Finding joy at home for Christmas

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Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press • Nov. 28, 2020

A warmly-colored array of glass, porcelain and natural Christmas tree ornaments laid out on a surface of faux snow. Doves, snowflakes, houses, stars and balls.

In 27 short days, we celebrate Christmas.

And of course, it’s different this year. But no matter where you will find yourself during the holidays, it’s still the most wonderful time of year. The time when we find joy and honor those traditions that make us happy. We’re all due a huge dose of holiday cheer and that starts in our homes.

What will we do? We will carry on and decorate. We will practice acts of kindness. Look out for others and we will be grateful. And we will take care of ourselves by distancing, wearing a mask and staying safe. And this Christmas will be the most wonderful time of the year.

Faux potted Poinsettias, berry branches and glass votive candle holders on a rustic tray from Pottery Barn.

Make your holiday merry and bright with a few simple touches. Faux potted Poinsettias and berry branches and glass votive candle holders are available at www.potterybarn.com. Photo: Pottery Barn.

Decorate a little or a lot?

Maybe this is the year to give yourself a break and make it about you. Take the time to actually enjoy the season instead of running back and forth to the mall to buy things to decorate your home. You can still have a great holiday and live through it happy and calm. A few suggestions:

• Keep it simple. If it’s not too late, don’t go crazy with the decorating. Remember: it all has to come down and it gets stored in a few weeks.

• Eliminate stress. Making plans. Friends and family commitments. Shopping. Transforming your home into a Hallmark movie set. So much to do and so little time. As a Southwest Florida interior decorator, I see the stress that my clients put themselves under to “get everything done.” We are all a little exhausted this year. My advice: Let your home be a place to escape the stress this year. Rejuvenate. Reboot.

Art featuring 4 dogs in holiday finery, mantle decorated with personalized stockings hung with gift box hangers and small decorated tree.

Don’t forget the pets! Dogs in their holiday finery waiting for Santa (on stretched canvas) to arrive puts fun into the holiday. Gift box stocking holders with personalized stockings. All from Ballard Designs. Photo: Ballard Designs.

• Don’t wait too long. Make a plan this weekend and get started now so you can enjoy the season.

• Use what you have. Skip a year of buying anything and go with what you already have. Rearrange and find new ways of displaying your decorations. Put the tree in a different room. Use a different color for your lights. Decorate the kitchen pendants with greenery and ribbons. Mix real scented candles with faux.

• Do a little something in each room. A small table tree. Wrapped presents. Fresh flowers. Ornaments in a glass bowl. Holiday music.

• Many of my clients tell me that they are going to decorate earlier and more than ever. Whatever you decide works best for your home, this is a plan I follow each year. Pick a few and let the festivities begin!

• Start at the front door. A new holiday welcome mat sets the tone. I have clients who paint their front door red for the holidays. Why not? Happy, easy and fun. A wreath for the door. Twinkling lights go a long way toward holiday happiness and they are inexpensive so use them generously. Potted plants at the door.

• Set a pretty table. Even if you’re not having guests this year. Set the table for the holidays. A few small trees down the center, garland garnished with your favorite ornaments. Colorful placemats and napkins.

• Chair wreaths for your dining chairs. Or barstools. These are so much fun. You will need small wreathes, ribbon and a few ornaments that you already have on hand. OR you can hang stocking on the back of each chair. If you are like me, you have lots of those stored away.

• A tree in every room. This is my favorite and if this is all you do, it’s enough. Start with your entry table (collection of small trees and greenery), office (medium on desk), each bathroom (small), living room (large), bedrooms and kitchen (as space permits). You can coordinate colors and design with each room OR you can put a small, green tree with a bow in each room. Some can have lights, decorations, or not. Last year I discovered pencil trees and they allow for lights and decorations and also fit into space-saving corners.

However you decorate your home this holiday season, let it be enough and enjoy every moment. This is my last column for 2020. See you in 2021! Merry Christmas!

Cheerful, festive, bright red welcome mat with handwriting script "merry" in front of white door on wood porch with potted evergreen.

Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator, A.S.I.D. associate and gold member of the Interior Redecorators Network. She helps homeowners throughout Southwest Florida with timeless, affordable ways to create beautiful spaces and solves decorating problems. Her articles appear the first Saturday of each month. For more information visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 239-850-5800 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips, articles and photos, visit spectacularspaces.com/blog