Ahhh Fall – Fall Decorating and Tradition
If you’ll recall, I published a blog last year about holiday decorating. Butting up against the Christmas holiday with all things red and green, we talked about candles and how to incorporate color and texture for the season. However, one of my personal favorite times of year is the fall. After the heat of the summer, the fall presents a wonderful respite. It’s the time of year when life seems to sit back and sigh.
The Colors of Autumn
Fall brings about some of the finest colors in the rainbow. The warmth of reds, rusts and golds create a feeling of comfort. Add to that the wonderful scents of pumpkin spiced everything and who can help themselves as they bask in that late afternoon sunlight? As the fall holiday season approaches, it’s always fun to pull out the cornucopia and place it on the dining room table. This, along with the other traditional colors and decorations for the season, present you with the opportunity to create a warm, inviting environment for friends and family.
Creating a fresh fall atmosphere in your home isn’t as difficult or expensive as one may think. With simple changes to the existing decor, you can create and enjoy a fabulous, new environment. Consider three of the five senses sight, smell and touch. Fall is not only the time for warm, vibrant color but also of texture, and one cannot forget the aromatics from apple pies and cinnamon. All of nature’s elements compliment anyone’s decor.
The changing out of throw pillows is an amazing and simple way to recreate your space. Fall’s textures are rough and natural incorporating things like burlap, heavy twine, pine cones, feathers and corn husks. Burlap is a wonderful fall decor accessory. Using it to make simple slip covers for your existing dining room chairs or using it in strips as ties for reed-type arrangements brings that fall feeling into your environment. Take those wonderful textures and build out a cluster on your mantle or in your favorite piece of pottery.
Tradition and Custom of the Season
A little research about the traditions of the fall holidays finds some very interesting information about the catalysts of the season’s décor and customs.
The Cornucopia – The cornucopia’s symbolism fits perfectly with the appreciation of food and abundance that characterizes the Thanksgiving holiday. A symbol dating back to the ancient Greeks, the cornucopia signifies abundance, fertility, and the harvest. Cornucopias as decoration provide an opportunity for a great deal of creativity. They are traditionally filled with flowers, fruits, and fall vegetables, but the possibilities are endless.
Pumpkins and Gourds – Another reflection of fall history as a harvest celebration is the presence of fall fruits such as gourds. Pumpkins are native to North America, and as such are an appropriate decoration for American Thanksgiving tables. Certainly, many holiday tables will be graced with pumpkin in pie form! Many gourds are especially suited to use as decorations for fall because of their rich autumnal colors. Special white varieties are making an appearance in recent years to add a modern twist to this tradition.
Wheat – It’s a quintessential symbol of the autumn harvest, and wheat can be incorporated into a variety of Thanksgiving decorations. Sheaves of dried wheat can create a beautiful holiday wreath or provide the perfect accent for a cozy arrangement of autumn-colored flowers.
Corn – Corn was likely part of the first Thanksgiving celebration held by the Pilgrims and it appears as a dish in many Thanksgiving meals today. But when it comes to its decorating uses, corn doesn’t come only in yellow! There are beautiful and variously colored cobs of corn available for the fall season. Use dried ears of this colorful corn to add a touch of the harvest to a centerpiece or use them as decorative ornaments on their own.
And do remember to decorate outside using nature’s bounty by configuring pumpkins, gourds, hay bales and fall mums to replace your summer flowers. This is a terrific outdoor decorating idea to compliment the interior scheme.
Once completed, sit back, grab a novel and a yummy pumpkin spiced latte. Ahhh….