Ahh, my Christmas decorations have finally come back into vogue. I knew this day would come.
Even more surprisingly, I could have even predicted this would be the month and year for them to be fashionable yet again. This is because my decorations aren’t like leggings or peasant tops returning to the scene after taking a decade or more break to make way for other styles. They are last year’s Christmas decorations that I never took down.
Yes, for the past 365 days, my apartment has had pretty red globes hanging from the curtain rod in the dining room — I use that term loosely — and the festive potpourri was moved from its prime location on the table to the top of the microwave just slightly out of view to people coming for a quick visit but still there. There are actually a couple of candy canes popping up from time to time, too.
In my defense, the red of the globes matches one of my framed pictures, the British phone booth in another piece of art and my curtains.
I’m no interior decorator, but magazines always praise designers who mix different styles and colors. When a striped couch graces the same room as a checkered rug it is not considered ugly, but instead referred to as eclectic and creative. So why not have some holiday flair yearround, too, I ask? It’s not like I left up the Christmas tree.
The holiday bow that adorned my front door did disappear sometime in February. I prefer to think that the wind pulled it off of the hook and not one of my neighbors who had tired of my holiday cheer. It was tied to a nail and Duct taped in multiple spots, so I will let you deduce what happened.
When people ask me about the decorations, mostly my parents, I explain that I like them. And, I do. Although I would never tell Martha Stewart because it might wrinkle her khakis.
In my world, like many of yours, decorations don’t just spring up like flowers on a sunny afternoon, as if choreographed by Debbie Allen. This time of year is busy at work with doing the usual day-to-day activities plus going to different holiday events throughout town. Add in some parties with friends and the squares, at least in my daily calendar, are so full I can barely read the numbered dates. Digital planners, with their limitless lines, were made for the holidays.
As I see many of you out and about this time of year, I know you can attest to the hectic holiday schedule and the need for an ever-expanding day to match your phone’s iCalendar capabilities.
However, I can’t help but wonder how so many of you have not only found time to decorate the inside of your home for your holiday of choice but have also helped to beautify our town with outdoor displays. Be looking for those pictures in an upcoming edition of the Sunday Lifestyles.
Climbing to the top of my closet to retrieve the Christmas box that holds only the decorations for a small apartment has become a daunting task. Especially, when the few times I have thought about it, I looked up there only to realize it is under a suitcase, a year’s worth of shoe boxes and a pound of fashion scarves. Not to mention the box’s contents.
A string of lights here and some ornaments and hooks there can quickly turn from steady flood of Christmas memories and fun into a sea of tangled frustration.
With my parents on their way in less than a week, I still have a lot of decking to get done before the Halls arrive.
And since I haven’t even put one foot on my step stool, getting everything done around the house seems as improbable as a white Christmas in Mississippi. I am, however, still keeping my hopes up and calling on the gods of tulle and sparkle to give me a hand this holiday season.
The least I could do is move the potpourri back to its starring role as the table centerpiece.
•Contact Andrea Hall at ahall@gwcommonwealth.com.
