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Christmas Decorations Evoke The Season

When I say “Christmas“, doesn’t it automatically summon images of colorful lights, ornaments and snacks? Let’s examine the riotous decor of the holidays and see what makes it such an important feature of the season.

Lights

One of the first things that come to mind in association with Christmas is the amazing variety of holiday lights. We find them in the streets. We hang them on our trees, mantels, handrails and over doorways. Some people even make decorative designs on rooftops and in their yards.

Christmas lights come in a variety of forms to help make our homes and business places sparkle and shine during the holidays. Christmas lights may be colored or plain. They may or may not twinkle. Some are single-stringed and some have multiple strings that can be hung to create an icicle effect. Christmas lights are very flexible in how they can be used.

We love to beautify houses during the Christmas season. Lights can be strung along the roofline, in shrubs or wrapped around tree branches. They can form different patterns in windows or hung from porches to look like icicles. People also stand artificial candles in windows to lead the Holy Family to a place where they are welcome.

Other kinds of lighted Christmas decorations are lawn figures. There are the lawn ornaments that are inflatable, wireframe or rattan figures. Take into consideration whether these are against homeowner association rules or local regulations. Assuming it’s permitted, you also want to consider whether it’s prudent. Sharing your holiday cheer with others is great unless you’re being obnoxious about it. If you’re going to invest in lighted yard decorations, be sure to make an effort to construct a tasteful arrangement rather than stuffing your yard full of random illuminated tchotchkes.

When buying Christmas lights, make sure that you buy them from a good store. Quality is important to consider in choosing lights. You definitely want them to last for more than one season. By choosing a high-quality set of lights, you won’t have to buy a new set each year. More importantly, you’ll protect your home and family from faulty wiring in cheaper lights that can be a fire hazard.

Ornaments

The second most common impression of the holidays is of all of the different kinds of ornaments we hang on the trees and anywhere else we can put a hook. Spindles, balls, figurines and dated keepsakes hang from every branch of our Christmas trees and length of garland we can string around our houses.

There are so many types of ornaments used at Christmas. They add a burst of color, shimmer and shine to plain old shelves, stairways and surfaces. Balls with polished surfaces in various colors. Blown glass figures frosted with artificial snow. Satin balls and Moravian stars. These are only a few of the possible options for festive holiday ornaments.

Wreaths are a popular holiday ornament. They have a round or circular shape and are often used as a decorative piece on the front of a door. Variations of wreaths include berry, grapevine, poinsettia and snow.

A berry wreath will have small, individual clusters of red berries. They also feature holly leaves with features like a gold tint, pine cones and needle styles.

A grapevine wreath has a bleak appearance that is typically dressed up with artificial fruits, ribbon, flowers and pine cones.

Poinsettia wreaths showcase leaves that are different shades of red and may have glittered fruits such as pear, apple and grape clusters throughout its structure. Based on the size of your poinsettia wreath, it may also have large or small pine cones, pine sprigs and holly leaves.

Snow wreaths that have an icy look from pine cones that are sprinkled or covered with snow and which are scattered throughout the wreath.

Garlands are primarily used to decorate stairways, banisters and mantels. Garlands also have variations from natural greenery, artificial greenery, tinsel or threaded berries, fruits and candy. Some garland swags have lights intertwined to add to the holiday enchantment.

Christmas trees provide a platform for a variety of festive holiday ornaments. We love to hang balls, baubles, figurines, candy canes, cookies and other sentimental keepsakes from a Christmas tree whether it’s real or artificial.

We can even decorate and light trees outside. Outdoor trees should be lit with weather-safe lights and tightly secured ornaments to prevent fires or inadvertent littering. Another idea for outdoor trees is to create garlands of foodstuffs that birds and squirrels can appreciate. Birdfeed, nuts, dried berries, popcorn and unsweetened cereal can be attached to a string with peanut butter to provide a holiday treat for our outdoor animal neighbors.

Christmas is without a doubt one of the most cherished and celebrated times of the year. The brightly colored ornaments that decorate our streets, stores and homes add to the magic of the season. The ornaments we choose say a lot about us. Some people lean toward the religious and others toward pop culture. Some focus on a theme color and others hone in on a time period. Whatever theme or feeling you go for, it helps to make your home uniquely yours for the holidays.

Treats

As colorful as the lights and ornaments are, the sweet treats of the holiday season present a magical splash of colors, textures and flavors. Icing, dyes and candied fruits provide a rainbow of tastes and presentation for Christmastime.

As far as holiday food goes, you can hardly say “Christmas” without wanting to say “Christmas Cookies“.

Some cookies are simple and brown like chocolate chip cookies or peanut butter cookies. However, some of the most beloved cookies are the cutout sugar cookies that we decorate with colorful icing and sprinkles. Gingerbread men are often decorated with icing, raisins and gumdrops.

There are a variety of festive hard candies associated with Christmastime. I always loved ribbon candy and those little orange cylinders. There are all kinds of hard, fruit-flavored taffies and mints and lozenges with fruit syrup in the middle.

A step up from cookies is the beloved gingerbread house. This delectable baked good is the epitome of decorating indulgence. The structure of the house is held together with royal icing. The roof is decorated with icing snow. The windows can be made of sugar glass. Doorknobs might be made of gumdrops or those polished silver candies that make you think you’re going to break your teeth. Your imagination can go wild when decorating your gingerbread house!

Another colorful holiday treat is the charming little petit four. These darling little layer cakes come in a variety of scrumptious colors and flavors. They are the tiny cousin of the equally delicious torte. I’m gaining weight just thinking about these colorful holiday treats!

Last, but certainly not least, we come to the much-maligned fruitcake. Classic holiday fruitcake is stuffed to the gills with candied citrons, maraschino cherries and candied green cherries. Personally, I am among the few who will openly admit being a fan of fruitcake. Those who are less imbued with the holiday spirit would suggest that you are what you eat. To them, I say “Bah Humbug“. I love fruitcake and I don’t care who knows it!

The holidays are full of color that we can enjoy with nearly all of our senses. It’s a genuinely magical time of the year and the decorations are a big part of what makes the holidays so marvelous.