Thanksgiving Decorating Tips

 

Have you ever wished Thanksgiving and Christmas didn’t fall near each other on the calendar?  The proximity makes it difficult to decorate for each one.

Why not put up a Thanksgiving tree?  A few days after the guests leave and you recuperate from the crowd, convert the tree to Christmas.

The tree above was simple to do.  Garlands of fall leaves don’t require much time, and placing scarecrows among the branches add to the charm.  Anything works. 

Before I became a published author with my Sarah series, I worked as an interior designer/decorator. I will always remember a certain client. Her home was quite beautiful, but she’d decided her living and dining area needed a bit of tweaking, so she hired me as a consultant.

Her hobby was decorating for each holiday.  She kept two huge trees up all year long—one in the living area and one in the master bedroom.

When a new holiday came around, she changed the decorations.  Think of all the monthly occasions.  In January, her tree looked like a miniature winter wonderland.  February—it was hearts everywhere. From the reds and pinks of February, came the greens of March and Saint Patrick’s Day. In April, she decorated the trees with spring time flowers.  May and June—Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.  She had all kinds of babies and children ornaments and included pictures of her own family among the limbs.  In July, it was time for flags and anything red, white, and blue. August and September, her trees possessed all things summer—picnic tables, watermelons, boats. October, the trees took on Halloween. In November, fall and Thanksgiving appeared, and December, she brought out the reds and greens of Christmas.

She ushered me into a room she’d converted to stockpile her bazillion decorations.  It resembled a store with aisles.  The lady could literally push a buggy up and down as she selected items for her trees. Not only did she place ornamentations on trees, they also went everywhere—fireplace mantle, dining table, occasional tables—anywhere there was a surface.

Her question to me was how best to show off these diverse decorations.  I suggested she remove wallpaper and replace it with a simple, neutral paint color.  I also suggested new indistinct furniture patterns.  The focal point would then be the adornments. Her color palate changed on a monthly basis with the holidays.

I don't keep a tree up through the year, but I enjoy it for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I also enjoyed my career as a designer.

 

In Sarah: Laney’s Angel, I wrote from personal experiences.  However, designer Laney did not work with individuals. She attempted to build her design firm by working solely for a Houston builder—a very handsome builder—and she wanted to deny his charismatic effect on her.  If she failed to deliver floor plans on the agreed contractual basis, her job would end. When Cannon Carlson decided to pursue Laney and mix business with pleasure, Laney’s angst grew by leaps and bounds.

Sarah: Laney’s Angel is the second book in the Sarah series.  Sarah: A Mission of Love is the first, and the third one, Sarah and the Widow’s Mate arrives in time for Christmas 2013.