“The worst gift is a fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other.”

- Johnny Carson, American entertainer, (1925-2005)

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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