Christmas trees branch out in a trend of home forests

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This article was published 08/12/2021 (1752 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Lora Currie has an unspoken credo when it comes to Christmas trees: the more the merrier.

She turns her family home into a festive faux forest with more than three dozen trees, ranging from tiny bottle-brush conifers to her grandmother’s vintage ceramic creation and a big Burberry-bedecked dazzler in red, gold, black and white.

“If it stays still long enough, it’s getting a tree on it,” the decorator and entrepreneur jokes about the shelves, tabletops and even the kitchen fridge in her house near Whitby where the yuletide symbols sprout.

For many celebrants of the season like Currie, the tradition of heralding the holidays with one big tree in the living room has given way to a proliferation of three, four or more trees.

And why not? Sparkly lights, kaleidoscopic colours and whiffs of fresh greenery can trigger a spike in the so-called happy hormone, dopamine, boosting moods and feelings of well-being.

Both real and artificial trees can boost the fa-la-la quotient in any room — even a home office where a fir in holiday finery can serve as a seasonal backdrop for video calls.

“I just love the twinkling lights, the sparkle and cosy glow,” says Currie, a festive season enthusiast with a lifelong passion for decorating. Her first tree usually goes up right after Halloween in the home she shares with husband John Currie, children James, 19, Fiona, 15, and Jack, nine, and family pet, Mr. B, a Jack Russell-shih tzu cross.

The big artificial tree goes in the corner of the family/living room beside the fireplace, with decorations and colours that change each year. In the dining room, she’s repeated last year’s winter wonderland theme with a glittery, white-flocked tree.

Other spaces are spruced up with her ever-growing collection of trees “that speak to me,” says Currie, listing mercury glass, bejeweled, pearlized and cone trees, and a “beautiful, unique” driftwood piece in the front hallway.

“If you love it, if it makes your heart happy, do it,” she urges home decorators, noting that a tree can go anywhere as long as it’s not a hazard.

When budgets are tight, “get a tree from a dollar store and make it as crafty as you want it.” And when space is tight, skinny pencil or wall-mounted types work well, she says. Potted live trees are another option for small spaces.

Every year Currie’s husband usually surprises her with an “adorable, knee-high real tree” for the bedroom.

“I love the smell,” says the founder of online boutique, Driftwood Décor, which sells long-lasting organic soy candles.

Cue the Christmas tree growers, who are seeing more families enjoying an outing to a tree farm. Millennials and the younger generation in particular are starting new traditions in a quest for planet-friendly, fresh-cut trees for their apartment, condo or house, according to spokesperson Shirley Brennan.

“Demand has been up hugely,” inspired partly by the pandemic and a desire to get into the holiday spirit, says Brennan, executive director of the Christmas Tree Farmers of Ontario.

She says last year’s supply issues are being repeated this year due to nature’s impact, transportation challenges, fuel costs and other factors.

Brennan asks tree shoppers to “please have patience with the industry because we didn’t anticipate this growth” in demand.

Have an open mind and be flexible in your choice of a tree, she advises, adding that preferred sizes and types — Fraser firs, for example — may not be available.

No such supply issues for Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist, who sourced the first of several real trees for her Pickering home from a friend’s farm in mid-November. Such is the life of a blogger, whose “Life is a Party” website features inspiring photos and ideas for everything from crafts and recipes to entertaining and gardening.

“They’re a mess, needles everywhere, but they smell great and I embrace the imperfections of wild trees,” says the self-described tree lover, who grew up with Christmas trees from her grandma’s farm.

While a fresh nine-footer commands the spotlight in her living room, dozens of artificial ones adorn the Pickering house where Nicolle-Ramjist lives with her husband, two teenaged daughters and Havanese dog.

Last year she arranged more than 70 throughout the main floor, with others in the forest-themed basement family room. This year the tally topped 85, prompting her to ask: “Oh my goodness, am I the crazy Christmas tree lady?”

Her collection includes minis on the mantel, birch branches, wood creations and folding honeycomb paper versions.

Trees work with every style of decor, whether it’s traditional, boho, minimalist or glam, according to Nicolle-Ramjist, who suggests grouping various-sized pretend trees in threes or fives on a tray or table runner.

Mixing colours, textures and materials can also add interest to holiday decor.

According to her no-rule approach, “the perfect tree is the tree that’s perfect for you.

“I don’t like to be bound by tradition … change it up, have fun, incorporate current trends — pink is fun for right now.”

In her hands, pretty much anything that can be hung can become an ornament. For example, she’s used wine corks, kids’ mini toys and an old metal tea set as part of a themed look.

Her style this year is “rustic, Scandi, with a bit of vintage thrown in,” says the fan of Scandinavian design and the hygge movement, which aims to boost feelings of cosiness, comfort and contentment.

Using fresh greens, real trees and candles contributes to a cosy indoor environment when winter’s cold and snow set in, she says.

Carola Vyhnak is a Cobourg-based writer covering personal finance, home and real-estate stories. She is a contributor for the Star. Reach her via email: cvyhnak@gmail.com

DIY holiday decor

For blogger Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist, who’s all about helping families make memories through celebrating, “it’s not Christmas without a few DIY projects.”

Whether it’s old-fashioned popcorn garlands, gingerbread ornaments or a tiny forest for a child’s bedroom, there are projects online to suit crafters of all skill levels.

As Nicolle-Ramjist points out, paint “can transform just about anything.”

And a homemade tree can be as simple as a bunch of small spruce branches gathered in a little container covered with burlap and tied with twine.

Here are a few creative ideas from her blog posts, which include tutorials and lists of materials, many of which are available from dollar stores:

 

• Fairy mushroom ornaments can be made from wine corks, craft paint, glitter and eye hooks.

 

 

• Real feathers tucked among the branches make great decorations for a boho look while simple paper ones can be made from pages of an old book, wire and glitter.

 

 

• The tips of pine cones can be painted white to look like snow for a winter wonderland theme. Add a little eye hook to hang them from tree branches.