Modern touches keep your holiday decorations fresh

When celebrating the holidays, most people tend to decorate the way their parents did. It is a time of year when traditions are very important, said Laurie Kane, owner of Treetime Christmas Creations in Lake Barrington. However, homeowners also generally add something new and fresh each year. It's a good idea to purge things that have grown old and tired.

Most homeowners don't totally overhaul their Christmas decor each year, Kane said. They haul out years of accumulated items and add one or two new things each year, considering their Christmas decorations a constant "work in progress."

"For those who want an eclectic tree that includes ornaments their children have made and ornaments they have collected on trips and others, many people are now choosing one cohesive element to tie the tree together. Many are using 6- to 18-inch floral picks of roses or poinsettias, flocked branches with frosted berries and bells, or even pine cones that are tucked strategically into the branches of the trees, to add pops of color and give a uniform look to the tree - and then they surround them with their traditional ornaments," Kane said.

Ribbon loops, bows and drapes are also popular as a unifying feature.

"Because many baby boomers are trying to re-create their youths, flocked trees, feather trees, multicolored lights, vintage ornaments and silvery tinsel are all coming back," Kane said.

Flocked trees now come in many different sizes and types of flocking, from a very cool frost-kissed flocking that shows just a hint of white to the heavier applications of white. Kane said the flocking has been vastly improved so it actually stays on the tree and doesn't make a mess of your house.

Once you get past the nostalgic look, expect to see some interesting combinations of color for the season.

"The colors that have been popular in home design are crossing into seasonal decor and the materials and trends that have been popular in recent weddings are also making an appearance in seasonal decor," Kane said.

"For instance, indigo blue has been a very popular trend in the home industry and now it is showing up in holiday decor, too. We have a tree decorated in an 'urban living' style that pairs indigo blue to truffle silver and matte white for a very cool, snowy feeling."

Treetime also has a tree showcasing the "luxury lodge" look with shades of brown, gold and ocher.

"Millennials, in particular, like decorations that can transition from one season to another and this one tends to transition from fall to Christmas," said Kane. "They like to be able to keep things out longer because they are busy, don't have a lot of storage space and decorations are expensive to buy, so they want to use them more," she said. "So, for instance, they might buy some lanterns and in the summer they will fill them with lemons, in the fall with pumpkins and fall leaves, at Christmas with colorful ornaments and in the winter with snowflakes and snowmen."

Burlap and chalkboards are all the rage in this year's weddings and they have also found their way into holiday decor.

"We have a neat red and silver nostalgic tree and we have decorated it with small chalkboard ornaments that people can write messages on," Kane said.

The reds, greens and golds are always popular at Christmastime and Kane said people are once again moving toward burgundy. As for that lime green that was so popular for several years, it is gone, only to be replaced by emerald green.

"It seems that every year the decorations in local homes only get more and more elaborate," she said. Homeowners want to see little touches of Christmas throughout their homes."

So, people are creating themed trees of all sizes and shapes in many rooms of their house. There are slim trees in the corners, small trees in the children's rooms, potted trees near the front door and even small potted trees along the banisters on the staircase, on the buffet and in front of the hearth. Gone are the days when there was only one tree per house. Themes are popular on such secondary trees.

The vast array of artificial and pre-lit artificial Christmas trees that are now available also help homeowners periodically change the look of their holiday decor. Some trees are dense and some are sparse. Some are skinny and some are fat. Some are flocked and some are natural, Kane said.

There is no such thing anymore as a typical Christmas tree. Between the tree itself and the decorations each homeowner chooses, each tree is wildly, refreshingly unique.

Mantles and hearths are another focal point for holiday decorating and often for religious touches like Nativity scenes and angels.

"The pine garland is the heart of every mantle," Kane said, "and most of them are lit. Then we usually weave a soft cascade of ribbon through it and accent the garland with picks of something to coordinate with the rest of the room, like berries or fruit or packages or whatever. We often also put potted trees on the floor on either side of the hearth and a large wreath above the mantle."

Doorways, particularly exterior doorways, are also often festooned with pine garlands and wreaths. Bendable velvet glitter bows that light up (if you have a handy place to plug them in) are also becoming increasingly popular as accents on these greens.

Treetime Christmas Creations is located at 22102 N Pepper Road, Lake Barrington. For more information, call (847) 527-8880 or visit www.treetime.com.