I've been thinking quite a bit about decorating the kitchen for Christmas, and that does not mean that it has to be this big, ambitious, undertaking. Chances are you already have nearly all the "ornaments" that you need on hand to do the job.
Prior to decorating my own kitchen for Christmas (disclaimer, we moved to this home 3 years ago and have not yet renovated the kitchen so it's definitely not "me") I was a guest on Martha Stewart radio on Monday, December 2nd to talk about this very topic. So, let's get on with the ideas!
Around the same time, I had a lovely offer from Balsam Hill, retailer of artificial Christmas trees to use some of their products in my home. Of course, since the kitchen is usually the poor step sister in terms of Christmas decorating, I thought it was a great topic to share. Here we go!
1. Frame a kitchen window with greens and twinkling lights - or a huge, oversized wreath!
2. Change out dining chair seat cushions, placements and other easily changeable fabrics with holiday colors/motifs.
3. scan the kitchen collectibles on display and replace with holiday themed colorful and decorative items.
4. Don't forget the floor - replace the kitchen rug or runner for the holidays to have a fresh look!
5. Add small twinkling holiday lights around the base of a kitchen island or on the sides and back of an island for a holiday glow.
6. Add a grouping of bulbs to hang just below the bottom of the kitchen table light fixture.
7. Add roping around the kitchen: above the cabinets or under the wall cabinets and tie in dime store kitchen utensils in your favorite holiday color.
8. Gather branches from outdoors, keep natural or spray paint in a holiday color and bundle together with twine and/or add ornaments to the arrangement.
9. Use Japanese Mashing Tape (Washi tape) and tape up past family photos or greeting cards on a wall in the shape of a Christmas tree (a simple triangle shape.)
10. Lots of candles all over - we LOVE the idea of an ebelskiver pan to use as a candle holder when not in service on the stovetop!
11. Hang ornaments or bells on cabinet hardware (ok, not toooo many bells).
12. Paint cardboard fit to size in your holiday color and fit it to the rear of glass door cabinets for a holiday pop of color, easy to remove after the holiday.
In my kitchen, I really enjoyed digging through my kitchen drawers (and combing through the local five and dime store) to find lots of small kitchen utensils to hang on the lovely roping from Balsam Hill. The two small Christmas trees came from them as well, and I think they are a perfect anchor for the shelf on each side.
Of course, anything goes, keep it simple or ambitious, but above all, don't stress! Have fun! The kitchen will thank you for it (it would be nice if it were grateful enough to clean itself...)
