Dear Readers:
Ever get tired of the same old Christmas décor? Feel like you are stuck in ironclad traditions? Been dying to try a more avant garde or kitschy, whimsical look? Sometimes I get really tired of “an old-fashioned Christmas”.
Be creative and take a shot at some new ideas. Instead of the usual evergreen garland, why not use a white branch with a single red ball hanging from the tip on a red ribbon? Cut organza from the fabric store into squares for gift wrap. Have a different theme or single color palette in each room.
Start a new tradition. My friend, Carol Watts, has Margaritas at Midnight every year with her family to celebrate the departure of guests. Hide your kids’ presents and have them hunt for them. (Tell them Santa picked up the Easter Bunny while hitchhiking, and they got sloshed on eggnog and thought this would be a riot.)
Experiment with a new wreath. Make a braided bread-dough wreath. Hang a square one. How about a theme wreath made entirely of polka dot bows or stars-and-stripes ribbon, angels, little packages, pinecones, cardinals and bird houses, or vintage toys?
Here are some ideas for a more personalized, theme tree. For the gardener -- use vintage tools, animal figurines, miniature fences, and raffia; for the sailor -- mini ships and oars, sand toys, lighthouses, shells, and netting; for the office worker -- pens, scissors, binder clips, computer disks, and paperclip chains; for the diva -- sparkly Victorian jewelry; and for the December baby -- a tree covered in balloons with a candle on top. You get the idea. Be imaginative.
Christmas when over decorated tends to look a tad … hmm, shall we say “tacky”, anyway, so why not play up a sense of fun with some deliberate kitsch and go all out for a “tacky little Christmas”? Unearth the old aluminum tree with the bubble lights and the plastic peppermint candy garlands. String lights on a plastic palm tree, and play Jimmy Buffet’s ”Ho, Ho, Ho, and a Bottle of Rhum”. Dress up your daughter’s dolls in antlers and group them as carolers. I always place the Hallmark character, Maxine --you know, the sourpuss old lady in their cards -- in a sleigh in my living room; the doll is dressed up as a grumpy Christmas shopper, and she is my alter ego on bad days.
Try something unexpected. Those of you who read my column last Christmas will probably remember that instead of a wreath on my front door, I have a rubber chicken wearing a silver lame jumpsuit and ankle boots. Let’s face it, a sense of humor is definitely lacking during the holidays. But not at my house. M.A.K.
