theme rooms

Themes for the holidays have helped me use the many ornaments and decorations that I have been given, inherited or purchased as mementos of trips we’ve taken over 30+ years.

The foyer theme is “All is bright”.  The table has a lovely Christmas tablecloth of my mother's topped by a collection of red and green crystal and glass filled with tea-lights or silver branches and shiny old tree ornaments strewn among them Small alabaster nativity figures in a back-lit stable(our first) nestle in a corner. Brass candlesticks hold deep green tapers. The railing is decked with pine garland and there are clusters of crystal snowflakes between each balaster.

Our den theme is “Mountain greenery”.  My late mother’s 40-year old artificial tree has multicolored lights with garlands of ground pine and holly wound through the sparse branches and a holly cluster as a tree topper.  There are holly branches and ivy garland on the mantel and floral christmas fabric on end tables and pillows.

Our guest bath (in our house no room goes undecorated) has a nautical theme with seashell and lighthouse ornaments on a holly garland around the mirror and 2Santas with lighthouses on a shelf.

The Guest Bedroom is “Toyland”.  I arrange dolls, cars and stuffed toys from our childhoods on night stands and the storage bench . On the dresser I arrange old pictures of us in our first encounters with Santa .  The creche is a small wooden one from Poland.

In our somewhat open-plan living room and dining room I’ve started doing theme years, The living room trees are always a snowy forest which compliments any theme. I cluster a 6’blue spruce, a 7’ pine pencil and a 3’ blue spruce seedling (all artificial) in front of our 6’x9’ window in the living room. The trees are decorated with white lights, white crocheted snowflakes and crystal icicles.  I use white quilt batting tree “bags” tied with ribbon from the yearly theme to cover the metal stands.  I can no longer use tree skirts because our dog pulls them out from under the trees and piles them up to make a comfy dog bed!

This year is my rustic theme.  Plaid runners on end and coffee table and sideboard, plaid tablecloth on dining table and plaid ribbon running through the garland over the large(6’x9’) picture window, the garland on the dining room chandelier , the swag over the kitchen pass through and on the wreath with my mothers cookie cutters over the kitchen window. 

I hang woodland animals, wooden toy and straw ornaments on the garland over the large window.  It is just as much fun to arrange them there as on a tree and they are easier to see.  I hang cardinal ornaments from the garland on the chandelier.  I have a rustic nativity set made by my best friends sister, which I put in the place of honor on the sofa table.  The crèche on the dining room sideboard consists of small crystal and brass figures which were given to my late mother.   My Santa display consists of country Santas made of wood, cornhusk or dressed in country fabrics.

Next year will be the arctic theme:  Icy blue and silver ribbon, runners and table cloth white damask; white ornaments on the window garland.  Pewter ornaments will hang from the chandelier garland.  The Santas on display will be my blue-clad Father Frosts.

The Nativity is a large white alabaster one.  My mother and husband bought a piece ot two for me for several years til we had shepherds, kings, angels and animals enough to surround the Baby King and His family.

The following year will be a classic Christmas:  Red velvet ribbon; traditional ornaments; Santas clad in red or green velvet trimmed in fur.  The fabric for the runners and tablecloth is rich red, green and gold.  Heavy gold ornaments will hang from the chandelier garland and once again the special white alabaster nativity figures will have a place of honor. 

Each year when I open boxes whose contents I haven’t seen for two years I feel like I’m having an early Christmas, surprised by treasures I’d forgotten.