Add Years of Cheer to Ornaments

It is possible to use your favorite holiday decorations without being left with the exact same look year after year. And--this is the best part--you don’t have to spend a lot of money on new tree and table trimmings to do it.

“Old ornaments are often better than the new ones,” said Marian McEvoy, editor in chief of House Beautiful.

To make your collection of ornaments look its best, change the ribbons used to hang the decorations from the tree. It can change the whole look while still showing off all your favorite Santas and reindeer.

“But please don’t buy that cheap, cheesy, red rayon ribbon that looks like plastic. Get the narrow grosgrain ribbon sold in florist supply stores and some department stores,” McEvoy said.

Another possibility is gently washing the color off mercury glass decorations with warm soapy water. It leaves gleaming silver decorations, said Rachel Ashwell, the host of E! Style Network’s “Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic” series.

Rosebuds in small plastic flower vials filled with water can be added to the tree the week before Christmas to freshen up the decorations--and give your home a lovely smell.

It’s important to set a theme so the decorations look like a well-designed display.

“Being left with a mishmash is a danger of collecting,” Ashwell said.

And not every ornament, every garland and every strand of lights needs to be used every year.

“The biggest mistake people make is that they try to do too much,” McEvoy said.

The amount of ornamentation is a delicate balance, said Melissa Birdsong, director of trend forecasting and design for Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse, based in Wilkesboro, N.C.

If you use natural items like pine cones, berries or dried flowers, there needs to be enough of a critical mass to have an effect, Birdsong said, but you don’t want overkill either.

Wire garland in gold or silver can help draw attention to a display of greens draped around a mirror or on a table, she said. Garlands also are ideal for mantels and banisters.

And though sticking to a color scheme can help set a uniform tone, too much bright red or green can be overwhelming or boring. Birdsong suggests adding other shades, like barn red or olive green.

Instead of stuffing the tree so there isn’t a green needle left, transfer some of the ornaments to a glass bowl and add some lights for a beautiful centerpiece. A more unusual but equally festive centerpiece suggested by McEvoy is an apple tree, made from a plastic foam tree shape with whole apples stuck on skewers to cover the tree.

Ashwell recommends painting a large branch white and hanging 10-cent crystal drops from the smaller branches as a centerpiece.

A new take on an old table trick is to create a “candlescape” with candles of various sizes and colors on a large plate that can be used as a centerpiece, instead of relying on tapers for the mood lighting.