Holiday decos go avant-garde

For habitual home decorators, the holiday season is like, well, Christmas. Creativity runs happily amok as rooms become set pieces for a few weeks.

And while conventional trims and colors remain popular, some people take the opportunity to use more daring hues and accessories.

Marketers have responded with fresh new imagery, prints and colors - "presenting traditional ornamentation in a contemporary way," according to Phil Lancaster, senior merchandising director for the Atlanta-based home furnishings retailer Ballard Designs.

A decade ago, the idea of jet-black garlands, pink wreaths or turquoise tablescapes for Christmas dinner would have been a tough sell. But more and more, people are accepting a more avant-garde color palette and decorative options.

Holiday issues of shelter and lifestyle magazines offer ideas that run the gamut from effervescent pink and white to serene arrangements of winter greenery, artificial snow and bare branches.

Red and green? Still Christmas' No. 1 color mix, but now it might be the tree that's red - Holidaydecorationsdirect.com has a 7-footer for $631.95 - and the lights that are green.

In fact, the blatantly artificial tree is enjoying a popularity not seen since the 1960s.