My Holiday Complaint

Twas' the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a fashionista was stirring.... Really, what it comes down to is that holidays in general... and Christmas especially are so unbelievably tacky! Even the color wheel is completely ignored, (and possibly quite offended) when decorating or dressing festively. Christmas colors, traditionally, are red and green. Can you think of a less visually appeasing color combination? The only time I've seen these two colors in perfect harmony are on Freddy Kreuger's tattered sweater... and just like that color combination, it only belongs in a horror movie.

I'm going to go ahead and glide right passed the obvious problem of "ugly Christmas sweaters'' because I feel that goes without saying and move right onto decor. In recent years there has been an obvious effort on the part of retailers to be a little more classy in that department.... but let's face it; our options are unkempt Santa-Clauses (red suit with white fur trim? ummm... no), colorful snowmen, overdone manger scenes (complete with fake snow), colorful trains and nutcrackers.... before you even get to the tree you are already in SENSORY OVERLOAD.

So, in my Martha Stewartness.... here are a few suggestions to help you avoid turning your home into Santa's workshop from a bad Christmas movie.

1. Stay away from multi-colored string lights. I have seen a few large bulb assortments that look alright on the outside of your house, but for the most part, these just make your home look like an over-seasoned Dorito chip. Not appealing.

2. If you're going to put out Santa figurines/snowmen/angels/nutcrackers, try to choose ones made with fabrics and stylings that are not corny or cheap.

2. STAY AWAY FROM TINSEL....

3. Real trees are amazing, but a pain in the ass. Try a nice pre-lit fake tree if you're not feeling up to getting a real one and get a pine scented candle. Actually, any scented candles that promote the holiday season will feel homey. Scented candles that mimic baked goods are always good for this occasion.

4. A wreath can be nice.... try to stay away from ones with a lot of shiny ornaments on them, or ugly plaid/or other cheap bows.

5. Stay away from fake snow... including on trees. Not only is it a mess, but you're not fooling anyone.

6. The tree. Again, I suggest staying away from multi-colored lights here. Also.... stay away from messy individual ornaments. Pick a theme and stick with it. Usually a good color theme with 2-4 colors is nice. Various shapes are okay, but try to stick with it. Rogue elements will stick out like a sore thumb and always finish it off with a neutral tree skirt.

7. In general, with any decorations you choose, consider the rest of your home, and how this will fit with it. You don't want your house looking uncomfortably ridiculous for an entire month, right?

Anywho... have fun decorating...for the season, try to stay away from tacky!