If you need to thank the people who gave you awesome gifts for Christmas, the best way is still a thank-you note. Everyone loves receiving things in the mail, and a note is much more personal than an email or phone call. Here are some of MLuxe’s favorites.
Black and white damask is a classic and elegant pattern.
This unusual color guarantees that your thank you notes will stand out.
This fun holiday thank you note can be customized!
Holiday Guide: 8 Table Setting and Tablescape Ideas
Casa Sugar
“After spending hours cooking the perfect Christmas dinner, you’ll want your table to look the best it possibly can. Luckily a few simple tricks, like lining the table with candles or making festive paper Christmas trees, will bring that extra touch. In this holiday guide, we’ve gathered 10 inspiring table settings that will get you thinking about your own designs. Whether you like bold metallics or understated displays, we made sure there’s something for everyone.”
Surprise Surprise Light
Design Sponge
“This “Surprise Surprise” light at Gretel Home is a fun little spin on a present-topping tradition. Made of Mylar with a white textile cord, it would be a fun piece to mount in a child’s room — or an adult’s room — next to the bed as a more playful nightlight. That corner of your room will always feel festive.”
5 Tips for Cutting Your Own Christmas Tree
Charles & Hudson
Safety first! Charles & Hudson shows you how to safely and effectively cut your own Christmas tree.
How To: Impress Everyone with Perfect Gift Wrapping
Curbly
“Because I became an expert sheet-tucker, I inadvertently became pretty darn good at wrapping presents too- the technique is one in the same.”
Holiday Ornaments: Classic
Apartment Therapy
“The holidays are the perfect time to show off your love of tradition. Even staunch modernists have been known to throw away their minimalist rules for something that reflect fond childhood memories or traditional, cultural designs.”
Now that Thanksgiving has passed and December has arrived, you can join your overzealous neighbors in proudly displaying Christmas decor.
If you’re like some of us here in Minnesota enjoying a mild autumn and you fear hanging Christmas lights and decorating a tree will only encourage winter’s arrival, here are some ideas to kick-start your holiday spirit:
Nostalgia for sale – Christmas ornaments should be somewhere near the top of the list of most commonly inherited family items. For those who get nostalgic during the holiday season, CasaSugar has a roundup of ornaments you might recognize from your childhood, along with price and availability.
Christmas decorating ideas to last the winter – If you dread the tedium of hanging decorations that will be taken down and put away just weeks later, Calfinder has some cool decorating ideas that can last well past Christmas. Our favorite: Stringing pine cones and hanging them from the mantel. Simple, tasteful, energy efficient, but still bursting with merriment.
A Christmas tree for every room – A giant Fraser fir in the living room is nice, but The Haystack Needle says spread the Christmas love this year with potted trees, big and small, positioned throughout the home. Imagine that crisp, refreshing smell of pine in every room.
[Image from The Haystack Needle]
How many battles will be lost to Christmas trees this holiday season?
Between all the sap stains, fallen pine needles and horror stories about house fires that started with a dried-out Christmas tree, it’s a wonder we even bother.
But it’s a tradition, right? If not for the Christmas tree, where would the gifts go, along with the ornaments, lights and candy canes?
For those not up for the hassle of erecting a 12-foot Evergreen in their living room, here are some fresh takes more inspired than the traditional green plastic Christmas tree:
(from Shelterrific)
This fake bonsai tree is Christmas gone minimalist, but it works well in a smaller room or as a centerpiece. The sparsity of the tree creates a charm like something from A Charlie Brown Christmas.
(from DigsDigs)
BUILD, a Seattle-based architecture firm, came up with this plywood Christmas tree made of two leaves that notch together. There’s no trouble with establishing ornamental symmetry here and the lighter wood really makes the ornaments pop.
(from Remodelista)
This Christmas tree, made from recycled wood planks, gives Christmas a rustic feel perfect for a cabin on the lake. There’s very little of the traditional red-and-green seasonal colors, yet it still feels festive and lively.
Of course, no matter what you go with — real or alternative — it’s not about the Christmas tree, but rather the people gathered around it.
During December, the Christmas tree becomes the focal point of many people’s homes and seasonal decorations. Many people have their own eclectic tastes with traditional family ornaments. But for those who want to pull together a professional-looking or themed tree, it can be hard to know how to begin. Luckily there are numerous experts out there to help!
For a slideshow of some great trees, we recommend Country Living’s guide. Over 30 photos of various themes and colors should get your creative juices flowing!
Better Homes and Gardens offers a video tutorial on the best way to trim your tree with style and panache:
Do you have any favorite family tree decorating traditions? Let us know in the comments. Happy Holidays!
Colder weather isn’t the only culprit for escalating energy bills come December. No one ever said Christmas spirit was cheap.
Outdated Christmas lights can be a major power drain compared to modern, energy efficient lights. In fact, according to HGTV.com, “a household with an extravagant Christmas light display will spend enough money to heat and power an average house for six weeks.”
But that doesn’t mean anyone should skip Christmas lights altogether and just become the neighborhood Scrooge. Instead, cost savvy and environmentally aware Christmas enthusiasts alike are starting to switch to LED Christmas lights, and the benefits are numerous.
LED Christmas lights can last up to 20 years, use 10 percent of the energy and produce significantly less carbon dioxide compared to incandescent Christmas lights. They also put off considerably less heat, reducing the risk of a fire. This year, many retailers are offering rebates when consumers exchange incandescent lights to go LED.
What’s more: LED lights really pop. We’re talking high-definition compared to analog.
So, for those keeping score at home, LED Christmas lights are brighter, cheaper, safer and more energy efficient.
It turns out some Christmas shopping can be simple.
Merry Christmas from all of us here at MLuxe! We’ll be back with our regularly scheduled posting on Monday. Until then, enjoy some Christmas cheer via It’s A Wonderful Life.
Christmas traditions are numerous and varied: trimming the tree, singing carols and waiting for Santa to come. For many people, one of the most treasured and passed-down traditions are Christmas cookies. Christmas is only a few days away, but it is easy to whip up a few batches of your favorite seasonal treats.
Epicurious offers 25 recipes for Christmas cookies–plenty to choose from!
If you want to swap your delicious Christmas cookies, consider a cookie exchange. Better Home and Gardens has some helpful hints for a successful party:
Happy baking!
