Christmas is the time for celebrating the festive spirit with family and friends. It is associated with everything which brings out the holiday spirit and the feeling of togetherness in us. What brings this out the most is the tradition of decorating our home during the festive season. Creativity in thinking and application are two different things altogether. Therefore, before we begin decorating, it is important that we understand the basics of decorating for Christmas.
Colours of Christmas
The traditional colours associated with Christmas are pine green, heart red and snow white. Blue and white are often used to represent winter. Metallic colours like gold and silver can also be used while decorating your home for Christmas.
Themed Decorations
Although it is better to be individualistic and let your creativity flow while decorating, but planning the decorations around a theme helps in giving a uniform look to your home. The theme can be based on colour schemes, food, cultures, crafts, toys, sports and so on.
Christmas Tree
Christmas tree is an integral part of any Christmas. Irrespective of the differences in country, region or cultures, as Christmas starts approaching people go out and buy a Christmas tree. Christmas trees may be artificial or real trees. Christmas trees can be either evergreen or deciduous depending on the geography and climate of a place. A tree should be decorated from inside to outside and from top to bottom. If it is a real tree, decorating as per the growth of the tree looks more graceful. A Christmas tree can be decorated with ornaments, wreaths, garlands, stockings, nosegays, dolls, brightly coloured net, suspended fruits etc. A large star or tree, commonly known as a tree topper can also be placed on the top of the Christmas tree.
Ornaments
Christmas ornaments are decorative pieces in different shapes and sizes. An ornament can be as simple as a ball or it can even be very artistically shaped. They are made of glass, metal, wood or ceramics. Collections of ornaments are augmented as well as passed on in a family from one Christmas to the next. Candy canes, fruits, animals and snowflake imagery as well figures of Santa Claus are also used as ornaments on Christmas trees.
Decorating with lights
Candles and lamps have always been used to light up homes during the festive season. Using lights during the festive season is a practice across cultures, be it the orthodox or the more secular Christian cultures. From decorating the Christmas tree with lights to illuminating the front facade of the house to making sculptures with lights, all are popular variants for lighting your home and neighbourhood on Christmas.
Outdoor decorations
The term outdoor here refers to all places which are either out of your home or are more public in nature. Outdoor Christmas decorations may include prelit topiary, rope light motifs, outdoor nativity sets, outdoor walkway trees and lights, outdoor silhouettes and more. These decorations can beautify your front lawn, gardens, walkways and also the more public areas of the society or town.
Even with the ever increasing commercial scenario, the simple and personalised decorating ideas make the whole process of decorating more special. And, no matter how simply or creatively you beautify your surroundings, the charm of any festivity lies in making each task an experience to remember.
