Jazzing Up the Christmas and Holiday Season Decor
Roy Thomsitt
October 30, 2006
If you are crazy about Christmas, or maybe just like to impress the neighbours, then Yuletide is a good time to show off your festive spirit with a flourish of more modern, and possibly more flamboyant, Christmas decorations.
It is so easy to just drag out those same old 20th century artificial Christmas trees, with their worn and dented balls which lost their sparkle long ago. If, that is, they ever had any sparkle. Then there's the bedraggled tree topper fairy which Grandma left you in her will, remembering you had once admired it, out of politeness and curiosity, some 30 years earlier.
If you have had a good year, then surely it is worth seeing out the last few weeks of the year with a new, bright and cheerful display around, and outside, the home. If you have had a bad year, well, why not shake off those blues with a festive display of lights, decorations and ornaments that makes your previous holiday decorating efforts look simply bland?
Such is the variety of large and small Christmas ornaments these days that, once you have decided to take the plunge and festoon your home and garden with the best holiday décor you can find (and afford), then you will surely have a great time making your selection, planning the display, and then setting it all up around the home.
Style, Restraint and Beauty For Your Indoor Christmas Decor
It is true that the old style Christmas decorations still look great. There is nothing like a large Christmas tree with lights to act as a focal point for your living area, plus all the hanging ornaments we have all got used to over the decades. Even so, if you are ringing in the changes for your holiday décor this year, then there is much you can choose from that will add a modern touch to your decorating. Plus, there is no need to go overboard with vivid colors and garishness; mixing a bit of Christmas glitz with restraint can bring some pleasing effects.
There is no reason why you should not create a beautiful festive décor, incorporating traditional elements while adding a few contemporary developments too. You could start with the Christmas tree itself, if you are not intent on keeping to the real tree. Artificial Christmas trees have become much more realistic compared to the old ones, and may include effective extras such as pine cones and a frosted effect, so it is worth having a good look around to find one that really stands out from the crowd.
The other modern development with these trees is the option of having them prelit. With a prelit tree you can be assured that the lights are neatly spaced, giving a better effect and saving you a lot of time and frustration getting them set up.
It is not just the realistic artificial trees that can be effective. Even the blatantly unrealistic versions, such as pure white or gold, can look quite charming, especially as part of a color theme. When adorned by the right colored lights, such trees, if of good quality, can look exceptional, whereas when they first appeared on the market they could seem quite hideous and tawdry.
When it comes to ornaments, there is a much wider choice than there used to be, with different styles emerging. It is worth exploring some of the hand made and hand painted ornaments, especially those with a humorous touch, as some can be not only be very attractive, but unique and in some fine detail. Another possible source of decorations that are delightfully unusual, colorful and artistic, is through Asian imports. The plain old Christmas ball looks very pale indeed against a finely decorated Chinese equivalent. Whatever your tastes, if you have a bare tree to decorate, whether prelit or unlit, you will surely find a far wider choice of tree décor than you would have done even thirty years ago.
If you do not like, or do not have the time, to go searching around for tree decorations and ornaments, then there has been a further modern development just for you: a prelit Christmas tree with ornaments included. So, everything comes ready for setting up in the chosen place in your home, leaving you just with the final task of plugging it into a power source. If you want the whole process outsourced, you could even hire a local electrician to come and plug it in for you!
Going Bold With Your Outdoor Christmas Decorating
So, when it comes to organising your holiday season display, you have decided that this year it is a matter of "out with the old, in with the new" . Maybe in previous years you have done little to bring Christmas to your garden, perhaps just a seasonal welcome sign and a simple wreath with plastic holly berries on the door. This time, though, you want to be bold; you want to tell the world that you and your family are in good Christmas spirit, and at the same time bring enjoyment to those who visit or pass by your home. What sort of outside Christmas ornaments and decorations can you use which may not have been available in Grandma's Day?
Bigger is not always better, but if you want an outdoor display that attracts attention, then large decorations are a good starting point. When it comes to the larger decorations, they have certainly come a long way in recent years and would surely dazzle Grandma. In recent decades, the more common use of lighting effects to create animation has transformed outdoor Christmas displays around the world.A large animated Santa with sleigh and reindeer, either on the roof or in the front garden, will win a lot of admirers.
It is not only Santa and his reindeer who have gone "hyper ornament". More modern variations, such as Santa on a motorbike, can be a great way to light up the yard. Santa may also be displayed in an animated train, or with his helpers at the workshop, and in other variations of the Christmas scene; snowmen, angels and other popular Christmas characters have also joined the giant animated family.
Do you love the tradition of a Christmas nativity scene ouside your home? Even that has been modernised in recent years, with large lighted versions available that can set a magical scene in the front yard. You can find complete giant nativity sets, prelit, and all ready to set up outside. If you prefer, though, it is no problem finding individual pieces, such as a single or three wise men, stable, donkey, manger with Joseph and Mary, or a Star of Bethlehem. Put them out in your own arrangement, and they will delight all who see them. If buying individual items, though, be sure to check sizes so you can keep them in some sort of size perspective. Remember, if you are in a windy area, or a place prone to storms, to weigh down the large outside ornaments with heavy sand bags, or an alternative method.
Once you have chosen all your outdoor nativity sets , and other Christmas decorations, it just remains to set them all up, which is fun (isn't it?), and have yourself a wonderful holiday season to end the year with a happy flourish.
It is so easy to just drag out those same old 20th century artificial Christmas trees, with their worn and dented balls which lost their sparkle long ago. If, that is, they ever had any sparkle. Then there's the bedraggled tree topper fairy which Grandma left you in her will, remembering you had once admired it, out of politeness and curiosity, some 30 years earlier.
If you have had a good year, then surely it is worth seeing out the last few weeks of the year with a new, bright and cheerful display around, and outside, the home. If you have had a bad year, well, why not shake off those blues with a festive display of lights, decorations and ornaments that makes your previous holiday decorating efforts look simply bland?
Such is the variety of large and small Christmas ornaments these days that, once you have decided to take the plunge and festoon your home and garden with the best holiday décor you can find (and afford), then you will surely have a great time making your selection, planning the display, and then setting it all up around the home.
Style, Restraint and Beauty For Your Indoor Christmas Decor
It is true that the old style Christmas decorations still look great. There is nothing like a large Christmas tree with lights to act as a focal point for your living area, plus all the hanging ornaments we have all got used to over the decades. Even so, if you are ringing in the changes for your holiday décor this year, then there is much you can choose from that will add a modern touch to your decorating. Plus, there is no need to go overboard with vivid colors and garishness; mixing a bit of Christmas glitz with restraint can bring some pleasing effects.
There is no reason why you should not create a beautiful festive décor, incorporating traditional elements while adding a few contemporary developments too. You could start with the Christmas tree itself, if you are not intent on keeping to the real tree. Artificial Christmas trees have become much more realistic compared to the old ones, and may include effective extras such as pine cones and a frosted effect, so it is worth having a good look around to find one that really stands out from the crowd.
The other modern development with these trees is the option of having them prelit. With a prelit tree you can be assured that the lights are neatly spaced, giving a better effect and saving you a lot of time and frustration getting them set up.
It is not just the realistic artificial trees that can be effective. Even the blatantly unrealistic versions, such as pure white or gold, can look quite charming, especially as part of a color theme. When adorned by the right colored lights, such trees, if of good quality, can look exceptional, whereas when they first appeared on the market they could seem quite hideous and tawdry.
When it comes to ornaments, there is a much wider choice than there used to be, with different styles emerging. It is worth exploring some of the hand made and hand painted ornaments, especially those with a humorous touch, as some can be not only be very attractive, but unique and in some fine detail. Another possible source of decorations that are delightfully unusual, colorful and artistic, is through Asian imports. The plain old Christmas ball looks very pale indeed against a finely decorated Chinese equivalent. Whatever your tastes, if you have a bare tree to decorate, whether prelit or unlit, you will surely find a far wider choice of tree décor than you would have done even thirty years ago.
If you do not like, or do not have the time, to go searching around for tree decorations and ornaments, then there has been a further modern development just for you: a prelit Christmas tree with ornaments included. So, everything comes ready for setting up in the chosen place in your home, leaving you just with the final task of plugging it into a power source. If you want the whole process outsourced, you could even hire a local electrician to come and plug it in for you!
Going Bold With Your Outdoor Christmas Decorating
So, when it comes to organising your holiday season display, you have decided that this year it is a matter of "out with the old, in with the new" . Maybe in previous years you have done little to bring Christmas to your garden, perhaps just a seasonal welcome sign and a simple wreath with plastic holly berries on the door. This time, though, you want to be bold; you want to tell the world that you and your family are in good Christmas spirit, and at the same time bring enjoyment to those who visit or pass by your home. What sort of outside Christmas ornaments and decorations can you use which may not have been available in Grandma's Day?
Bigger is not always better, but if you want an outdoor display that attracts attention, then large decorations are a good starting point. When it comes to the larger decorations, they have certainly come a long way in recent years and would surely dazzle Grandma. In recent decades, the more common use of lighting effects to create animation has transformed outdoor Christmas displays around the world.A large animated Santa with sleigh and reindeer, either on the roof or in the front garden, will win a lot of admirers.
It is not only Santa and his reindeer who have gone "hyper ornament". More modern variations, such as Santa on a motorbike, can be a great way to light up the yard. Santa may also be displayed in an animated train, or with his helpers at the workshop, and in other variations of the Christmas scene; snowmen, angels and other popular Christmas characters have also joined the giant animated family.
Do you love the tradition of a Christmas nativity scene ouside your home? Even that has been modernised in recent years, with large lighted versions available that can set a magical scene in the front yard. You can find complete giant nativity sets, prelit, and all ready to set up outside. If you prefer, though, it is no problem finding individual pieces, such as a single or three wise men, stable, donkey, manger with Joseph and Mary, or a Star of Bethlehem. Put them out in your own arrangement, and they will delight all who see them. If buying individual items, though, be sure to check sizes so you can keep them in some sort of size perspective. Remember, if you are in a windy area, or a place prone to storms, to weigh down the large outside ornaments with heavy sand bags, or an alternative method.
Once you have chosen all your outdoor nativity sets , and other Christmas decorations, it just remains to set them all up, which is fun (isn't it?), and have yourself a wonderful holiday season to end the year with a happy flourish.
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