Is it too early to start decking the halls?
For some yes, but for many, the tree is going up and home has been transformed into a winter wonderland.
For those people who haven’t yet taken on the decor aspect of the season, the Langley Advance contacted a few local businesses with expertise in helping make the most of decorating.
Lynda East, owner of The Abode in Cloverdale, noted that natural and rustic looks are still charm when it comes to holiday decor for 2017.
“I’m seeing a lot of the naturals still,” she said. “Christmas trees made out of boards, that kind of thing. The rustic thing is still kind of everywhere.”
Weathered boards with Christmas sayings are also big, and Angela Gauthier, owner of The Gardening Circle on the west side of Glover Road in Fort Langley, added that people are scrambling for anything that says Merry Christmas and are moving away from the generic holiday greetings.
“Anything rustic and vintage, and anything that says Merry Christmas is popular,” she noted. “We’ve already sold out of our banners that say Merry Christmas.”
East noted that while glitzy still exists, it’s definitely being downplayed in favour of the natural country Christmas looks. The one place this rule will likely not hold true is in tree ornaments, which will still hang on to tradition to a certain degree.
“I think you’re going to start to see rustic show up [on trees], but people also are still really invested in the ornaments they have,” she explained.
She added that to further that natural, outdoors look, people may add fake snow to their tree, also known as flocking, to give that white Christmas look indoors.
“Sometimes I think just a tree with white lights and that snow spray would be beautiful,” she added.
“And you can never have too many little white lights. Just put them anywhere. That gives you that bit of sparkle without being really overdone.”
A vintage trend that is taking on epic popularity is glass ornaments. Gauthier is seeing a rush on any ornament made of glass like the decades past witch eyes – these are the glass balls that sometimes have pointed tops and bottoms with an indent on one side. However, anything goes when it comes to glass ornaments selling quickly; everything from sushi to food trucks, popcorn to plates.
“It’s pretty much anything that looks vintage,” Gauthier said. “It’s vintage stuff that kind of reminds people of when they were kids.”
The French Country theme – the rustic country look – retains its popularity according to East.
“It’s kind of that Restoration Hardware look,” she said. “Then, if it were me, I’d add pine cones and stuff like that. We’re a little bit behind from the states and I know in the states that’s really hot.”
Having small guest take-aways that decorate the table is also trending this year, according to Gauthier.
“A lot of people are buying little cutsie kind of things, like little snowmen or confetti so they can put it all over the table and the guests can take it home,” she noted.
One of East’s biggest tips is to not start decorating too early.
“You’re going to be so sick and tired of it by the time it’s mid-December. Just because the stores are doing it, doesn’t mean that you should be doing it. You want to enjoy the season. You want to enjoy the time frame,” she said, but added a caveat.
“I always think when you’re going to do the Christmas decorating thing, especially if you’re going to have it around a long time, don’t go uber Christmas. That’s where the more natural look works. It’s just in your home and it’s fall and it’s winter. It’s not like you’ve got red Santas all around. You’re bringing the outside into your home but in little bits and pieces to bring that natural feeling. It’s simple, outdoors, natural, beautiful.”
A final tip from Gauthier was about candles. Unique and special seems to be the way to go this year.
“I guess with candles too, [people] like these ones that have that fluffy wax look,” she said. “They are made by a lady locally. She does something to the wax that makes it look like it’s a snowball. So, really interesting candles that are handmade.”
Rustic and country may have been the theme for Christmas decor last year but it seems it will continue to trend for 2017.