The Year Christmas Turned Red
That was a hint about red Christmas decorations. Why else would she say, “Things have gotten whiter through the years”? After her keen observation, she went on to ask for some conventional decorations. I aimed to satisfy that request.
Red Christmas decorations capture the spirit of the season in a well-known tradition. Yet, somehow through the years, I ended up with mainly white decor.
There was never a plan for white, gold, or silver to take the place of red, green, and sparkle. Despite that, for at least two decades, they did. Today, I’m bringing you memories of the year our Christmas decorations turned primarily red.
That year, Christmas trimmings took the form of bows, faux berries, and roses in every nook and cranny. These pictures record my efforts to move from white to red Christmas decor in record time.
Red Decorations for a Charlie Brown-Style Christmas Tree
Christmas is the season of giving, and I wanted to honour my daughter’s wishes. All the ideas I envisioned showed up in red, and the Christmas tree topped the list. It was an artificial tree that earned the nickname Charlie Brown over the years.
The tree had been around for more than twenty years, and it had lost much of its faux pine needles.
Each year, decorating it brought pleasure, and it turned into a delightful challenge to fill in the gaps and make the scraggly tree look grand.
Christmas is the season for giving, and red decorations made a fitting holiday gift. A collection of usable items sat on hand, though most were white. Below are more photos of the ideas that came to mind the year our Christmas decor turned red.
I Didn’t Want to Spend Much
The plan called for spending a minimal amount of money, since this was a one-time effort. I felt sure decorations would return to all-white the following year.
That Christmas, I displayed every red hue I could find, tucking them into every nook and cranny. One of the best finds turned out to be a red berry wreath from the thrift store, priced at $4.00 CDN. It was missing a few berries here and there.
That flaw worked in my favour: once home, I dismantled the wreath, and every berry in these pictures comes from it. Each project came together on the spot.
Nothing Is Too Humble
Coffee bottles filled with faux snow and bright red berries also served as Christmas decorations, a last-minute touch that cost next to nothing.
When my daughter saw it, she called it my own take on convention. I chose to take that as a compliment.
Returning to the colours we grew up seeing at Christmastime felt good. Now I have a question for you: have we all, at some level, leaned away from red in our Christmas decorations in recent years?
For a long stretch, our home’s decor moved through gold and cream, then silver and white, and eventually settled into white on white with green foliage. That palette brings a quiet serenity to the season and simplifies my life.
A Christmas Kitchen in Red Decor Style
Much of what happens at Christmas starts in the kitchen, so the kitchen received its share of red decorations too.
I hope this collection sparks some Christmas decor ideas for you. Explore projects you can make with inexpensive materials. Imagination, paper, acrylic craft paints, and items you already own can create Christmas magic.
[image] Faux red grapes hung under a kitchen cabinet add some Christmas cheer.
Remember, Christmas always comes back around, so now is as good a time as any to start your decorating projects.
As always, thank you for taking the time to stop by.
If the Lord will, I’ll see you the next time around.