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Decorating Your Home For Kwanzaa

In my previous blog I discussed the holiday of Kwanzaa. We are now just a week away from the start of the seven-day festival, which focuses on heritage, family and community. Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday, not a religious one and is meant to serve as an inspiration to African-American families and the community. And while the celebration begins on December 26th and ends January 1st, neither the observance nor the decorations should be combined with Christmas, Hanukkah or the New Year. People celebrating Kwanzaa deck their homes in black, red and green. That color scheme is carried throughout the … Continue reading →

Decorating Your Home For The Holidays—How Do You Stack Up?

An 18-foot Douglas fir decked out with glass ornaments, red satin bows, and cotton snow; 10-foot tall Nutcrackers standing guard at the entrance to a living area; hundreds of yards of garland, dozens of wreaths, and half a dozen gingerbread house centerpieces… no, I’m not describing what the inside of my house looks like this time of year; rather I’m describing all the Christmas pageantry inside the White House. Did I mention the first family’s home even has ivy topiaries shaped like their pets– Scottish terriers Barney and Miss Beazley, and the first cat, Willie? It may put our house … Continue reading →

Does it Feel Like Christmas at Your House?

It is definitely starting to feel more like Christmas around here, especially now that we have a few more presents under the tree. Whew! I was getting nervous. There are only 15 days left and there were only a few lonely gifts peeking out. My husband and I did some shopping yesterday and crossed a few more items off our list. We got some great deals. I’ll be wrapping the latest gifts and putting them under the tree while the kids are at school Monday. My husband and I were worn out after shopping, but it was fun spending the … Continue reading →

Real Life Christmas Grinches

It seems as though every time I turn on the television I see yet another news report about some wacko dismantling, destroying, or stealing homeowners’ outdoor Christmas decorations. Just this week alone, seven homeowner’s in our city reported incidents of vandalism and theft involving outdoor nativity sets and inflatable holiday lawn decorations. It got me wondering whether this was an isolated event (as in just in the Midwest) or whether real-life Grinches are stealing Christmas decorations across the country? I discovered that while it is not a national epidemic, there have been numerous reports of holiday vandals wreaking havoc on … Continue reading →

Holiday Decorating: Quick Tips with Ribbon

When it comes to holiday decorating and adding extra festive little touches, ribbon is your friend. You can use any kind and there are great choices available from sheer, satin, and wired ribbon, to holiday themes. Try these simple tips: When Setting the Table Group silverware together, knife, fork, spoon, and tie a ribbon around them. Make a neat bow. You can also roll silverware in a linen napkin before adding ribbon. Tie gorgeous sheer or satin ribbon around the stems of glassware for an extra sparkly touch. You can also tie bows around single candy canes, and lay one … Continue reading →

Decorating Tips For Your Holiday Table

When it comes to holiday decorating I always tell my friends that I have good news and bad news. The good news: I purchase all of my holiday decorations on the day after Christmas. I save a bundle and I don’t have to fight crowds this time of year because all of my shopping is done a year in advance. The bad news: when I do go into stores this time of the year I have to use every ounce of willpower I have so as not to give in to the temptation of stocking up on all of the … Continue reading →

Holiday Decorating Tips: Your Home and Yard

At one of the TV stations I used to work at we featured a segment during the month of December called: “Holiday Lights—Show Us Your Stuff.” We’d send a crew to document various homes in the viewing area that captured the holiday spirit. I used to marvel at how creative, and frankly, how incredibly elaborate some homeowners got with their outdoor decorations. Personally, I don’t have the time or money to turn my yard into a mega-watt Winter Wonderland. However, if you have the money but not the time (or motivation) to string hundreds of feet of lights or garland … Continue reading →