by Janice Henshaw –
Does the prospect of decorating your home for the holidays send a shiver of excitement down your spine in September? Do you plan for the big event 12 months of the year, hitting Boxing Day and clear-out sales? Or do you wait for the last possible moment to rip open the brown packing boxes from last year, straighten the tinsel and decorate the tree, all while baking cookies and putting dinner on the table?
Your holiday decorating style (if you have one) may indeed say something about your personality. Read on to see if you fit into any of the following (very unscientific) (but very light-hearted) list of holiday decorating personality types described below. No matter if you’re a Trendsetter or a Bargain Hunter, make sure to check out the rest of the article for some great decorating ideas from three of Sidney’s excellent specialty stores.
Holiday Decorating Personality Types
Trendsetter – You can easily stay up most of the night seeking out the latest trends on Houzz, Pinterest and Etsy. A new style of decoration makes you feel shaky with excitement, and you can hardly wait to buy it. At your tree-decorating party, you take time-lapse photos of your friends with the latest Apple iPhone 8 PLUS, while playing music from a very cool playlist.
Nature Lover
Your theme is to bring the outside in (without disturbing nature too much)! You find shells, driftwood and stones of all colours beautiful and intriguing in any arrangement. As an environmentally sensitive soul, you love nothing better than stringing all-natural popcorn and cranberries together to hang outside for the birds. Kale is used for greenery!
You Light Up My Life!
You love excitement and want to bring some holiday cheer to your whole neighbourhood. Glitz and glam light up your eyes, and oh wow, how about those animated Christmas displays? Outdoor lights that flash on and off to music make you swoon and you can’t stop talking about your 7.5-foot “Feel-Real” Downswept Douglas Fir Tree, which has 750 Dual Color LED Lights. For parties, you dig out your favourite flashing Santa tie clip or a pair of Christmas earrings with tiny blinking coloured lights that are just to die for!
Garden Statues Are Where It’s At!
Your family has given you lawn ornaments for the past several Christmases, and you can’t get enough. You are using them to create a magical garden befitting the mystery and excitement of the holidays. So far, you love the sitting rabbit, fairy garden mushroom house and Zen gnome statues best. This year, you are hoping for a Christmas snowman “Welcome” statue with colour-changing LED lights. Luckily, you have space inside for more knick-knacks as well!
The Creative Soul
Why buy a wreath when you can make a gorgeous and unique one for yourself? Or, even better, throw a wreath-making party and invite your friends over! Handcrafted ornaments from years past adorn your Christmas tree, which this year may be uniquely crafted from wire or sticks. Every box of decorations is cherished because it is full of memories. There is nothing quite like the excitement of finding a new craft supply store or in repurposing something you already have. You may be addicted to Pinterest!
Elegant Perfection … Nothing Less
You do not invite friends over to decorate your pre-lit designer tree because every ornament has its proper place, and, if you’re being really honest, it’s better that way. It’s hard being a creative genius, and sometimes explaining your vision takes more time than just getting it done right yourself. If someone insists on helping, it means that you will probably have to go back later and adjust the ornament placement – symmetry and balance both matter, people! You have elegant floral trim draped just so above the windows, assorted tasteful holiday scene pillows lined up on each chair, and hand-painted sentry nutcrackers stand guard beside your uptown triple fire screen. Presents wrapped in gold foil and tied with wide red ribbons are stacked invitingly under the tree. Everything is perfect! Or maybe … does that angel need to move just a centimeter to the right?
Bargain Hunter
You are first in line at Boxing Day Sales, and you can’t wait to snap up Christmas decorations for next year, smiling gleefully at the discounted prices. You can shop for hours to find the best deals, and go home laden with treasures that you will put to good use in the future, either in your house or as a gift. And, if it turns out that you don’t need a three-metre tall, neon pink inflatable snowman for your yard next year, you’re pretty sure it will be a hit in your office Secret Santa Pool … .
No matter what kind of holiday decorator you are, check out these great tips from some of Sidney’s finest specialty shops!
Brown’s the Florist: Manager Kathy Blaine describes this year’s decorating style as a very natural, organic, understated look. They are using lots of natural greens, twigs and seedpods. Magnolia branches and seeded eucalyptus are big this year, and so is a lot of texture and cohesive colour schemes. Instead of one big table centrepiece, Kathy suggests groupings of two to five smaller arrangements interspersed with candles and ornaments. And for outside decorating,
Kathy suggests transforming planters with lots of dogwood sticks, winter greens and cones at the base.
Muffet and Louisa: Muffet Billyard-Leake says that her focus for Christmas is to choose either a pastel or traditional theme – she doesn’t mix the two styles. “Colours should be icy pale and silvery or the traditional warm red, green and gold. Icy is lovely in apartments where you might not be able to bring in live pine and other evergreens.
“Whatever you do, bring warm glowing light into your space. As many homes no longer have fireplaces, creating warmth with other light is a wonderful way to go.” Muffet suggests filling lanterns with artificial candles as well as using strings of fairy lights that either run on battery or plug-in. And, when it comes to choosing a Christmas tree, she says: “Be daring and untraditional if you cannot have a real tree−what about a driftwood tree?” Muffet says not to forget the special things that mean Christmas to you − blend them in with your new decorations.
Flush Bathroom Essentials: Even bathrooms can get a holiday makeover! Owner Laura McLarty suggests using fragrant diffusers and hand soaps in the bathroom as “great way to integrate nostalgic holiday scents like spruce and fir.” Festive towels, guest soap, and even toilet tissue can add to the holiday mix. Laura reports that a hot trend this year is laser-cut wood ornaments that include penguins, nutcrackers, skaters and trees.
The bottom line is to have fun and enjoy your own decorating style! May your heart and your home be filled with light and love this holiday season.
