Every
family’s traditions differ for the weekend following Thanksgiving. You may have spent your weekend continuing to
entertain holiday guests, stood in line in the dark and waited patiently for
the best shopping deals, or moved on to Christmas with a whirlwind of
decorating. Can you guess which of these I did?
The
faux pumpkins are packed away, and all is merry and bright! If your home now has decked halls and walls,
you’re all set for a new month of winter cheer.
If Christmas decorating is on your to-do list, here are some thoughts
about getting the ornaments rolling.
If
your table centerpiece for fall was built around a series of glass vases, the
winter season can be highlighted using the same foundation pieces with new
accessories. Swap out the tablecloth for
a shade that goes with your Christmas theme.
Empty the glass vases and give them a good wash-and-dry. Stagger them down the table’s center again,
and fill with ornaments. If your Christmas
tree has taken on a new theme or color scheme in recent years, using your older
ornament collection or keepsake ornaments within your tablescape is one way to
keep them on display without hanging them on the tree. Fill in around the vases with another layer
of holiday accents, which could include small loose ornaments, mistletoe or
holly sprigs, or even a sprinkling of faux snow from the craft store.
Replace
your fall chargers, napkins, and napkin rings with winter versions. That could be as simple as going from gold to
silver chargers, from chocolate brown to white cloth napkins, and from warm-toned
metal rings to jingle bell napkin rings instead. Take down your front door wreath and hang up
a Christmas wreath that features bells, shatterproof ornaments, or seasonal
ribbon strands. Replace your guest
bathroom hand towels with whimsical Christmas hand towels, and add a new bottle
of winter pump soap alongside the sink.
When
your fall décor started with some easily-transitioning pieces, making the
switch to Christmas can be as smooth as swapping out accessories. This makes investing in decorating staples
that much more worthwhile. And it makes
getting to that warm Christmas feeling that much simpler.
DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star Sunday, November 27th.
My Christmas tablescape:
