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The Makerista

I'm Gwen, a modern traditionalist who isn't afraid of color. Kansas City.

Modernizing the Nostalgia of Christmas Decor

I’ve found that people are typically two different kinds of Christmas decorators.  There are the ones who live off the memories of Christmases past: using all of the same decor and often placing it in the same spot, year after year.  And then you have the serial decorators: the people who feel the need to do something new and different every season, more exciting and fresh than the last.  I grew up with the first group, putting the same ornaments on the same tree and breathing in the nostalgia while doing so.  


Since having my own tree to trim I have not done the same thing twice.  From varying color palettes to completely different decor, I’ve always loved the challenge of coming up with something fresh and have been changing it up year after year.  But as my kids have gotten older I’ve realized how nice nostalgia can be.  With the renovating in the main area of the house, I have yet to decorate an “adult” tree.  It seemed like the perfect opportunity to have some fun in the playroom.  
Even though it’s a kid’s space, I still wanted the decor to be something adults could enjoy too.  So I set out to create a modern take on a nostalgic Christmas, using some new things but lots of keepsake ornaments from our Christmases past.  I typically focus on the tree and don’t do much tabletop seasonal decor, but I like to sprinkle in little signs of the holidays here and there.  This nutcracker on the mantle brings some Christmas cheer to the already cheery yellow.  

And adding some plaid pillows to the red velvet sofa screams holiday but feels updated when mixed with the floral.

 

When I think of Christmases past, I think of Hallmark.  My siblings and I grew up getting an ornament every year, and completing a collection always felt a bit sad but also exciting to start the next one.  From Windows of the World to Winnie the Pooh, I’ve got quite the array of ornaments more Winnie the Pooh than I’d care to admit, perhaps.  In high school I worked at Hallmark and caught the bug of buying ornaments myself.  After we had kids my mom started collections for them, and I always get one “fun” paper from Hallmark to wrap most of their gifts in.  

 

Character ornaments can get busy looking really fast, so I picked up this flocked white tree at Lowe’s. Isn’t it pretty???  It has three different settings – white lights, colored lights, or an alternating option. Guess which one the kids like?  I love that it plays a clean and modern backdrop for all of the ornaments, and the flocking definitely takes the look up a notch.  The mess of flocking is a beautiful price you pay…

I used these chalkboard ornaments to continue the modern look.  They give your eye a place to focus and the matte black is perfect – “chalkboard” doesn’t mean you have to write on it.

 

I also picked up some new keepsake ornaments that I knew the kids would love.  From Anna to The Grinch, characters Xander and Milly can relate to make it even more fun, and the ornaments with sounds had them really excited.  I first placed all of the balls and then let the kids help add in the “but Anna needs to be right by Elsa!” but I tried to help them find empty spots to fill.  I thought about garland or other filler ornaments, but simple really is best with this look.  I never came across a topper that was the right fit, so we just cut a star out of construction paper and taped on a pipe cleaner to attach it to the top of the tree. 
Elsa 


As far as wrapping goes, keeping a tight color palette is key to a fun look that is still pretty.  I only got papers, ribbons and embellishments in red, black, white and gold and stuck to that.  Mixing different sized patterns adds depth and texture.  This is the second year I’ve used that Peanuts paper as my jumping off point.  It’s so graphic and modern, the best character paper I’ve ever seen – a win for moms and kids.  Finally, something that really makes a tree feel welcoming is out-of-the-box present corralling.  Piles on the ground are nice, but piles on or in other objects say a lot.  Here I used a baby pram and a piano, but you could use outdoor urns, small side tables or stools – anything to vary the height adds so much interest.  
I don’t know if we’ll get a grown up tree decorated this year or not, but I sure had fun putting this one together.  So, how about you, are you a nostalgic or serial decorator?  
       
*Thank you to Hallmark for partnering on this post.  Thanks for supporting the brands that make The Makerista possible!
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The Wood Room is Wood No More + Some Christmas Decor
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Comments

  1. Kimberly Duran says

    This is by far the most stylishly presented 'kid's tree' I've ever seen! It looks beautiful, I love the colour scheme and that tree is just gorgeous. Beautiful job (again)!! xx

  3. Anita says

    Fantastic! Mine is …..yikes, character handblown glass, Italian, Christopher Radko etc. complete with a Pinocchio tree topper. It's a hot mess of fun.

  6. Stephanie Confer says

    Our tree is definitely nostalgic! My dad worked for Hallmark for 40 years, and every year my sister and I got to pick out a new ornament. It's a tradition that I have carried on with my boys. Our tree is decked out with their ornaments, my Peanuts ornaments, and plain Christmas ball ornaments in whatever the color scheme is for the year. It's a fun reflection of our family and still looks pretty too! (BTW, I have the exact same Baby's First Christmas ornament, my mom displayed it every year on our piano.)

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