Livinghouse

Some families like to go over the top with their Christmas decorations – we’ve all seen those houses swarming with lights.

Are you more moderate in your decorating attempts? The decorations go hand in hand with the traditions associated with Christmas…

Bringing in the green

One ancient custom is that of bringing in greenery during the Christmas period which also coincides with pre-Christian celebrations such as Yule and the Winter Solstice. Evergreens such as pine, holly and ivy were a sign of good luck and were traditionally brought into the home for that reason. When Christianity introduced Christmas it absorbed earlier traditions giving them a new slant, i.e. the heart-shaped leaves of the ivy were said to represent God’s love and the holly to represent the Crown of Thorns Christ wore for the crucifixion complete with the red berries representing his blood. In our multi-cultural society with few adhering to strict Christian customs the original meanings have been lost. But we still love to decorate our homes and make them look special for the festive season.

Decorating the home

Whilst red, green and gold – a present from one of the Wise Men – are the traditional colours of Christmas, now anything goes. Lights and candles still seem to feature prominently with other symbols of the season ranging from stars (originally from the one followed by the Wise Men), angels, reindeer and Santa. White has become a popular seasonal colour representing snow and frost. There is nothing prettier than a recreated winter wonderland as part of the festive decorations.

Decorations in the bathroom

Would you decorate your bathroom for the festive period? Just a touch wouldn’t be too difficult or intrusive in what you might otherwise consider a functional room. Here are a couple of suggestions:

• An indoor wreath on the outside of the bathroom door welcoming visitors
• A collection of baubles hung from ribbons that tone with your bathroom colour scheme hanging in the window or above the mirror
• A beautiful orchid in a pot which you have covered in Christmas paper
• A Christmas Santa stood next to your basins

Keep it simple so that they don’t interfere with the tasks the room is used for. This will also keep the look tasteful.

Alternatives to decorating your bathroom for Christmas

You could make it the ultimate pamper zone so that the family weary from Christmas preparations can recover and also pamper their skin which has to face the winter weather. If it is the guest bathroom that visitors will use, add some little touches for them such as pretty guest soaps, a pile of face cloths to use as hand towels (and the basket to collect used ones) and hand cream to ensure hands are soft and smooth. Make your guest bathroom like that of a top class hotel. Whichever way you choose to enhance your bathroom for Christmas remember that by 12^th night (5^th January) you can return to normal.