The Magic of Christmas
I am a Christmas fanatic! I have such fond memories of spending Christmas day at grandma’s with a house full of family and friends, good food, good music and of course, the presents! My grandparents always hosted anyone and everyone that wanted a spot at the dinner table. The house was always decked out and I loved it as a kid.
Fast forward to adulthood - even though I’ve moved away from my family, I wanted to recreate that magic for my own son. I’ve been hosting Christmas for several years now so I’d like to share a bit of what I’ve learned along the way.
Planning
The key to having that magical Christmas that will wow your friends and family is planning. Truthfully, I plan each Christmas from the year before. I change my theme each year so it doesn’t seem repetitive. There are certain things that are a constant such as the big tree is always in the living room, smaller trees are in the family room and dining room but the color scheme and the overall feel of the trees is different each year. I like to have an idea of what the theme of the following year will be so that I can do any necessary shopping the morning after Christmas when everything is heavily discounted.
Real or Artificial Tree?
I never understood cutting down a perfectly healthy tree just to have it decorate my house for a couple weeks out of the year. Also, it never sat right with me to see trees discarded after the holidays, on the side of the road, all brown and sad-looking. That’s why I opted for artificial trees. Not all fake trees are created equally. I started out with whatever I could afford from Target but I knew I’d upgrade as soon as I could to a much more realistic looking fake tree - one that was prelit; the kind you see on tv. My first fancy fake tree came from Balsam Hill. It was 7ft with warm white and colored lights and it came with a remote control. That was many years ago but I still have and use it. I’ve picked up 2 more trees, wreaths and several garlands from Balsam Hill since moving into the house we’re in now.
A couple of years ago I decided I wanted a winter wonderland theme complete with a new set of flocked trees (the ones that have fake snow on them). I’d seen some lovely ones from King of Christmas on YouTube and decided to add to cart. I picked up 4 trees and several wreaths and garlands. Why do I have so many trees you ask? Because I like for Christmas to touch every room in my home. I place the main tree in my formal living room, and smaller trees in my entryway, dining room and family room. I also scatter some tabletop trees throughout the house in the kitchen, guest rooms, etc. While I love the look of the flocked trees, let me warn you - THEY ARE MESSY. “Snow” will be everywhere. I hope it’s not toxic because my cat likes to eat it. The other thing I should warn you about flocked trees is that you should make sure wherever you store them is clean and dry. Several branches on several of my trees are matted and browned. I suspect it’s because we must’ve gotten some water in our basement at some point. They’re still usable though it’s frustrating. I’ll place the bad parts to the back where they can’t be seen.
The Scent
The major thing that’s missing from the fake trees is that amazing Christmas tree scent. That was my major dilemma. You can buy the scent from several different sources such as Airwick, Glade or Bath and Body Works. You can get it as a candle, reed diffuser, plug in or room spray. My favorite real “tree” scent by far is Frasier Fir by a brand called Thymes. My aunt gifted me a candle several years ago and I’ve been obsessed ever since. It smells AMAZING! It’s sold online or you can search for a local merchant on the Thymes website. For the last several years I purchased the reed diffusers and the room spray because I’m terrified of setting my house on fire with candles; however, I recently discovered that the scent is also available from Pura, the smart home scent diffuser that I use throughout my home.
The scent isn’t just about the tree. It’s about the entire home - from the kitchen to the bedrooms. I absolutely love the concentrated room sprays from Bath & Body Works. I leave one in each of my bathrooms as well as a seasonal hand soap.
Decorating the Tree
My go-to spots for ornaments are At Home and Hobby Lobby. Both stores begin selling Christmas decor in August. It’s best to go early for the absolute best selection. The closer you get to the holiday, you’ll be picking through the scraps. Home Goods and TJ Maxx are great too but there’s no time for indecision because there’s no guarantee that what you were eyeing will still be there when you return. Some online retailers such as Amara and of course, Amazon are great too. I also love to visit Christmas specialty shops that I find in the different places I visit on layovers such as Tampa, FL and Sacramento, CA. I should also note that my go-to souvenir when I travel abroad is always a Christmas ornament because I always have a tree dedicated to my adventures.
The secret to really making your tree pop, apart from adding picks, is to use various ornament shapes/sizes and to place the ornaments deep inside the tree, closer to the “trunk”. A trick that I learned from my most favorite holiday YouTuber, Kinwoven/Rebecca Robeson Design, is to add more lights than what comes on your prelit tree. I highly recommend checking out her YouTube channel. Her Christmas designs are truly stunning. To finish it all off, I save different delivery boxes that arrive throughout the year to wrap and place as props under each tree. I typically don’t place the real presents underneath until Christmas eve (the New Yorker in me is scared someone will break in and steal them). The decked out tree looks incomplete without the prop presents underneath it. They complete the look. Make sure that the wrapping paper matches your color scheme if you really want to add that extra oomph.
Wreaths, Garlands and Fairy Lights
These are the little accessories that I scatter throughout the house to add a touch of holiday spirit in every room. For instance, the kid wanted a tree for his bedroom but I didn’t have any spares available so we compromised and settled on a wreath above his bed. We had a large wreath hanging above the fireplace in previous years however I put a large mirror there. Instead of moving it or placing the wreath in front of it, I moved the wreath to a bank of windows in the back hallway where we placed our Peloton. Now I’ll have something pretty to look at as I ride. I added a garland to the fireplace in the master bedroom and will add another to a large floor mirror I purchased on Black Friday provided it gets delivered in time. That mirror will go in the guest room that my aunt will stay in so she’ll have a touch of Xmas to enjoy. As for the fairy lights…there is so much you can do with them! You can add them to your regular houseplants, string them on your picture frames, or around furniture like a four poster bed. I’m not sure what I’ll do with mine yet but I’m certain I’ll find something.
Anyhow, that’s all I have to say about how I approach my Christmas decorating. I’ll include pics from past holidays. Be sure to follow me on Instagram @SoniaStayFly for a tour of this year’s digs. I hope you found this useful. Happy decorating!