Decorating our homes is a proud winter holiday tradition in New England. You and your family might enjoy elaborate decorating traditions or easy & simple holiday decorating traditions. Your home will be perfect when your holiday décor reflects what is important to you and your loved ones. We imagine your guests will be very happy if your decorating tradition includes a well placed hot cocoa bar (it might be all you need). Here are some easy & simple winter holiday décor ideas to inspire and complement your family tradition.
Indoors: color, pattern, foliage, lights, and bows
Table Runner: Now is the time to replace your Thanksgiving table runner with a winter holiday runner. It is an inexpensive ($20-$70), easy, simple, and inspiring way to begin your winter holiday decorating tradition.
The simplicity of a table runner is beguiling. The cost is modest. There are many to choose from. Selecting a winter holiday table runner is a great way to get the decorating party started. Table runners expose the natural beauty of your dining room table, be it rustic reclaimed farmhouse wood or a quarter sawn white oak, while tastefully introducing color and pattern to your holiday design. You will use color and pattern throughout your decorations to create a unified and elegant design.
Garland: Fresh garland is a winter decorating standard for many families. A nine to fifteen foot length of garland is a very simple way to decorate a mantle, staircase, or as a part of a simple dining table centerpiece to complement your table runner. Prices can range from $22-$80 for precut lengths at local farms, garden centers, and home improvement stores.
There are many different garland materials to choose from. We prefer natural evergreen garland because of the fragrance it brings into our homes. Balsam Fir is said to have the most fragrant foliage, and Fraser Firs come in a close second. Douglas Fir foliage is also a popular choice for garland, as the needles are not sharp. The needles are soft, and flat with a blunt tip, unlike the sharp needles of a Scotch Pine, making it very easy to handle.
Lights: A strand or two of warm white led lights can add a bright and cheerful touch to the garland on your staircase or mantle. It isn’t necessary to overdo it. Less can always be more when decorating your home.
Bows: We suggest selecting solid ribbon colors to create large decorative bows. The majority of your bows should be the main color of the table runner. You can use secondary colors and a similar pattern to the runner for a smaller number of bows. Tastefully place decorative bows around your home. These bows can also complement the garland and be used in the table centerpiece. There are easy to follow bow making videos on YouTube for guidance and inspiration.
Hot Cocoa Bar: A hot cocoa bar (with other hot beverages and cookies) is something we recommend to our clients when selling a home during the holiday season. It’s a great feature. Everyone will love this. You can include some of the decorative elements on the hot cocoa bar/table (a second table runner, garland, and bows) just remember to keep it well stocked with cocoa all season long.
Outdoors: color, pattern, foliage, lights, and bows
Door Wreath: When you begin decorating the outside of your home, start with a simple and elegant front door adornment: a door wreath. Choose a wreath with the same foliage you used indoors. You can add one of your beautiful and elegant homemade decorative bows to the wreath (after you have learned the simple art of holiday bow making). Your holiday décor will continue to improve when you consider and repeat some of these simple design elements and features (color, pattern, foliage, lights, and bows).
Outdoor Planter: You can add a subtle decorative touch to your front porch with a large planter or galvanized bucket. Introduce shorter strands of garland, branches, pinecones, and white holiday lights to the planter. This understated and lovely porch holiday planter will greet your holiday visitors with a hearty New England welcome (and serve to elevate your curb appeal when you are selling your home).
Meservier & Associates has been serving Maine home buyers and sellers since 1988. We wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season. We look forward to helping you with all of your real estate needs. Contact us today!
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