Hallmark’s gift: More TV Christmas movies than ever
Sweet sugarplum hues a tasteful option for decor Offerings a response to popular demand
Amid a seasonal sea of red and green or silver and blue, there’s a sweet, alternative palette in holiday decor.
Think of fresh fruits and delectable candies, and you’re on the right track – it’s an enticing, enchanting array of sugarplum hues that home decorators can have fun with.
“Pair candy-apple red, plummy pink and berry-bright florals with winter greens for a centerpiece,” suggests Melissa Benham of the Chicago interior design firm Studio Gild. “Ornaments in these hues provide an unexpected color pop on the Christmas tree, or a fun twist on the classic menorah when used for Hanukkah candles.”
NEW YORK – Have you heard the one about the girl who didn’t care about Christmas but found herself in a small town for the holidays surrounded by decorations, cookies and carolers, and found a new boyfriend and her Christmas spirit by Dec. 25?
Hallmark Channel has, and they’re airing 22 original movies this year built around plots similar to that. The premise may vary, but the themes are the same, and Hallmark is very OK with that.
“Yes, you can pretty much guarantee that when you meet our two leads in the first 10 minutes of a Hallmark movie, it’s guaranteed that they will end up together,” said Michelle Vicary, the executive vice president of programming and network publicity for Crown Media and Family Networks.
While regular network prime-time programming tends to take a hiatus during the holiday season, it’s Hallmark Channel’s time to shine. Its holiday movies are so popular, it began airing Christmas movies on Oct. 26 and wraps up on Jan. 1.
“When viewers kept telling us by virtue of the ratings that they wanted more (Christmas), it was a natural to extend the time that we were programming for them,” said Vicary.
Hallmark sells shirts that say, “All I want to do is drink hot cocoa and watch Hallmark Channel.”
Los Angeles-based designer and author Orlando Soria says color is key to making your holiday celebration shine bright.
Even if you’ve got a rather motley collection of decorations, “adding in plum and berry-hued fabrics, candles, accessories and ornaments is a great way to create a cohesive color scheme,” he says.
Target has Opalhouse’s soft cozy throw pillows, with either a plaid pattern or “Oh, What Fun” typography, in fresh and festive hues.
The Merrily collection at Pier 1 includes hand-blown stemless wine glasses painted with kicky modern trees in pink, peach and berry. A candy-blue throw pillow is embroidered with the phrase “Merry & Bright” and decorated with tassels. For the tree, there’s a garland of felted gumballs.
Sets of wool-wrapped or bottle brush trees in gently hued macaron colors would look pretty on a table with other soft textures and coordinating taper candles; find them all at World Market . Also in sugary pastels is an array of cute little deer at Homegoods , complete with fluffy, marabou-feather collars.
At Wayfair, you’ll find tinsel trees in a range of sizes in fruity shades like grape, plum, raspberry and orange. At Horchow , find trios of similarly hued bottle-brush-style trees for display. And Walmart has 40-inch-tall plastic lollipop ornaments in cotton candy, key lime and blueberry; they might be fun on a garden fence or front-porch railing.
Dress up the tree, mantel, staircase or holiday table with Anthropologie’s colorful, felted-wool berry garland. Deck out the Christmas tree with glass ribbon candy or rock candy ornaments in yummy hues, and top it off with a Ferris wheel tree topper festooned with brightly hued tassels. Also here, a boxed set of delicate glass macarons; the ornaments would make a lovely gift for a sweets lover or Francophile.
You’ll find more faux sweet treats for the tree or holiday display at Barney’s New York , where Kurt Adler’s peppermint-candy garland, sprinkle-topped ice cream cones and wrapped-candy ornaments bring all the sweet dreams of the sugarplum season home in style.
Christopher Radko’s glass Candy Castle ornament at Horchow depicts detailed candy canes, peppermints and ice cream in hand-painted Polish glass.
And finally, sweeten the front yard holiday display with Hammacher Schlemmer’s Thousand Points of Light indoor/outdoor tree. Available in several sizes, its fiber-optic lights in bright candy colors can be set to swirl and play continuously or set on a timed display.