Mantel, greenery, tree are basics to focus on

What are some of your favorite memories of the holidays? For me, as a kid it was secretly unwrapping all my gifts, playing with them, then wrapping them back up and sneaking them back under the tree. As a teen, it was working at my parents' clothing store, making bows for customers' packages. As an adult, it's my robust family packed together around the table, laughing, toasting, loving.

All of us have wonderful holiday memories that fill our hearts with joy and make us smile. So this year, as we approached how to dress for the holidays, we decided we would do a full embrace of nostalgia. These days, we can all use an extra dose of feeling good.

There is nothing more regal or awe-inspiring to me than a Christmas tree dressed in gold, silver and bronze. Bev, our seasonal floral designer, has outdone herself yet again with the jaw-dropping trees, mantels, urns and florals that exude the pageantry of the holidays. The baubles and ribbons we have this year celebrate the best of traditional holiday decor, yet are fun and fresh, a brand-new look for a brand-new year.

When we first started dressing the store for the holidays more than 30 years ago, the trend was to do Christmas big. Many of us had displays in every corner of our homes and numerous trees. While many people still like a big Christmas statement, the trend now is to have high-impact displays in a few key spots.

The fireplace mantel is one of the most important. Bev topped three glass candlesticks with faux fir trees. Then, she draped a generous pine garland over the mantel and covered it with nostalgic glass ornaments, from Santas to balls.

The key to creating a stunning display is to start with great greenery, like garland and picks. On one mantel, Bev started with a simple pine garland, then transformed it with picks, ornaments and ribbon.

This column was adapted from Mary Carol Garrity's blog at www.nellhills.com.

HomeStyle on 11/24/2018