INTERIORS : GINGER JAR HOLIDAY — The Mid-Coast Home

I. LOVE. CHRISTMAS.

I think it’s a culmination of cooler temps, festive décor, and as I’ve gotten older the social acceptance of drinking heavily in public while in an ugly Christmas sweater - Tis’ the season!

At the root of it all, traditions are by far the best part of the holidays. That nostalgia associated with certain smells, unboxing décor while reminiscing about the stories behind each one, attending ballets or certain concerts every year, it’s these traditions that carry so much sentiment that I’ve grown to love especially now that I live far from home.

Ever since we purchased our first home I’ve established the first weekend after Halloween as our ‘Tree Lighting Ceremony’ weekend. Because for me, Christmas trees hold the most nostalgia. Growing up in California my family and I would drive down the street to Starbucks, pick up something warm to sip on (because it was usually a chilly 60 degrees out) then shop for our tree in the parking lot next to a Food 4 Less off Sepulveda and Vermont. It was our spot, and we went every year - it was tradition.

With our tree in tow, and our dad driving an easy 30 miles per hour home, he’d make his annual joke of, ‘you’re carrying the tree home if it flies off the hood of the car’. All the while my sister and I would discuss what our plan of attack would be; flocked, not flocked, gold and white? Multi-colored lights? Should we ask mom to buy more décor? It was a process, but it was our thing, and it’s one of my fondest holiday memories with my family, more importantly, my sister.

While we don’t do the fresh tree in our home these day (we keep ours up November to January) I am still overcome with a sense of comfort and happiness every time my tree goes up, and just like I did with my sister, I begin to conjure up what my tree will look like and it’s a holiday tradition I hope to pass on to my kid(s) one day.

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This year I attempted to stray away from my usual muted tones or my simply white ornament filled tree, and tried to infuse a touch more color. Using a lot of what I already owned I wanted to add just a few key pieces and hoped that it would be impactful enough to feel fresh. I’m always inspired by the beautifully intricate patterns of various china and thought I’d use that as the basis of my tree and go from there. So this year I created a ginger jar, chinoiserie inspired tree.

ORNAMENTS

Majority of the ornaments I already owned but strategically used the ones that were more solid to help offset the more intricate and patterned pieces I was going to source and fold in.

Once I had a good solid white and silver color base I then began to fold in the pattern. I did so by quite literally purchasing small ‘soy sauce’ dishes. These tinier plates allowed me to use various patterns within the same color scheme all while still feeling cohesive. Because these aren’t traditional ornaments, I did some crafting with a dab of hot glue, and some twine on the back of each dish. What’s nice is that the hot glue held the weight of the plate, but it won’t ruin the dishes once you’re done using them as holiday décor. I also couldn’t resist and fell in love with these fun spoons and thought adding a tea cup or two was necessary.

The only actual ornament I purchased has this beautiful blue floral motif painted onto a white ball. To drive home that striking cobalt blue color I found a satin ribbon that I tied onto branches and it added that touch of whimsey and romance. I also folded in some glittered snowflakes I already owned so it felt more wintery.

TREE TOPPER

To top the tree I knew a star didn’t feel right, so I purchased these flocked twigs, broke them up, and stuck them into the top of the tree accordingly. I wanted more bulk and thought layering in white cherry blossom stems reinforced the theme, and added more of a cascading look and helped the top feel less static.

HOLIDAY VIGNETTE

To drive home the theme of the tree, chinoiserie motif ceramic birds, decorative white tassel beads, a larger faceted candle and pearlescent deer statue, and of course a photo of my late father -in-law who loved Christmas, complete our cozy holiday corner vignette.

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There’s something fun about breaking out of the usual holiday color schemes and keeping it playful and fun. Using everyday items I hope I’ve inspired you to not limit yourself to just your usual holiday ornaments! Wishing you and your family the warmest of wishes this holiday season!