EARLY HOLIDAY DECOR ADDS TO MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS
Some families can’t wait to get into the spirit of the season and start decking out their homes at the start of November, Rose Betit writes.
Last week, we profiled the homes of two families who decorated early in celebration of Hanukkah. We saw how their homes, adorned with Hanukkah lights and colour, created a festive atmosphere. We learned that there’s at least one study that suggests, in a nutshell, more time with decorations up equals more joy and potentially less stress and an overall happier feeling the whole season long.
Now, with Christmas on its way, we’ll look at the wreaths, lights, baubles and bulbs of the celebration. If you observe Christmas and spring forth, bursting with festive fervour the moment November is here, more power to you. One can point to the study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology as justification for doing so.
A case in point is the home of Montreal designer Vanessa Sicotte of Demask et Dentelle. On a visit to her tastefully decked-out home, it’s easy to see how her holiday decor enhances the mood. The entryway of the beautiful 1926 Craftsman-style home exudes a warm, welcoming feeling. There is a clear view of the living-room space from there, adorned with a Christmas tree and festive fireplace mantel. The family’s stockings flank the fireplace, already in wait for Santa.
Light flickers from the pinescented holiday candles on the mantel, and the sound and sight of the fire crackling in the fireplace generates an ambience that is the epitome of cosy. With the soft-lit Christmas tree to the right, one might get the sense of standing in a 3D Christmas card.
Sicotte, who decorates for Christmas as early as the first week of November every year in preparation for photos for her blog, says the children, ages seven, nine and 13, are used to seeing the decor up early. She finds that having them helping in the decorating and creating the feeling of anticipation for Christmas Day to be a positive experience and says it enhances the celebratory nature of the Advent season.
And if counting down the days of Advent is supposed to add excitement, “that’s one extensive Advent calendar for you right there,” Sicotte says with a smile.
When asked if the preparation for the holiday is a family affair, Sicotte enthusiastically answers: “Yes! We have a ritual: we dress in our Christmas jammies (even if we put up the tree in November), put on Christmas music and dress the tree together as a family.”
Not only does the family decorate the living room, but each child’s room has its own miniature Christmas tree, decorated to each child’s liking. We can see, in each small tree, the personality of each child, with one of the trees topped with a princess tiara.
The holiday decor doesn’t stop at the living room and children’s rooms. Entering the dining room, we are welcomed by a long table set in a display of their Christmas dinner tradition, with candles, whimsical dinner plates and a holiday centrepiece.
In a home with three young people, it makes sense that holiday celebrations tend to be child-centred. But in this home, the festivities aren’t just for kids. In the corner of the dining room sits a small bar where adults can partake in a little holiday spirit.
In a home with three young people, it makes sense that holiday celebrations tend to be child-centred. But in this home, the festivities aren’t just for kids. In the corner of the dining room sits a small bar where adults can partake in a little holiday spirit.
“I am all for a bar area where guests can help themselves. It creates a more relaxed atmosphere and it frees up the hosts to do other things,” Sicotte says.
She is quick to point out, however, that the bar must be watched to keep children and pets from helping themselves. They can “wreak havoc in the punch department if left unwatched,” she stresses, and suggests keeping a non-alcoholic bar area at child level with plastic glasses.
It’s evident that Sicotte is a firm believer in creating an atmosphere of warmth during the holidays. From her dining area, her sevenyear-old can be heard from the living room, laughing with his grandmother.
“All this,” she says of the Christmas decor, “is part of what makes Christmas so fun. It’s just magic.”
Rebecca Wolfe, who is also an early holiday decorator, agrees with that sentiment. Wolfe shows me around her Westmount home and explains her family’s blended religious traditions.
“I grew up in a Jewish home, so it’s only since marrying my Catholic husband that we get to decorate for Christmas as well,” she says.
“We get really excited for this time of year. Typically, we start decorating as soon as Halloween is over,” Wolfe adds enthusiastically.
On the mantel atop the fireplace, a menorah rests alongside a stuffed toy reindeer with a holiday scarf. Christmas stockings hang just below. To the left of the fireplace stands a six-foot Christmas tree with white lights reflecting in the mirror behind it. Along with the lights, the tree is trimmed with playful child-friendly ornaments of owls, bears and a variety of woodland creatures. Wolfe’s three-year-old son points out his favourite one, which resembles a white reindeer.
“Decorating is definitely a family affair. Watching the kids’ eyes light up as they put ornaments on the tree is a real treat. We let the kids hang everything and help put up the lights.
“The kids also love our newly adopted tradition of finding our Elf on the Shelf every morning.”
The Elf on the Shelf can be hiding anywhere to keep an eye out for good behaviour. One moment he is resting on a shelf in the kitchen and in the next, he is resting on the stair railing of the family’s twostorey home.
Wolfe sums up the richness of her family’s holiday experience.
“There’s something very special about all the lights and colours that come to life. Also, the smell of the tree makes a comforting association in the house weeks leading up to Christmas. The decorations are a reminder of the fun that’s to come. Putting presents under the tree builds up excitement for the big day.”
Perhaps it could be said that the holiday can be whatever one makes it. Through decorating our surroundings, whether it’s with menorahs, tinsel, lights, Christmas trees or wonderful baked goods, it all comes together and helps to make a holiday house, a home.