Christmas Trends for 2017

Christmas Trends for 2017

Gary St. JohnDesign

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire? Jack Frost nipping at your nose? Do all the stores have all their reindeer and candy canes out on display? That can only mean one thing: Christmas is upon us. If you don’t want to decorate your home with the same tired, clichéd Christmas decorations everyone else has this year, check out the best Christmas decorating trends for 2017.

Decorations Should Compliment Not Compete with Decor

There’s a ton of super cute Christmas decorations out there. Whether you’re headed out to buy decorations or are just in your Christmas décor planning phase, be careful what you choose. No matter how cute the decoration or idea, you should always be working with your homes existing décor, not fighting with it. It’s difficult to feel peace or harmony in a space that lacks visual harmony.

Keep it Simple

Over the top is out this year. You have enough to do during the Christmas season with gift shopping, holiday parties, dinners, and surviving the extra traffic. Decorating should be the last of your worries. With all that hustle and bustle, it’s hard to relax in a home that is visually too busy. That’s why it’s important to just keep things simple.

  • Burlap is a great decorating tool and one of the biggest Christmas decorating trends this year. Its coarse texture and neutral color make it a good foundation for contrast. It offers an opposing texture for other elements like other fabrics, candles, garland and packages. And the neutral color allows other colors to pop against it. Use it for back drops, bows, stocking, garland or ribbon. Check out Pinterest for ways to create other items like wreathes and even Christmas trees out of burlap.
  • Candles are the way to go when you’re trying to keep things simple. Choose a couple of white tapered candles in your favorite candleholders for your mantle display, alone or as the center piece for your garland. You can also gather a bunch of candles of varying heights and colors to build a bouquet of candles. Place candles on the table or around the house to create a warm feel. Don’t leave candles unattended if you light any of them.
  • Use white string lights. The colored lights can be fun, but can be too distracting. White string lights can highlight or enhance existing displays without getting in the way. You can hang them like garland and turn off your lights to create ambiance. You can also wrap them around garland or your Christmas tree to make your space glow. 

Go Natural

Christmas has its origins in the pagan celebration of the winter solstice. Evergreens have long been symbols of life through the dark winter. People used evergreens to decorate their homes to remind them that winter would not last forever. Since Roman times, people have been using natural elements to decorate their homes for winter. In honor of this long tradition, here are some natural elements that are trending right now.

  • Evergreens. Use evergreen boughs to make wreaths, create swags or garland. Use small bits of evergreen to decorate packages or add to Christmas bouquets. There’s no wrong way to use evergreen.
  • Fresh fruits and nuts. Aside from keeping these in a dish where guests can help themselves to a snack, why not use them for some decorating? Citrus is a popular fruit to keep in winter. How about a glass vase filled with a mix of nuts, cranberries and crab apples? Do you know the story of Persephone? Set some pomegranates on a table runner strewn with evergreen clippings.
  • Flowers. It really does not matter what season it is, there is never a bad time for flowers. Paperwhites, amaryllis, poinsettias…the possibilities are endless.

Think Outside of the (Color) Box

Who decided Christmas is supposed to be all about red and green? Some of the biggest Christmas decorating trends for 2017 have nothing to do with red or green. How about blue and white? Put them on your Christmas tree, deck your hall with them. Silver and gold are also popular Christmas colors, but probably not together. How about trimming your white Christmas items in gold? Set it against a burlap back drop. If you do it right, anything goes.

Don’t settle for ho-hum holiday decorations and don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. The biggest Christmas decorating trends of 2017 are about throwing off excess and cliché in favor of simplicity.