Candy Counts!

By Mary Taggart

Mark Holleron for Ottawa At Home MagazineOf course, Christmas is for children…I know that and as the mother of four I have honoured that sentiment throughout the holiday season for years and years…and years…but, never at the expense of my décor. 

My children are older now, but even in the toddler years I refused to sacrifice my decorating style to let the children’s tastes dictate our holiday look! Don’t get me wrong, our home is always festive and full of Christmas cheer, it just isn’t done in a homemade crafty way! 

I don’t deny the traditional fun that stringing popcorn and cranberries for garlands brings to family togetherness. I just don’t like the look of them… In our home there are always two Christmas trees. One sits on the main floor, decorated with coordinated ornaments, ribbons and clear lights. The other, found in the basement, where a craft table is set with ongoing opportunities for creating, is an evolution of eclectic merriment! The basement provides the harmony that balances my more sophisticated decorating style with the children’s desire to showcase their own style.

The main floor of our home always offers a base of tasteful holiday décor, but layered beneath the tasteful is fun and whimsy so that children embrace the look too. This is done with ease and simplicity all thanks to one of the most wonderful elements of the season…food!

Does food count as décor? Oh yes it does! Food and the holiday season go together like red and green! Think candy cane, nuts, gingerbread, gumdrops and bonbons’! 

Come the first of December I keep a never ending supply of candy in dishes scattered around the house, vases are not only filled with flowers but candy canes too! Nutcrackers are whimsical tools placed next to nut filled baskets and our kitchen table sports a homemade ginger bread house as a centerpiece unlike the dining table that showcases a more formal floral display.

Decorating for the holidays with taste and style, while appealing to a child’s spirit is all about striking a balance to embrace the whimsy and play with spirited elements in appropriate amounts. It’s all about personal taste when determining just what that amount is. For some there is a high tolerance for crafty child friendly décor, for others that level is low and that is where the beauty of a basement or a designated ‘free style’ room becomes very appealing! 

Mary Taggart is Editor in Chief of Ottawa At Home magazine www.ottawaathome.ca