My Christmas Mantel Decorations

By Jen

Due to my Pinterest obsession, I have begun trying to make my house look more pin-worthy. (Yes, Pinterest, I blame you for all this extra work.)  Obviously, this has to also include Christmas decorations.  Here is my fireplace mantel, decorated for Christmas. (Yes, I know Christmas is over.)

{All pictures are my own.  Obviously.}

The poinsettias and the evergreen garland are real and I bought them at Home Depot on Black Friday.  (Secret: go to Home Depot on Black Friday.  Real wreaths (by my front door) are $5 each, the garland was $5, and the poinsettias?  One dollar.  That is right.  But don't go to Home Depot before me on Black Friday.  I don't do anything like get up at midnight to go to Home Depot so I do not want them to be sold out when I meander in at about nine-thirty.)  The garland is wrapped with twinkle lights that I had on hand. 

If you like my Christmas stockings, you will need to bother my mother to get her to make you some.  And yes, she loves me enough (or I just bothered her enough) that she also made handmade, appliqued Christmas stockings for my dogs (that is why we have five instead of three). 

This wreath was on the cover of Woman's Day magazine this year.  It is made out of paper straws and was really not that difficult to make.  I think it took me about forty-five minutes one night?  But it looks fantastic and I really like it.  And yes, in the pictures, you can see a few unsightly gaps in the straws.  But you don't really notice them in person. 

The stockings are hung on a curtain rod that is suspended under the mantel by some of those removable hooks.  I saw on Pinterest that someone had hung a curtain rod from two stocking holders on their mantel and then hung all their stockings from that rod.  And I thought it was a genius idea.  So I went out and got two pretty stocking holders (forget the six I already owned- they did not match with my artistic vision) and a cheap curtain rod and we were in business.  But then my husband was standing next to it and he barely brushed against it and the whole thing fell down.  Three times in about ten minutes.  So I scrapped the stocking holders and bought the little hooks.  (They are these hooks because they swivel and will hang straight down from above.) 

Things I Liked This Year and Will Repeat:

• The garland. 
• The stockings from the curtain rod and hooks.  This ROCKS.  And we had two small toddlers over the other day who were swinging the stockings and they did not fall.  Now, the curtain rod will fall if you put any kind of pressure on it, but general touching and gentle messing with will be okay.  And if it does fall, it is not a heavy stocking holder that is going to whack a kid in the head. 
• The straw starburst wreath.  I will be buying one of those plastic wreath holders to store it specifically, safe from all the other decorations. 

Things I Did Not Like This Year and Will Be Altering for Next Year:

• The poinsettias.  I think they look nice.  But our heat vent is right above them and it is killing them.  They are annoying to water because they aren't in proper pots with something to catch the overflow.  (See also: cost $1.  I have to take them off the mantel and put them into the sink to water them to keep the water from leaking onto our mantel and ruining it.  Yes, I could buy real pots which would solve this problem, but it is mainly the heat killing them that is the real problem.  And I am not going heatless in December for beauty.) 
• The real garland.  It died on the second day it is up there.  I also had some on our stairs and I took it down and threw it away about two weeks before Christmas.  I will be buying fake garland for next year. 

So I need some other kind of decoration for the mantel for next year.  This year, I had this vision of tealights glittering among the garland, but when I tried it, it looked weird.  I am thinking maybe some decorative trees or reindeer or something like that.  Something kind of elegant.  Anyone have any ideas?  I need to look at the after-Christmas sales this year and they are going on right now. 

 

Comments

[elz]

3 suggestions (1&2 require moving the wreath): 1) Holly Mathis (Holly Mathis Interiors) used a beautiful canvas printed with O Holy Night, how about one in red with whatever holiday song, poem, saying you like best, 2) Katie Bower (Bower Power) DIYd a Santa canvas last year, 3) if you really want to keep the wreath there, I would find two nutcrackers or deer and spraypaint them red. Alternately, find a sleigh, spraypaint in red and add glitter pinecones.

Also, you can get (FREE) tree trimmings from Lowe's and Home Depot and wire them into fake garlands for a fresh feel and smell.

[elz]

Oh, or- use apothecary jars and either fill them (one flanking each side) with ornaments or candies, or just wrapping trim. Or, use large hurrcianes, put epsom salt in the bottom and white pillar candles inside. That would look nice.