Indoor displays

Well it’s time to really get serious about your displays, both inside and out. Now, why in the world should we think about the inside, especially with all the time and work associated with doing the BIG display outside?

There are many reasons to also consider doing an indoor display. First and foremost, who can walk into a home that is all decked out for the holidays and not smile? Indoor decorations add so much to the holidays, i.e. villages, Santa collections, etc. They become family traditions with pieces passed down from generation to generation. The little ones get so excited over setting up the village or the nativity; make sure you let them help. It will build memories for them to cherish year after year. Then there are the ornaments for the tree that were purchased when they were babies or the ones grandma used to hang on the tree when you were little. All of this just adds to the joys of the holiday season.

Many of the really over-the-top indoor decorators have collections that they only bring out during the holidays. My mother, a school teacher, had so many Santas given to her by her students during her 45 year career. I was lucky enough to be on the receiving end when she moved into a small apartment and had no room for them. That collection of about 50 Santas has since grown to over 450 pieces of all sizes. Needless to say, they only come out during the holidays and it’s so much fun to see them again. It brings back so many memories of when and where they were bought or received as gifts. It’s always fun to try to display them differently every year. These collections add memories to your indoor display while providing a challenge of how to display them to make your holidays that much more special.

Planning is as important for the indoor display as it is for the outside displays. No, you don’t have to worry about spending hour upon hour on your computers synchronizing music and creating a light show but you do have to plan your set up for the inside of your home. Make sure that you take into consideration traffic flow and potential fire hazards, especially if you use lots of candles or have a fireplace in your home. If you have animals, especially cats that like to climb, be especially careful of pieces that could be knocked over. Believe me a cat climbing up the center of your carefully decorated tree is not funny. Been there done that.

Doing an indoor display and decking out your entire home for the holidays takes time and planning. You can do a little or go way over the top. In either case it can and should be fun for you and a labor of love. You decide on what, when and how much to decorate the interior. Some will do the regular tree, maybe a village or nativity or both, others will take on multiple trees, displaying collections handed down through the years and on and on and on. Whichever you chose to do, you will find that it brightens everyone’s day.

Indoor decorating can be done in themes, colors, whatever you like. It doesn’t have to please anyone but you and your family. I have been doing indoor displays for my entire married life (that’s 44 consecutive Christmases). I started small because we were on a young enlisted soldiers income and it has grown over the years to so many decorations I wouldn’t even want to guess how many there are. I love each and every piece and my children and grandchildren all have their favorites that they can’t wait for me to bring out each year. My husband has gotten used to it and even though he won’t admit it, loves it when the home is decorated and the entire family, as well as our community, is in the holiday spirit.

Now, sit down and talk with your family. Find out what they like, what your children remember from previous years and what they all want to see and help with. Make it a family tradition and I can guarantee you that you all will love it and do it year after year.

Next time, we’ll tackle, how to get started, what theme or colors should we use and where you can get some great ideas. Make this fun and it will turn out to be a wonderful experience for the entire family.

This article was included in the November 2011 issue of PlanetChristmas Magazine.

By Marilyn Caron