Interior Decorating – Home Staging

Archive for the ‘Christmas Decorations’ Category

With only gray skies surrounding it, a house in early winter can look stark. But hang a Christmas wreath or a swag on the front door, and your house will spring to life. Cuttings of evergreen are sweet compensation for the leaves that are missing from most of the trees, and the tart hues of winter berries are reminders that nature has not forgotten about color, even though the garden is no longer in bloom. Add wide ribbons and twinkling lights, and holiday spirit brims over.

The Victorians, who never willingly left a surface unadorned, are sometimes credited with the custom of hanging Christmas wreaths on front doors. In more recent years, front-door displays have taken many forms, from flashy tinsel wreaths with silver-metallic bows to electric light garlands that spell out “Season’s Greetings.” The most eloquent outdoor ornaments, however, are usually simple and natural, made from the hearty fruit and greenery that flourish while almost all of the landscape hibernates.

Winter’s harvest abounds with unexpected textures and shapes, like spiky pinecones and smooth little eucalyptus seeds.And the palette is more than the red and green we expect. We do get those colors, of course, in abundance: scarlet cranberries, blood-red rose hips, crimson Pyracantha and a cavalcade of greenery—silver-green eucalyptus, blue-green cedar, deep-green boxwood, and the astonishing chartreuse and olive-green of the intriguingly named golden hinoki false cypress. But there is also the tangy purple of privet berries, the spongy gold of kumquats, and the yellow pods and wild-red centers of bittersweet.

To make Christmas decorations for your front door, you may find all the raw materials you need growing in your own yard or garden, but if you don’t, visit garden centers, florists, Christmas tree lots, even green grocers. If the greenery you have chosen feels sappy or prickly, be sure to wear work gloves. And remember that although there is nothing wrong with a big spray of holly tied with a red bow, embellishing the traditional recipes can yield lovely results.. 

If you select cuttings that are as fresh as possible, and the weather stays cold, your outdoor Christmas displays should last for weeks, spreading holiday cheer throughout the season.

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Are you planning on decorating your home for the holidays this year?  If so, there is a good chance that you will be in need of decorations. When it comes to decorating for Christmas, many individuals automatically head to their local department store or specialty Christmas shop.  Buying your Christmas decorations is a great way to get the decorations that you need, but did you know that buying is not your only option?  If you are a parent, you are encouraged to let your children make their own Christmas decorations. You will find that there are, literally, an unlimited number of benefits to doing so.

One of the greatest benefits to letting your children make their own Christmas decorations is the feeling that they will receive with the finished product.  No matter what the age of your child or children, there is a good chance that they will be pleased with their final products, whether that final product be a Christmas tree ornament or a Christmas picture.  And, since the whole point of Christmas decorations is to decorate, your children may be pleased to see their works of art hanging on your walls or on the Christmas tree.  As a parent, that could, hands down, be the biggest reason why you should allow your kids to make their own Christmas decorations.

In addition to the pride that they will feel, you should also let your children make their own Christmas decorations because it should be a relatively easy and fun process.  When it comes to making Christmas decorations, you will likely find that you have many of the craft supplies needed, already in your home. If not, you can easily purchase craft supplies, including Christmas supplies, from your local craft store or local dollar store.  The supplies that you need to purchase don’t even just have to be for Christmas decorations. You can use the leftover supplies for other projects, if you choose to do so. That is one of the many reasons why having your children make their own Christmas decorations is cheaper than buying store bought ones. 

Although this article had a focus on letting your children make their own Christmas decorations, you may want to join in the process as well.  Not only can you give your children decoration ideas, especially young children, but you can also enjoy some quality time with each other.  Christmas is all about family; therefore, by making Christmas decorations with your children, you and your family will be off to the right start, when celebrating Christmas.  Whether you help out a little bit or make your own Christmas decorations, you and your children will likely enjoy the time that is being spent together. 

Once the Christmas decorations have been made, whether they were made with your assistance or not, they will need to be displayed. When displaying your child’s homemade Christmas decorations, it is important that you give them time to dry, especially if paint or glue was used.  This extra time will help to ensure that the hard work put into the decorations doesn’t go to waste.  When the time is right, you and your child could spend the rest of the day or evening decorating your home for Christmas.  What better way to end out the perfect day then letting your children help you hang their handmade treasures.

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