Holiday
decorating perplexes me. If they featured Christmas trees on E Network’s
“Fashion Police” our tree would be on it. Like a starlet who can’t decide if
her style is retro or rapper, our tree has ornaments that run the gamut – blingy,
rustic, trendy, crafted by a 1st grader (which means all 3!). You name
it, we got it.
The
tree is beyond hope, but the rest of our digs are not. So I tackled the mantle
with zeal and a vow to keep it simple. Natural, organic Christmas would be the
theme.
Huh.
There is nothing natural or organic about the holiday decorating process,
especially not when you’re standing in the Target aisle, on a Saturday morning,
totally confused by the enormous variety of options before you. So I did what
any good shopper would. I got overwhelmed and left the store, with a vow to
decorate using stuff I already had at home.
Huh.
I believe we’ve already covered the kind of stuff I have at home. Pondering it
all in my basement, I got overwhelmed again and did what any self-respecting
mother of two would do. I called my
mother and begged her to come style it up.
And
like a fairy godmother, she did! Nikki grabbed a bunch of stuff I already had,
snipped some branches off the trees out back and voila! the mantle was
transformed. I’ve always been very suspicious of those decorating shows that
say you can do this. But I am now a believer.
Here
are 5 holiday basics you need so that the decorating guru in your life can
sweep in and style it up for you.
1.
Clear candle bases.
2.
Neutral, chunky candles.
3.
A seasonal wreath.
4.
Pinecones.
5.
Branches of evergreen and berry. *If you don’t
have these in your own yard, you can buy them at a florist or snip them, on the
down low, at your local park.
Here’s
the even better tip: the first 3 items can be used year-round on your mantle.
Then, at the start of a new season, your style guru just has to come back and
spruce it up with some seasonally appropriate swag, say birds’ nests for
spring.
If I don't have pinecones, can I substitute bark chips? Say, evergreen bark chips?
ReplyDeleteNo. Bark chips are not an acceptable substitute. Also, you know what our dog leaves in our bark chips. Unacceptable and unhygenic. A decorating "don't".
Deletewhat a nice shout out to mothers out there!!
ReplyDeleteYay for moms!
DeleteLooks beautiful!!! Good job! Becky
ReplyDeleteWoo-hoo! First official prop from an interior designer friend. My mom's gonna be psyched. Thanks, Becky!
Deletehi sus... your ole mom did a lovely job with your mantel! for years i decorated 2 trees....one loaded with all the handmade kid stuff and one for me. finally this year i gave up the "kid" tree when i realized the kids could care less....i was the only one who gave a rip...grown-up brats. i enjoy your blog....keep at it! mary
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading, Mary! I think the 2 tree idea may be just the answer! Then I could get Nikki to decorate the mantle AND the grown up tree. I could put her to work for a whole day!
Deletem.v.
ReplyDeleteand i think your tree looks fabulous!
You are kind... and also lying ;)
DeleteSo does your mom have any suggestions for cat proof decorations? And by cat proof, I mean they climb the tree (real or fake), and like to play with anything they can find.
ReplyDeleteShatter-proof bulbs are a must! Maybe you should just decorate with fake poinsettas (I think the leaves of real ones are poisonous to dogs)... I bet your cats love Christmas, they think you've created a cat obstacle course just for them!
DeleteI just heard today that spraying geranium essential oil on the lower branches of the tree will discourage cats from messing with it. Apparently they are repelled by the scent but it is pleading to humans.
ReplyDelete