Part
of the fun of the holidays is the spectacle: the glittering
lights, the colorful gifts, the thoughtful cards. Whatever
holiday you celebrate, make your home more festive with these
easy tips:
Hanukkah: Combine cobalt blue items with
silver to make every aspect of your home ready for the festival
of lights. If you’re hosting a meal, purchase cobalt
blue stemware, which is great for company. An elegant cobalt
vase filled with white roses or silver balls or stones makes
a lasting impression. You can place it between a pair of silver
candlesticks or in front of a sunny window to create a stunning
look.
Christmas: You don’t have to cover
your home in lights, snowmen and garlands to jazz up your
holiday. A few simple decorations can transform your home
from normal to Christmassy!
• Purchase and hang some stockings – this item
instantly says “Christmas”!
• Hang a wreath. Available in countless stores and in
styles that range from traditional to kitschy to swanky, a
wreath welcomes guests into your holiday home.
• Play some Christmas music. Although not a decoration,
playing a little “Jingle Bells” and “White
Christmas” gets everyone in the holiday mood.
• Dim your lights and light some candles. Easier to
set up and take down than lights, candles are elegant and
festive. You can choose between a variety of colors, but you
should go with a theme, such as red and green or silver and
gold. You can also throw in one or two strongly scented candles
to add the smells of the holidays to your home, such as baking
cookies or freshly cut Christmas trees.
• Pick up a few poinsettias. Another instant way to
give your home some holiday pick-me-up! Place a few in prominent
places, such as at the foot of a staircase or in the corners
of your dining room.
Kwanzaa: There are a few key items that you
shouldn’t be without when celebrating Kwanzaa: a mkeka
(a place mat usually woven of straw or raffia), a kinara (candleholder),
mishumaa saba (seven candles – one black, three green,
three red), mazao (fruits and vegetables representing crops),
vibunzi (one ear of corn for each child in the household)
and a kikombe cha umoja (communal unity cup). Once you have
these items, decorating for the Kwanzaa celebration is easy.
If you celebrate Thanksgiving and/or Christmas, you can recycle
many items you would use for those holidays. From Thanksgiving,
you can re-use many of the harvest-themed items, such as ears
of corn, squash and gourds (just make sure you omit the cornucopia,
since it is a Western tradition). Since red and green are
also colors of the African flag, you can purchase solid-color
items to use for both holidays, such as napkins, table runners,
placemats and candles. To decorate your Kwanzaa table, first
put a red or green tablecloth on the table to protect your
wood surface. Center the mkeka on top of that as either a
table runner or a square table topper. Place a kinara as your
centerpiece, with the black candle in the middle, the three
red candles on the left and the three green candles on the
right (you can also alternate candles if you wish). Place
baskets and wooden bowls of fruit and vegetables around the
kinara and arrange your ears of corn around the bowls and
baskets. From there, you can get creative, whether it’s
hanging the African flag in the room or some African-themed
posters.
Source: Holiday Decorating for Dummies by Kelley Taylor, Wiley
Publishing, Inc., 2003.
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