This holiday is full of soft colors and sparkling lights.
Story by Tracy Dickinson
Photography By Tim Abramowitz
Featured in November/December 2022
Streetlights may be blinking in bright red and green, as the song says, but decorating your home for the holidays doesn’t have to be limited to silver bells and red ornaments.
As Melinda Seeman of Forget Me Not says, “There are new items every year that we love to share with our customers. This year, for example, the Holiball inflatable outdoor ornaments are really popular.”
Decorating the front yard with as much enthusiasm as you do the tree has certainly been a growing trend, one that is as individual as the homeowner. “When it comes to the holidays, people should feel comfortable bringing out their own traditions and spicing them up with a new twist,” Seeman says.
One of those twists is changing the color scheme. “We’re even seeing pastels such as soft lavender,” says Seeman. “One of our theme trees in the store highlights that trend this season.”
Even the idea of color schemes and theme trees has become something of a tradition.
A stroll through the holiday decorations in any store supports this. Decorations for the tree, stockings, and more are available in themes of purple, black and white, and even animal prints.
More and more homeowners are incorporating Christmas trees throughout the home, choosing a different color scheme or theme for each tree. They place smaller trees in bedrooms, entryways, and even bathrooms. To address this growing trend, manufacturers are offering ornament and decor collections with themes ranging from vintage glass items and Father Christmas ornaments to barnyard settings, gingerbread collections, and forest animals.
For the past several years, we’ve seen a general trend toward neutral colors and natural materials in nearly every category from fashion to automobiles, paint to decor. That trend is true of holiday decorating as well. “We’ve seen a lot of natural, organic, and neutral colors being utilized in holiday decor: browns and beiges; various shades of green; creams and whites; even butterscotch, pale pink, and soft rust tones,” says Alicia Held-Morris of Morris Lare Design.
Even the traditional reds and greens are often found in shades that are more muted rather than bold ones. From evergreen to seafoam, deep burgundy reds to a gentle, rosy brick, the colors of Christmas are softer.
Diane Young of Trieste says, “Deep, forest greens and burgundy are back this year, but with lots of gold accents.”
“We’re seeing the use of lots of organic elements and pine—fireplace mantels and doorways with classic evergreen swags; baskets filled with greenery, branches, and birch logs; wreaths hanging from chairs and in windows. Bringing those natural elements into the home adds texture, color, and warmth all at once,” Held-Morris says.
Young adds, “There’s definitely a tendency toward more natural foliage as homeowners are looking for that homey feel.”
As holiday decorating has spread throughout the home, not only has the demand for seasonal pieces that go beyond the traditional hues increased, but homeowners are looking for ways to marry the timeless with the contemporary. “We love vintage holiday decor,” says Held-Morris. “Upcycling your mother’s, grandmother’s, or great-grandmother’s holiday decor and giving it new life in a modern home is both charming and timeless.”
She says that these pieces not only evoke memories and connect to individual family traditions, but they allow us to repurpose what might otherwise be lost. That, too, is a popular holiday practice, whether it’s sustainable gift wrapping using fabric and hand-painted paper or turning old decorations into gift tags and centerpieces for the holiday table.
One of the best holiday traditions has always been creating practices and decorations that are our own, those that reflect your past and your present. The most popular trends this year do just that. “We’re using mixed metals in our jingle-bell theme this year,” says Seeman. “It works well with the mix of metals homeowners already have in nearly every room.”
Another bonus to the mixed metal look is that it allows you to incorporate new pieces while keeping old favorites. “Brushed and natural brass continue to be really popular,” says Held-Morris. “But they’re often mixed with classic silvers, dark bronze, and even matte black metals.”
To make those mixed metals really sparkle, you have to have the right lights—all white, multicolored, frosted, or twinkling; strung on the tree; twisted through greenery on the mantel; or wrapped around the stairway banister.
As Seeman says, “Inside or out, lights and lots of them! Especially at the front entry, lots of lights make a dramatic statement. Mixed with fresh twigs and greenery, they make the perfect statement to welcome guests.”
“Wreaths, multiple evergreen trees in various sizes, swags of greenery, and lanterns filled with candles are all continual favorites for entryways and front porches,” Held-Morris adds.
Whether your lights blink bright red and green, if they add sparkle to your own traditions, that’s exactly what makes the season merry and bright. •
Resources
- Melinda Seeman Forget Me Not says
- Alicia Held-Morris Morris Lare Design
- Diane Young Trieste