The holidays are the time when the house is a buzz with excitement. The girls look forward to picking out that special tree. Stockings are hung, the baking begins, and music abounds.  Over the years I have also found sprucing up the often overlooked areas of the house really adds another dimension to the overall look. I try to use items with a wintry appeal, not just holiday ornamentation, so they can be enjoyed a whole season. An item with some whimsy or history really adds a punch when you look at your in aggregate.

The trees below are made of recycled sunflower stalks painted green with just a touch of glitter for sparkle. I paired them with a brass meat dome to accentuate the gold glitter and hint at the wonderful meals to come.

The piece below is German piece from my husband’s childhood. You light the candles and the heat from the flames makes the propellor on top move and sets the singing angles below aswirl like a merry go round. My husband states he and his brother use to watch it in action for hours when they were little.

Santa brought another to our house last year. They really are a lot of fun. Now several of their cousins also have one as well. 

The guys below are my winter wizards. I have placed them on a silver tray. In addition to defining them, depending on the light around it completely transforms their look from gold and warm to cool and frosty. I found them in Paris one winter I had to opportunity to be there. If you have never been there in December, it is quite magical with the Eiffel Tower aglow, a giant lit ferris wheel, and heated tents all around serving shrimp and various crudities. They take me back to those memories each time I walk by. 

Their appearance changes with the light at different times of the day which only makes them seem more magical. 

The kids love nutcrackers and have since they were little. This collection has evolved over the years. The Pinocchio on the far right is a reminder of a trip to Italy from whence he came. They are more masculine in appearance than many of the glittery ornaments and as such look fabulous in a wooden study or library. They also look handsome by the holiday bar.

Serving ware not in use is also an attractive vessel for holiday ornamentation. A few glass balls and you can add a fun splash of color, sparkle, and visual delight to a typically unassuming corner of a room.

In the dining room it is fun to decorate with food. The children made this topiaries out of gumdrops. They echo the shape of the orbs overhead nicely.

Here, next to the mail on the mudroom table a basket filled with tree decorations no longer in use add whimsy to the work table in the house.

Have fun decorating.

If you feel inspired by the ideas above, check out some of the items below. If you are interested in a particular item, there is an embedded link in each picture to make it convenient for you to click on the item and get in time for the holidays.

From Richard Glässer… I could only find them on their German site…

   

Winter fellows in genuinely Erzgebirgi manual work from Seiffen…

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From Kurt Adler and Steinbach…

     

If you desire even more whimsy…

   

Mercury ornaments…

   

 

Candy  topairies…

 

And if you feel inspired to make your own nutcracker…