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Holiday decorating is all about tradition whether it be carrying on the traditions you had when growing up or starting new traditions of your own. This year continue your family traditions and start a new one of your own with your holiday decorating or by finding a new way to share the reasons you celebrate the season.

To get into the spirit of the holidays, you might need to do some prep work. To ease the burden of bringing all of the decorations down from the attic, turn on some holiday music. If you don’t have any, there is plenty you can download from itunes onto your ipod or run down to your local coffee shop. They usually have CD’s right by the register. Next, put on some festive clothing. This is the perfect time to bring out the sweater your great aunt gave you that you committed to never being seen outside the house. Trust me, this is the perfect time to wear it. Along with your festive music and holiday attire, you need a holiday beverage. Egg nog, hot tea, apple cider or a gingerbread latte from the coffee shop are good choices for your final step to holiday prep work. It is also a good idea to bake some cookies because you just might need a snack mid-decorating!

Need a little inspiration?

4 cups half-and-half
2 cups whole milk
Dash allspice
1/2 cup sugar
5 egg yolks
1 cup brandy
1/2 cup spiced rum

Combine the half-and-half, whole milk, allspice and sugar in a large saucepan and heat until steaming.

Whisk the egg yolks in a small bowl and ladle some of the hot mixture into the bowl while whisking constantly. Then whisk the tempered egg mixture back into the remaining hot liquid. Stir until mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon, then place immediately into an ice water bath. Once it has cooled down to room temperature, add liquors and chill. Serve very cold.

I like to begin the festivities with the Christmas tree. This can set the tone for the rest of the house. This task can often seem like a chore. If you are one of those people that see decorating the tree as a chore, try a different outlook this year. It may take longer to complete, but as you begin to hang the ornaments on the tree, take the time to reflect on the ornaments that were given to you or that you purchased as a souvenir from a special trip. If the ornaments were a gift, give the person that gave it to you a quick call just to tell them you were thinking of them as you were hanging their gift on your tree. It seems small, but you will find yourself talking with old friends that you haven’t made time to talk to during the busy year leading up to Christmas.

Remember that your tree is a reflection on your personality or your family’s. If you have children and have the space, add a second tree just for children’s ornaments. If they don’t have any, set them up at the table with their craft supplies and have them make some. Each year can have a different theme such as what the holidays mean to them, matchbox cars or a specific color can create an annual theme.

For the main tree, there are many different approaches you can take:

*Monochromatic – a tree with white lights and all one color ornaments and trimmings. For example, silver ornaments, silver ribbon and silver icicles. This style tree is great for the person that doesn’t collect ornaments or is just starting out because the ornaments are typically round balls.

* Monochromatic with accent color – the same tree as above, but with the addition of red or any other color ornaments.

*Themed – this can be anything from a color to a collection. If you are crazy about nutcrackers, your tree can be filled with different size and shaped nutcrackers. The theme doesn’t have to be holiday oriented. If your passion is baking, your tree can be filled with baking tools and baked goods. Remember, this is a reflection of your personality.

* Photos or Holiday Cards – if you are looking for something that expresses your sentiment, but don’t have a lot of ornaments – use pictures or the holiday cards you receive. For a photo themed tree, simply purchase holiday cards that are made to insert pictures and fill with photos of family, friends, or your favorite subject. You can use all the same style or purchase several different styles for more color. Black and white photos or color photos both work well. To hand the photo cards or holiday cards onr more color. Black and white photo and tie onto the tree with ribbon.

*Designer – your interior designer is not just for choosing your next sofa! You can call on a designer to help bring your ideas to fruition or turn the whole project over to them.

This year, replace your lights with LED lights. They use less energy, have a life of up to 50,000 hours, are safer to the touch, give off brighter light and come in a variety of shapes and colors.

Under the tree, try wrapping huge boxes and the lids with complimentary colored wrapping paper to your tree. After Christmas, use these boxes for storage of your decorations. Reuse the boxes year after year as a simple and inexpensive decoration that doubles as storage.

Decorating your table can be an easy way to add holiday charm to your home. Some things you can do:

* Set the table with holiday china. If you don’t have holiday china, set the table with white or glass dishes and get your color from placemats, cloth napkins, a decorative table runner or chargers.

* Fill wine glasses with faux snow and mini colorful balls or tie a simple red ribbon around the stem. (use the color of your theme if you are decorating with a theme)

* Set place cards at each chair made from ornaments with the names written with metallic pens or by gluing a traditional place card onto an ornament. Have some fun with the guests names by using Santa, Mrs. Clause, The Grinch or Santa’s Reindeer when you don’t have actual guests planned. You can also punch a hole into a place card and use ribbon to tie the place card to a candy cane.


* Your table centerpiece can be traditional or simple and creative.

Start a new tradition – Below are some ideas to get you started.

* If you have children, start the tradition of giving them one special ornament every year or letting them choose one ornament each year to begin their own collection. Each year that the collection grows and you and your children will enjoy looking back on the years past. When it comes time for your children to have a home of their own, giving them their ornament collection will give them the start to a beautiful tree with memories from their childhood. 

*If you still have your or your children’s silver baby cups pull them out, dust them off and let them begin your holidays with the first cup of eggnog to start the tree trimming. If you don’t have a sentimental silver cup, start a collection with a new one this year and engrave the year onto the cup. After you have enjoyed the first cup of holiday egg nog, wash the cups and then hang them on your tree by tying the handle to the tree with a ribbon. If you start a collection of new silver cups, invite others to join you with their cups from years past and have an annual toast to the holidays.

* If you need ideas on how to decorate the outside of your home or if you just want an excuse to do something fun with the family, have everyone put on their pajamas, grab a cup of hot cocoa and jump in the car. Then, ride around your local neighborhoods to scout out your family’s favorite Christmas decorations and lights. When you find your favorite one, grab the whole gang and present a small gift to the home with your favorite decorations. The family that put all that effort into the house you vote for will be overjoyed with the award of being your favorite holiday decorated home.

Holiday decorating is just one way in which you can celebrate the holidays, but don’t lose sight of the other aspects of the season such as family, friends, giving and celebrating the reason for the season. Be grateful for every gift you receive this holiday- especially the gifts that don’t come with a bow like spending time with people you love and the gift of giving to those less fortunate. If you have children, encourage them to donate some of their toys to children who won’t receive gifts in order to make room for the new toys they hope to receive this year. For every present you receive, write a handwritten thank you note to the person that took the time to choose a gift for you. It only takes a few minutes, but it will mean the world to the recipient. Every gesture counts…even helping the hostess at your holiday dinner do the dishes.

Happy Holidays.