Christmas Tree Designs for the Holidays

Oh Christmas Tree -the very essence of simple holiday decor. So many options, so little time! Start early I say, and by the time the season is upon you, all the tree trimmings will be ready to place for your winter home decor. JAC likes to think of Christmas tree decoration as falling into 3 different categories, 'nostalgia' being the first category, often happening by default but usually to very good effect. The key here is to embrace the fact that nothing will match and the 'no rules'/ anything goes from Christmases past idea works well. This formula for holiday home decor ideas often means handmade ornaments your kids made, tree trimming gifts from family, and any ornaments you've picked up along the way. It's basically a collection of memories that usually have stories attached to them, which is always a lovely thing to chat about while putting up the tree with family and friends, a nice ritual that can be repeated and expanded upon for years to come. This tree decoration theme is always a good idea and pretty easy to enact from year to year with good cheery effect and not too much hassle, always a bonus at this busy time of year. Plus it reinforces love of family and history and that is always a welcome respite.   For those of you that desire modern holiday decor ideas with a glamorous tree, you may fall into the 'aesthetic' category. This is where you ditch the nostalgia and go for some statement making drama. One easy way to achieve this is to break out of the traditional and expected color pairings and go for something new and interesting. JAC is loving matte black and gold (JAC logo colors!) this year, it feels vey modern and unexpected but chock full of style. Black and brass are super trendy right now, so for an easy way to get some chic holiday decor at decent prices as well as ideas about how to style your tree, take a trip to some basic local stores like Target, Pier I or CB2- it's really more about how you curate your tree versus the amount of money you spend.  

If you are like me and can't seem to give up the idea of having some of your nostalgic family heirloom ornaments and tree-trim about, but truly desire more style and aplomb, then maybe you're what we call a 'business in the front, party in the back' tree trimmer! Also known as the Jekyll and Hyde approach, particularly if your tree is situated in a corner or against a wall, this formula allows you to share the space and decorate one side with nostalgic heirlooms and then bust-a-gut glam style on the other side! Sneaking in those mismatched keepsakes on the wall or corner side still lets you create a theme for the front section and carry over the garland or snow and lights round the back where you can place the less coordinating mementoes in honor of your nostalgic side. Who doesn't like a compromise during the holidays?!