NOW... start with the decorations!
One holiday at a time. It seems Christmas begins just after Halloween and ends long into January. We have neighbors that will burn their outdoor lights until Easter....no joke!
For me less is more when it comes to decorating at Christmas. Certain members of my family start long before Thanksgiving and put up several trees that have no sentiment other than "I love shoes" or "your Brother loves golf". That's great for them but not for me! I refer to this type of decor as agony to my eyes, and I don't mean to sound harsh...it's just me.
When it comes to Holiday decor for the cottage I share with my husband ( we are legal in NY), I prefer only live greenery inside and out. This can be tough in North Carolina with our ever changing climate, as it tends to get a bit "crunchy" towards the end of the season. This is why I never leave a snatch of it up past New Year's Day and only then if I am entertaining.
My typical routine goes as follows:
2 18" boxwood wreaths/ front and side doors
2 14" boxwood wreaths/ front and side gates
2 12" boxwood wreaths for hanging inside. One in front of an antique German mirror and one in front of the bookcase.
Remove the silvered shells and strings of beads from the large silver bowl on the dining table and replace with a collection of Reed and Barton silver bells (a treasured gift from a long passed client) that spans 30 or so years. RIP Ms. Sarah!
Clean off the back of the big black piano (it's a full grand so don't even ask how we fit it in here) and pull out Mother's collection of vintage Santas. This is all I saved out of her hoard of decorations, plus the vintage glass ornaments. They usually find a home in a crystal bowl somewhere on the cocktail table.
That is all I do with the exception of tying a big red bowtie on my Victorian era hitching post by the side door and some of those big fat white lights on a bonsai maple in the front garden. Of course I tie all my own bows on everything.
In future posts this month I will be giving you tips on how to use fake greenery and combine enough live greens to "camo" it so no one will know, along with many other tidbits. I have dressed homes for holiday clients in my past, both residential and commercial, so I learned quite a few tricks!
When you have little ones all bets are off...I get it! The brighter, bigger, and the tackier the better.
As always...xx.DT
For me less is more when it comes to decorating at Christmas. Certain members of my family start long before Thanksgiving and put up several trees that have no sentiment other than "I love shoes" or "your Brother loves golf". That's great for them but not for me! I refer to this type of decor as agony to my eyes, and I don't mean to sound harsh...it's just me.
When it comes to Holiday decor for the cottage I share with my husband ( we are legal in NY), I prefer only live greenery inside and out. This can be tough in North Carolina with our ever changing climate, as it tends to get a bit "crunchy" towards the end of the season. This is why I never leave a snatch of it up past New Year's Day and only then if I am entertaining.
My typical routine goes as follows:
2 18" boxwood wreaths/ front and side doors
2 14" boxwood wreaths/ front and side gates
2 12" boxwood wreaths for hanging inside. One in front of an antique German mirror and one in front of the bookcase.
Remove the silvered shells and strings of beads from the large silver bowl on the dining table and replace with a collection of Reed and Barton silver bells (a treasured gift from a long passed client) that spans 30 or so years. RIP Ms. Sarah!
Clean off the back of the big black piano (it's a full grand so don't even ask how we fit it in here) and pull out Mother's collection of vintage Santas. This is all I saved out of her hoard of decorations, plus the vintage glass ornaments. They usually find a home in a crystal bowl somewhere on the cocktail table.
That is all I do with the exception of tying a big red bowtie on my Victorian era hitching post by the side door and some of those big fat white lights on a bonsai maple in the front garden. Of course I tie all my own bows on everything.
In future posts this month I will be giving you tips on how to use fake greenery and combine enough live greens to "camo" it so no one will know, along with many other tidbits. I have dressed homes for holiday clients in my past, both residential and commercial, so I learned quite a few tricks!
When you have little ones all bets are off...I get it! The brighter, bigger, and the tackier the better.
As always...xx.DT
I prefer fresh too, but I am not above using good quality faux garland and wreaths, and adding in fir and cedar. By the time we finish the Governor's Mansion next week, I will be too tired to decorate my home. It will have to wait until the week after.
ReplyDeleteDanny, You and I drink from the same well on this score. Natural (live) greens, as little of what I call "retail red" (the ugly red flocked bows available in drugstores if you know what I mean) as humanly possible, and not too much of anything. BTW, I love the way you did the ribbon on your wreath, Reggie
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