Deck The Halls For Little Lolly
Sydney Morning Herald
Tuesday November 13, 1990
CHRISTMAS just isn't Christmas without the odd sprig of holly balanced on the mantelpiece and a few decorative tinsel twists hanging from the picture frames. It's easiest to raid the local variety store for coloured balls and glitter, but an abundance of bought ornaments tends to the cheap-and-nasty, whereas a bit of do-it-yourself can work wonders.
Firstly, there is the fresh approach. Huge bunches of Christmas bush, available in most florists in the week before Christmas, have a festive appeal. Gardenias smell fabulous and evoke long hot summers. Even big bunches of greenery have a certain something.
The colours of Christmas seem to be red, green, white, silver and gold, so if you want to mix the Christmas bush with some other plant, stick to the festive spectrum. In fact, to avoid the tizzy, stick to one colour scheme throughout your house. You can do just about anything if it's all silver and white, or red and green, or red and gold, without looking excessively glitzy.
Nola Charles, a respected interior decorator, suggests winding long runners of ivy through bannister rails and around picture frames. If you're feeling extra energetic, the ivy can be spray-painted gold or silver beforehand, but plain old green looks pretty good.
A professional Christmas wreath from a florist will set the tone. Bloomey's of Woolloomooloo will make wreaths to order, either fresh or silk, in various sizes. Don't waste them on the front door though; they are so beautiful they might go walking.
The tree is a matter of taste, and should be scaled to the size of the room. Big cut trees smell fabulous, but they shed needles and there's the problem of disposal. A living tree in a pot always works well - either a traditional-looking spruce, conifer or norfolk pine (you may have to order one in advance from your local garden shop).
Use a little restraint decorating the tree; often the boughs themselves look good with minimal adornment. Make gingerbread ornaments and pipe them with white icing; they can then be eaten on Christmas morning. Or tie bows of coloured satin ribbon to the end of each branch. A few pine cones strewn among the presents also look good.
Candles are always very Christmassy. Buy several dozen, all of the same colour, and have groups of them in candlesticks around the house.
Small terracotta pots, filled with sand, can hold candles if you don't have enough candlesticks. Nola Charles suggests sponging the pots with gold paint for a festive look.
© 1990 Sydney Morning Herald