Put the You In Yuletide by Alice
Haithcock, Contributing Crafter
A Grand Entrance
Pine-and-magnolia garland topped off with a large gold
bow wraps the entry foyer in elegance and welcomes your holiday guests as
they enter your home. Complete the look in the foyer by adding a simple
arrangement of magnolia and pine fashioned in a tall sleigh. Add a bow and
it�s ready.
Incorporate the things you love into your holiday decor
to give it a personality that is uniquely you.
When it comes to decorating our homes for the holidays,
we need to remember that the things we display, the colors we use, and the
artistic and tasteful way we put them all together make bold, proud
statements about who we are and what we enjoy as individuals and as
families. Strong tradition rings through in many homes, as do flights of
fancy in others.
Americana Tree This is a great year to add some blue to those red and
white ornaments you probably already have. Try to find the darker navy
shades or paint some yourself.
Some of us barely make it through all the Halloween
candy before the urge to drag the boxes from the attic hits us with a
vengeance. Add the sound of a jingle bell or two and the race is on.
We outline our house, roofline and surrounding
buildings in twinkling or chasing lines of lights � clear or colored �
strung in straight lines or designed to look like hanging icicles, or the
latest yet, draped in crescent swags. We decorate our seven-foot fiber-optic
tree, place wreaths in all the windows, set all our lighted, animated yard
art in place, hang the stockings, and we�re officially ready for the first
house-tour bus to roll by.
Others of us favor a less traditional approach, and
instead of shades of red, green, and gold, substitute with shades of blue,
yellow, purple, mauve or even chartreuse. We set up our white-flocked trees
�- no fewer than three � which we elaborately adorn with pastel-swirled
ornaments or silver spoons, or teacups, or baby shoes strung on gauzy
ribbons. With flare and flounce, we too are ready to welcome our first
holiday guests. And as Martha would confirm, �It�s a very good thing.�
Warm and Inviting Fashion your mantel and hearth decorations so they
reflect things you love. Here,greens
and berries are added as a backdrop for wooden birdhouses and Americana
Santas. On the hearth, glass balls in red, white and blue sparkle in an
antique pedestal bowl beside a basket of red and white poinsettias.
Traditional stockings hung from the mantel complete the picture. (Note:
The fire in this photo was added for effect only. Burning a fire while your
mantel is decorated can be hazardous and we advise against it.)
If neither of these two descriptions match your
approach to decorating for the holidays, don�t panic. But if one does,
that�s all right too, as long as you�ve added some of those special
ingredients that make it all uniquely yours.
I
encourage you to incorporate your family�s heritage, spirit, loves, and
shared life experiences into the celebration and joy of the upcoming season.
It�s the secret ingredient in your own family recipe that forever makes
holiday memories special.
Special Window Treatment
The homeowner created this very interesting and unique
window swag by wrapping a long length of gauzy fabric around a curved tree
limb. A great look! Adding a magnolia-leaf garland and some pine and berries
creates a wonderful holiday feel.
Do you collect snowmen or Santas or bears?Is your husband�s grand passion fishing, bowling, hunting or golf?
Do you paint or sew? Is there a dancer, musician, world traveler, or new
baby in the family? The list of themes or potential focal points goes on and
on.Simply add greens and
ribbon and you�re on your way.
This year our family, along with much of America, will
celebrate the holiday season by adding a touch of red, white and blue into
our color scheme. Take a look at our ideas and if you like any of them,
change them a bit and make them exclusively yours.
Warm and Inviting