Style for the Holidays
‘Tis the season. The holidays are here. There is no escaping and no hiding, so embrace them and make the best of this holiday season. How will you style for the holidays? Here are some ideas…
Five Tips for Celebrating the Season in Style
[image via Apartment Therapy]
1. Decorate
Some people can’t get enough of seasonal decor – there isn’t a nook that isn’t festooned with holiday bling. Others embrace their inner grinch – any holiday decor is too much. Me? I’m somewhere in the middle.
Here are five ways you can style for the holidays with the right decor:
Light
[image via Nordic House]
It seems that every celebration this season features light: Winter Solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Diwali. Candles and white lights set an easy festive mood. Go nuts – more can be more if you set the right tone.
Fox Marin Tip: Create your own menorah or kinara with a grouping of tapers and simple taper holders. And don’t forget, a beautiful candle makes a great hostess gift.
Nature
[image via A Conscious Collection]
As the green turns to brown outside, bring the green inside. Your local florist will have pine boughs, wreaths, mini trees and full-sized trees. A simple spray of greenery in a vase will create instant seasonal ambience. You don’t have to go “full Christmas”. One or two well-placed arrangements will bring holiday style to your home.
Art
[image via My Paradissi]
If you’ve got wall space to spare, add some seasonal flair with art. You can find lots of downloadable holiday artwork online. Studio Paradissi has the most adorable Christmas prints in her Etsy store.
Cozy Throw
[image via Lovely Life]
Make sure that you’ve got at least one cozy throw to bundle yourself in on chilly nights. My seasonal happy place is cuddled up under a blanket on my sofa with a cup of tea (okay, a glass of wine), catching up on the latest, with the cat nestled into my side. Two throws are even better when my fave people decide to join me and we don’t have to wrestle for the blanket to keep our toes toasty.
Clean
[image via Unsplash]
Start the season with a thorough clean. And keep your home clean and tidy throughout the season. You’ll thank yourself when unexpected guests arrive and at the end of a long day of celebrations.
2. Celebrate
[image via Unsplash]
Impromptu gatherings, last-minute guests or invitations are a regular occurrence during the holiday season. Make sure that you’re prepared and fully stocked. Grab a case of your favourite wine, stock up on your favourite cheeses. You don’t want to get stuck with a house full of unexpected guests and no booze or tasty eats.
Go one step further. Find an easy and impressive appetizer recipe – perfect for potlucks, parties and guests – stock up on the ingredients and make it your holiday season go-to recipe. This cranberry brie pastry tart from my favourite food blogger du jour, Tieghan Gerard of Half Baked Harvest, is going to be in heavy rotation this holiday season.
Feeling creative? Craft a signature cocktail. Make sure it’s got “with” and “sans” booze options for your guests.
3. Listen
[image via Pixabay]
Find your essential holiday playlists, like:
Or, create your own playlist. And share!
4. Give
[image via Unsplash]
The gift of giving is the best gift! Random acts of kindness gifts.
Grab a roll of toonies or a handful of Tim Hortons gift certificates and pass them on to homeless people, people for whom the cold and the holiday season can be especially hard. Bake a batch of cookies and drop them off at a local shelter.
Pay it forward at the coffee shop – or offer to grab a coffee for the person sitting outside on the street. Even better, treat them to a warm meal.
And don’t forget a little extra kindness for your local delivery people, the garbage collectors, your favourite cashier, your concierge and other friendly faces you see regularly.
5. Self-Kindness
[image via Unsplash]
It’s so easy to run from party to party and burn yourself out by the middle of December. Or is that just me? Schedule a few nights for yourself. Put them in the calendar and make them a self-partnered date night! Put on your sweats, order in and cuddle up to a good book, movie or a guilt-free night of binge watching your favourite show. I highly recommend Brittany Runs a Marathon if you haven’t seen it yet.
Don’t forget to pamper yourself. Book your mani/pedi. Squeeze in gym time. A restorative yoga class is pure bliss in December.
And be kind to yourself. ‘Tis the season.
Enjoy
May your holiday season be filled with peace, gratitude, the people who make your heart sing, lots of laughter and just the right amount of decadence.
—
This article is written by Kathy Mighton, Project Manager and Lead Designer here at Fox Marin Associates. She is FM Design’s creator of well-crafted spaces that inspire and impress! A true design enthusiast, there are not enough walls or surfaces in Kathy’s life to display all the art that she loves.
