and how quickly the years go by. It seems appropriate that we allow this year''s experience to be individual.

 

The first thing to do to create a unique experience is to plan. The décor of the house is too often created based on the “Gee – what’s in this box?” method of holiday decorating. Create a plan for the area that you would like to add some holiday cheer to, and stick to it – it will make the shopping for new items and the execution much more pleasant instead of a stressful rush to get it completed.

 

First things first, cull through the old décor – your tastes change over the years – get rid of the stuff you no longer like.

 

What you want to do is create vignettes or areas of holiday décor. Be selective about those areas, like the entrance to the house, the dining area, the powder room, the living room and the kitchen. Essentially the main floor, but the rule is ‘less is more’ – when it is overdone, the house can start to look like a mall, not a home. Also, don’t fret too much, it all only lasts for a couple of weeks and is meant to bring joy to kids from one to 92!

 

In your plan, I think it is best to choose two colours and work around them. This year, for instance, you will see a great deal of metal tones

like copper, silver and gold in the ornaments. Choose one other colour, perhaps purple, citrus greens or deep midnight blues, and let that be the colour scheme for the tree and the house. The simplicity of just two colours will bring a sense of elegance to the whole house.

 

The next great thing to do is use things that are natural. Real boughs of cedar that are draped around doors and stairs, holly berries as part of the flower arrangements or on their own in a vase, oranges stuffed with cloves which is a great way to entertain the kids while at the same time creating a long lasting ornament. (if you cover the entire orange with whole cloves stuck into the skin, the cloves will preserve the orange and you have created a new ornament for next year). Such things are not only beautiful to see but also fantastic to smell! Who needs to buy those “smells of Christmas” room freshener when you have the real thing which will do a natural and better job?

 

In the rooms that you don’t really want to decorate with Christmas balls and mistletoe, change the feel of the room by changing the accessories to holiday themed items – changing the dish towel, the candles to gold ones, and themed bowls with fruit can give you all you need to create the feeling of the holidays, and not that of a Christmas store.

 

One thing to be conscious of is not to decorate the things that have to be used for function. Having the hand rail of the staircase decorated with cedar isn’t the best idea as people need the railing to walk. Perhaps use the spindles instead. It will still give you the feeling of holiday décor without the danger for your guests.

 

Also, hanging mistletoe in a door jamb so the door can’t be closed is perhaps also an idea to be rethought – besides, your chances of getting an accidental ‘smooch” in the middle of the room are far better than in a doorway!

 

If your home is less traditional in terms of the layout, be sure to focus your room around the holiday items. For instance, make sure the furniture is focused on the Christmas tree (if you have one), as opposed to the television. Fireplaces and the dining table are far more important at this time of year than “computers and guitar star games”. Really, the idea of the season is to connect with family and friends. I would be inclined to move the television to another room if it is competing with sharing with family! Given the fact that so much of the holiday season is centred around entertaining, it is a wise idea to create a room that can be designated for a bar. As homes rarely have that "ol'' basement wet bar" any longer, having a table in the corner of one room, ready with eggnogs, punches and wine, make entertaining in a snap an easy thing to do. It is the time of year when friends simply knock on the door as oppose to call and come by. Spending those few weeks in a state of readiness is a great way to enjoy the social aspect as opposed to being unprepared. The bar can simply be a fold up table from a big box store with a lovely holiday themed table cloth.

 

I think it is fantastic to maintain the traditions of the holiday season as well as to create some new ones each year. Embracing the décor changes, for the month that it is around, can make the holidays seem that much more special than they were the previous year. All in all – remember to have a Merry Christmas, which is always much more important than having a holiday with the ‘perfect’ décor.