Yes, I pick a theme for Christmas every year
In an effort to complicate an already-complicated holiday schedule, I always pick a central theme for Christmas decorations.
I don’t know why, or what prompted this, but I’ve been doing it since I was a teenager. For the first time this year, I’m going to actually document my thought process so that nerd historians hundreds of years from now have insight into the chaos that is a designer’s brain.
No prior history of nonsensical behavior
I didn’t get this OCD décor gene from my parents. Our childhood holiday decorations were classic Christmas: a combination of sentimental ornaments and delightfully cheesy Santas and snowmen and holly. We had a gigantic nativity scene that featured what only can be described as a stucco fortress for livestock; Mary and Joseph in their Bethlehem Airbnb consumed our entire coffee table during the month of December. So Christmas looked wonderfully consistent every year growing up. I have no idea why, but in my later years, I started to center on this idea of a theme for the holidays as a way to categorize and sort all the components of Christmas through a design lens. Now here we are, decades later, and I’ve spent dozens of hours this week pouring over internet images of Christmas ornaments looking for inspiration.
Christmas 2018 was spent in a furnished Southern California cottage I was renting, so the Christmas inspiration came from the cheery yellow and black interior décor.
What I mean by “Themed Christmas”
I have some components of Christmas that pop in every year. Things like heirloom ornaments or my family’s classic tree topper defy all rules of theme or color scheme. I’m okay with that. But each year normally has a featured style or color scheme that spans ornaments and wall hangings and wrapping papers. I think I’m inspired to do this every year because it keeps Christmas fresh and magical; it keeps me creatively engaged as I pour myself into research and exploration and making and installing. It’s like an unnecessary puzzle that brings me joy. Themes in the past have been color concepts like “candy cane” (all white and red décor) or moods like “midcentury Star Wars Christmas” (iconic 50s shapes and silly galactic characters sprinkled in). It allows me to be creative by repurposing what I already have in storage and also gives me some wiggle room for a few indulgent purchases.
Christmas 2018 was prompted by this very wacky Star Wars pattern I found at Joann Fabrics. I liked that it was playful and midcentury modern, and you only noticed the ships on second glance.
Good design takes planning
I don’t want my home to feel like a catalog spread, but I also don’t want it to not look like a catalogue spread? I try to strike a balance between intentionally designed and comfortably lived in. I guess that applies to most of my design aesthetics, not just the holidays. Things that look “designed” take a few extra steps, and that’s a challenge that I gleefully accept. Which brings us to this Thanksgiving-week window, where I start to hone in on Christmas décor schemes. Alex, with the infinite patience of a saint, has supported my onslaught of questions this week like “what if we buy a white Christmas tree” and “is this red too red”?
This gem from Christmas 2013, when instead of being glum that I was spending Thanksgiving alone, I installed a whole whimsical red-and-white scheme in my apartment on Turkey Day that lasted me until the new year.
A thrifty gal’s guide to themed Christmas décor
This has been my process since early November. I welcome all judgement about my sanity.
Mental inventory of existing generic décor. Generic décor is one of my most recommended design philosophies. It’s filler you can pull in year over year, sometimes even for other holidays. Things like solid-colored ball ornaments, clear vases and bottles, empty garlands and wreaths, or all-white porcelain objects are amazing pieces to stash away. These items support changing themes beautifully, because it means you have foundational elements at the ready and you don’t have to spend extra money.
The search for the signature piece. Poor Alex heard me whine all last week about not being able to find the “signature piece” for Christmas this year. It’s not some elaborate centerpiece or focal point, it’s just the item that sparks inspiration enough for me to visualize a theme around. It could be a wrapping paper or an art print or a fabric pattern. Just something that triggers a response. I think it’s the Dani equivalent of Marie Kondo’s “spark joy.” Only this is “spark theme.”
Visualizing the elements. After something I’ve come across has sparked the theme, I start to mentally combine generic décor I know I have and items I think I’ll need in order to bring the theme to life. For the 2013 candy cane theme, I’d found these silly little plastic starlight mint ornaments I liked. I knew I had an empty tree at home, and lots of red and green ball ornaments. If I used only the red ball ornaments, and left all the green in storage, I would be halfway to my goal. That meant I only needed white ornaments and garland to balance out the candy cane thing.
Pulling the purchasing trigger. I always, always shop last. Because shopping is where it’s easy to get distracted and spend money on items you don’t need. Fortunately, committing to a theme makes it easier to turn down the non-essentials because they don’t fit your décor scheme. (Sorry, cute midcentury flamingo in a Santa hat: you’re not in theme this year, so someone else can buy you.) In the candy cane example, by the time I was at the store, I was scanning aisles of holiday décor looking for only red and white decor. That’s it. I was confident that I could find or make anything else I needed with what I already had at home.
Installing the décor. Pretty self-explanatory. This is when you get to see if your grand scheme actually pays off. The only thing I’ll add is that oftentimes the difference between good design and bad design is omission. If something isn’t working or is pulling focus, try leaving it out. It’s like that Coco Chanel quote about getting dressed, looking in the mirror and then taking one thing off. The best interior décor is balanced and thoughtful, and that’s my mission when I’m in holiday decorating mode.
My Christmas 2020 mood board. I use it as a test to make sure that the elements are coheisive before I start spending any actual money.
Welcome to Christmas 2020
Full disclosure: the theme for 2020 was almost festive dumpster fires. And it sort of is, because Alex and I made some kickass themed wrapping paper that we love. (Shameless plug: you can buy it in our shop.) After scouring the internet last week for inspiration for the signature piece, I’m pleased to say that I found it — and it’s really anticlimactic. It’s a spool of ribbon from Joann Fabrics – natural tan with red yarn-wrapped sides. It reminds me of the edges of old air mail envelopes or the smooth surface of wooden toys. It sparked joy and inspiration immediately. Suddenly my brain sprung to life. I can use natural wood elements along with shimmery champagne ornaments. I can pull in color pops from the dumpster fire wrapping paper. We can buy that wood filament we’ve been wanting to try in the 3D printer and make stuff that matches. So the concept is a modern twist on handmade holiday. My brain is a complicated place, y’all.
After I found the ribbon, I built a messy mood board to keep me focused. (I do most mood boards in Keynote because I love how quickly I can paste in photos to their image shapes. I believe this sloppy trick is a sin in the design community. Oh well.) From here, I’m just going to follow those steps above and purchase the last few things I need for the theme: bulb ornaments in the right colors, some patterned paper to fill our glass bookcase doors, a few chunky wood ornaments and all those ribbons. We’ll see how modern handmade holiday turns out when everything goes up this week.
As stuff got delivered this week, I threw it all on the bed to triple check that everything still works together. I call this the “is everyone friends?” test. In this case, it worked! The colors are in the same families and the signature ribbon doesn’t make everything look too “burlappy.”
Those are my secrets. Those are all the secrets to DIY-ing your own themed holiday setup. Let me assure you, creating a photo-ready interior for your holiday season is easier than you think.