Christmas Tree Decorating Trends 2014

Gosh, it's been a while since I've blogged. Not that I'm making excuses, but I blame my new full-time job and the task of co-authoring a book, along with my two young kids and desire to stay in touch with my amazing group of friends - oh, and sleep - all of which left literally ZERO minutes to start typing here much these past six months.

Well, to heck with all that, I'm back! I still have kids and a job and the need for rest and personal hygiene, but the book is finally off to the editor/publisher, so that still definitely frees up at least a few minutes per day now to articulate some thoughts for all of you. Thanks for stopping by! I missed you.

What has pulled me back in? Christmas, of course. I really love Christmas trees. No, seriously, I looooove them. I never get sick of Christmas stuff. I've already watched Elf twice this month. The songs in the mall already playing? Love that. Bring 'em on, I say. Those songs are classics, people. If you can get sick of Brenda Lee singing Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, then we probably won't ever be best friends you Scrooge. 

All those decorations already up in the stores? Awesome. Can't get enough. Life is often bland and sometimes sad and awful and the news scares the "bleeping bleep" out of me, so I'm not going to apologize for enjoying the twinkling and sparkling and colourful eye candy that makes the world a prettier place at Christmas time - no I won't.

So back to the trees. Every year I think there's not going to be anything new or exciting that can be done with Christmas Trees that hasn't been done before...and every year I am pleasantly surprised at how the brilliant, creative minds on this earth find a way to prove me wrong. There ARE new and fun and whimsical and stylish things happening again this year, so I'm here to tell you all about them. And...hopefully...inspire you to bring a little of that "prettier place" to the world inside your own little home.  Pardon the scrolling, but I know most of y'all will be on your mobile, so this way you can see all the pics close-up at your leisure rather than in some slow-loading slideshow.

The Pet-Themed Tree

I may not be one of them, but I know there are many people out there who consider their pets to be as much a part of their family as any human being, so I totally get why you might want to have a tree to celebrate that.

Gilded Golden Goldyness

There aren't many times when you can parade a bunch of gold stuff in your home without looking like some creepy villain in an Austin Powers movie, so you might as well take the opportunity when Christmas rolls around. (p.s. Owls are back again this year too. I still don't know why...)

Variations of Blue

I love mixing it up with some blues at Christmas. If you - or a member of your household - also happens to be of the Jewish faith, this is a great way to compromise the heresy of having a tree because you are at least incorporating Hanukkah colours, right? That may - MAY - even prevent your Jewish Mother In Law from refusing to come over while the tree is up :) Not that this has happened to any friends of mine, wink wink. Chrismakkah anyone? Ok, now I just miss Seth on the O.C.

Try a blue plaid/polar bear look, or an arctic blue theme with tons of white (so cool and fresh), or try a peacock-themed tree (so rich and elegant looking), or an aquatic-life-inspired tree that will be sure to be a kid-pleaser.

Woodland 2.0

We saw it last year, and it's back. And not just because retailers didn't sell out of it all last year (although that is definitely part of it - don't think I don't remember some of these from last year you sneaky retailers). Grab some twigs and felt and fur and wool and a few woodland creatures and you've got the perfect tree for the cottage if you ask me.  Reds & browns, or whites & browns tend to work best.

Chalkboard Messages

You'll find these hanging Christmas-shaped chalkboards - both as ornaments and as wall art - in many stores this year. Add your own personal message and you've got some nice customization in your decor! Note: these scarves are adorable as garland, no?

Ombre and Colour-Blocking

Pick a few colours and be sure to get a taller tree, then layer the colours in equal segments to achieve a cool ombre or colour-blocked look. So stylish and simple (not to mention affordable) because you can achieve impact with just balls alone.

The Upside Down Christmas Tree

Hey...why not?  I mean, if you have the handiness to somehow attach your tree to the ceiling or create some type of mounting mechanism, I say go for it. It's definitely a conversation starter if you're having a party, and if you hang lots of long, dangly icicles it looks absolutely stunning.

Ode-to-an-80's-Mom Tree

I don't know why this happened, but every mom in suburban North America got infected with some kind of virus that made them want to decorate every room in their home with forest green and dusty rose in the 80's. December is on a Thursday this year, so why not make it a #throwbackthursday with this blast-from-the-past look.

Super Red

Tone on tone red red red! If you love red, then by all means, go overboard and really make a statement here. Maybe you're a Game of Thrones fan and you want to pay homage to Red Wedding. Whatever your motivation, just do me a favour and think about the rest of the decor in the room you're putting the tree in, because if it's not neutral, you could have yourself some kind of four-alarm clash-attack by doing this.

Ginormous Oversized Ornaments

I'll finish off with my favourite new trend this year, which is to basically grab anything huge and colourful and not too heavy from your home and stuff it into your tree. I'm actually totally into this. Grab some festive pillows or some stockings or stuffed animals or a giant reindeer head, and throw 'em on! You're in for a visual treat that will wow adults and mesmerize the kids.

Sorry again for the mega-scroll. Thanks to my trio of always-awesome holiday idea stores for letting me take paparazzi photos of all your trees as usual: Terra, Holland Park and Centro Garden (all in Burlington) - your creative teams never disappoint!

Hope you found some fun inspiration and are looking forward to making your 2014 Christmas Tree something special! Cheers to the holidays!!!

~xo