Decorating for the holidays can take on a life of its own. These days, it seems completely rearranging and redecorating your home during the holiday season is standard practice. But come January, it's time for everything to go. Why not appoint your house in such a way that will carry you through the Winter?
In past years I've completely cleared off tables and started over with angels, candles, nutcrackers and the like. This year I'm taking a different, slightly more Scandinavian approach. Elements include:
• Bowls of kumquats
• Paper whites
• Over-sized lattice lanterns
• Succulents
• Wheat
• Mason jars with Epson salt and Hanukkah candles piled inside
Yes, it's subtle and, no, there's no red in sight. But the paper whites and the kumquats are elements that I wouldn't normally use in everyday decorating. They add enough of a festive touch to make it seem appropriate for both wintertime and Holiday celebrations.
With my mantel, I've gone in a similar route. There are seasonal greens interspersed among objects that I might normally have displayed, such as an antique piece of Staffordshire china. Elements include:
• An Undecorated boxwood wreath
• Magnolia leaves
• Pine and evergreen branch bouquets
• White marble candle-holders
Come January the only things I would change might be the bouquets of evergreens.
Of course, I also might go really minimal, with this:
This verges on ambiguously festive, but what I like is the use of an orchid, which has classically been an appropriate house plant during the Winter months. The boxwood wreath is arguably the most specifically Christmas part of the arrangement, but because there is no bow, it could carry us through January. That said, I can already hear the comments of how it's too subtle and underwhelming. Sometimes less isn't more!
Do you try to decorate in a way that will last? If so, what elements stay around in your house during January and beyond?
(Images: Cate West Zahl)
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Thank you! I needed a use for my kumquat tree! Seriously! :)
That little succulent is reaching for sunlight. Better put it in a sunnier spot or it will die.
Everything I put up says "Christmas" too much to keep past the total take down in January. There is one little trinket box that's not "Christmas" with a bizarre frog sleigh riding that I keep out all winter but that's about it.
Various vintage containers with tea lights and the tart burner say winter here.
You're arrangements are beautiful for winter and even Christmas! Not too subtle for me!
I prefer subtle and generally non-season-specific decorations for my own place, in part because it's simply easier for me to manage logistically (I don't have storage space to keep many items I don't want to see throughout the year) and physically (I have limited energy, so arranging the place in a way that doesn't cry "get that holiday decor out already!" is much more reasonable). Decorate according to your own wishes and needs, not others' expectations. Besides, I'm an atheist and didn't grow up celebrating any holidays, so anything I put up is to make me smile.
I love the simple beauty of this.....earth and fire elements are always nice, I also like the water element thing so I always like to add glass bowels filled with water and white floating candles.
I burn candles all year long, so I tend to keep them white and I source bags of tealights and floaters along with pillars from Ikea on a regular basis....
Lights, lights and more lights! Seriously we leave up our small Christmas lights from ikea and otherwise. It really helps with the long grey winter.
I like to have a Christmas decoration style for the holidays, but then in January have a Winter style--something cheerful for those months.
Half of our house is blocked off for renovations, so I'm keeping decorating to a minimum this year and I don't want to accumulate too much useless junk. I'm going with mercury glass candle holders which will be pretty throughout the winter, white ceramic animals and vases that I already own, and a few sprigs of greenery. Like you, no outright red, but we do have our tree up and trimmed and that makes it festive enough =).
IMHO...If you feel like you can leave it out well into January, it's not a Christmas decoration.
I appreciate the the logic, but I want full-out, razzle-dazzle, guilded, glittering, CHRISTMAS! Yes, it takes over my house for a month and I have to store it, but decking the halls is one the highlights of my year. That said, there are some good ideas here for alleviating the post-holiday letdown.
Pineapple! in a bed of unshelled mixed nuts. And because I wanted to wink at Martha-esque tastefulness, I adorned the pineapple top with red bell ornaments.
Many coops and grocers sell cider and wassail spice mixes - simmer on the stovetop or over a candle for wonderful aromas which don't aggravate allergies (can also be simmered on top of radiators for humidity benefit, too)