Tell a story with your holiday display

By Catalogs Editorial Staff

Tips to tell a story with your holiday display this season

Decorating your home marks the beginning of another festive season filled with smiles, warmth and fun. Time to pull out last year?s ornaments and crafts, figure out what you?d like to use again and where there?s room for a few new touches.

Before you start placing decorations in the same place they go every single year, consider a new approach. Tell a story with holiday display accessories and your home will have an entirely new feel this year. Besides enjoying a fresh look, the process of creating these arrangements is a chance to revisit old traditions or simply let your imagination come out to play

Examples of visual holiday storytelling include the beautiful window displays some department stores put up, scenes in town squares with giant ornaments and even thoughtful lighting displays. Some tell a tale of religious significance while others pay tribute to classic movies or snapshots of moments we all look forward to ? like the first snow day of the year or baking cookies with grandma.

Where to begin

To tell a story effectively it helps to know beforehand what that story is. Frame it with a fun title. Whether it?s a specific idea with a beginning, middle and end like ?Baby?s First Christmas? or something more general as in ?Holiday Love?, selecting a title will ensure there?s continuity from room to room.

Choose the plot points

Every story has a few strong plot points to give it structure and keep it interesting. Tell a story with your holiday display by decorating according to the scenes that compose your story. Think of each room as a significant scene and use this as a jumping off point to recreate a moment, mood or sense of place.

Say your theme extends from Christmas Eve to going behind the scenes. You may consider setting up a display with elves building toys, singing songs and bubbling over with excitement. The overall look of the room could have an animated feel with cheerful accessories like a bright, fluffy rug and over-sized pillows. Use tables, shelf tops and other surfaces to arrange elves singing or readying reindeer with some holiday spirit.

Who are the characters?

The best stories have a hero or heroine. Tell the story of your baby?s first holiday or maybe your family?s first holiday in a new home and put the faces you love front and center. Use mementos for focal points – frame a photo of the first snowman built in the front yard and hang little baby booties from the mantle.

An eye-catching cover

They say don?t judge a book by its cover, but sometimes it?s hard not to. A lovely cover makes you curious about what?s inside; it makes you want to find out what happens next. Exterior lights are the first thing evening visitors will see, so think of them as the cover to this tale you can?t wait to tell.

Set the tone for a sweet, nostalgic trip down memory lane with the same big colorful bulbs your parents hung over the front porch. Stage a dreamy, whimsical start to winter with romantic, twinkling lights. Create a winter wonderland with an over-the-top combination of giant glowing candy canes, angels, ice cycles and strings of lights.

This year, shake up the decorating routine and tell a story with your holiday display. Indulge in what you love most about this time of year by sharing it with others and inspiring them to do the same. If you get stuck, step away and come back with fresh eyes. Who says a display has to be finished in an afternoon?

Don?t worry if every element of your story doesn?t translate. The sentiment will.