Holiday decor can be changed from year to year
The first couple of days in December, I always promise myself to not overdo it with gifts and the holiday decorations. But one way or another I end up overdoing everything.
Decorating for the holidays, no matter what faith or religion you practice, is invigorating and gives one a renewed sense of excitement and optimism for the time spent with friends and family at this time of the year. The sparkles of bright ornaments, shimmering garland and the twinkling of hundreds of lights are just symbolic of our hope and desires of prosperity for the future.
As time comes to put away your holiday decorations for the year, it may be time to think about editing and changes for the next holiday season.
There are different types of approaches to decorating for the holidays. One sure way is the traditional format. Some families will add ornaments each year to make their holidays decorations a work-in-progress. Each addition may be a souvenir from a far-a-way trip, or a vintage ornament from a relative, or an ornament to celebrate a marriage or new birth in the family.
In the end these traditional holiday trees are what I call a hodgepodge tree. There is no rhyme or reason to these trees except that in the end they are a summary of holidays past.
Others choose a particular theme to develop their decorating scheme. One year it might be a tree full of flamingoes in pink and another year it might dip into the ocean with a collection of shell and marine life ornaments such as sea horses, fish, clams and shells.
These trees are always a novelty because of the wide variety of themes ranging from basketball teams to hobbies … your theme all depends what aspect of your interests you wish to highlight.
Another successful approach to holiday decor is choosing colors to guide the decor. For example, one might use a single color to do the lights and all the ornament. This is a striking approach and one that is compatible with any style of decor.
Another approach with color is color-blocking. Basically this pairs opposite colors to make a statement in a design; For example, red and green, black and white or yellow and blue lights and ornaments. These trees are great in that sticking to your colors is the only rule. You may choose to install all your lights in one color and then all the ornaments and garland in another, or mix it all up as a new concoction. Trees are fun to do and the more outlandish the ideas turn out the best.
Many ornaments and decorations are now on sale, so it's a good time to think about next year's tree.
Decorating for the holidays doesn't mean loading your house up with 100 Santas and reindeers everywhere. Holiday decor is meant to lift the spirits of everyone. It also doesn't mean strictly adhering to religious notions. There is no reason why everyone can participate in showing off a great sense of style whether it is a festive Menorah celebrating the festival of light or a brightly lit Christmas tree.
Make decorating a way to make everyone that visits your home feel the verve of the season … So make it glisten and make it bright.
• Joseph Pubillones is the owner of Joseph Pubillones Interiors, an award-winning interior design firm based in Palm Beach, Florida.
© 2017, Creators Syndicate