A Rural Christmas home
When decorating a rural home for Christmas, you need to create an old fashioned and peaceful atmosphere. A rural Christmas is a town parade, a town Christmas tree. Decorating a rural home for Christmas requires a bit of imagination, a bit of nostalgia and a bit of whimsy. Take these suggestions and make them your own. Expand on them, recreate them. Even if you are in the city, you can create a little bit of a rural Christmas home.
Pine Cones And Greenery
In rural areas, pine cones are as plentiful as tree leaves. These free decorations can be used in many ways. Use thin wire to string them together and drape them over doorways. You can cover the wire with red or green ribbon and bows. Arrange them in baskets with small bits of greenery. An open pine cone can hold a dinner place card.
Pine branches, ivy, holly and the other Christmas greens grow wild in the rural areas and many have gardens full of them. Again the wire comes into play. Make your own garlands and drape them over the front door, around the doorways inside, over that bannister etc. You can add on bows in a country fabric like gingham. They also make great displays in tall vases. Not only are they visually appealing, but they add a fragrance that makes the house very Christmassy.
Outdoor Sleigh
In rural areas, there is plenty of room for large outdoor displays. And one of the favourites is an old fashioned sleigh. Look around. Authentic sleighs are not that hard to find. You would be surprised to see what is lurking in an old barn. It may need a bit of fixing up, but that makes a great family project. Antique shops are also a good source. Fill the sleigh with anything Christmas. An outdoor snowman, a small tree, squares of wood painted to look like Christmas packages, and an elf or three. Use your imagination.
Tree Decorations And Table Settings
Tree ornaments with a rural theme are easy to find and/or make. Felt ornaments are easy to make. Just use your Christmas cookie cutters as a template, cut out two for each ornament. Sew them together, fill them with quilt stuffing and decorate. You can outline them with rickrack, use buttons for the gingerbread men’s eyes etc. Birds are natural but do not use real birds nests. Birds do use them year after year. In this case, leave nature alone. Take small branches from the greens and form them into tiny wreaths. Put branches of holly throughout the tree.
Table decorations are minimal They have to be because a rural Christmas dinner takes up most of the table. A simple table cloth with a runner down the middle and a big plate for all the fixings. To much clutter on a rural table will just mean there is no room for anything else.
Making It Homely With Old Fashioned Santas And Cosy Blankets
Old Fashioned Decorations like Santas, Victorian and Father Christmas style. Stuffed ones on the sofa, small ones on the tree, wooden cutouts in the corner and by the fireplace. All Things Christmas has some great Old Fashioned Santas that you can print up and use as decorations.
Christmas in a rural home is all about the atmosphere. And what is more rural than curling up in a rocker in front of a roaring fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa, wrapped in a Christmas afghan. I like to make my own and one of my favourite places to get them is The Tartan Blanket Co. They have kits for every level of experience. You can also buy ready-made throws and Afghans online.
Outdoor Lights
Small outdoor lights seem to have more of an impact in the dark rural nights than brighter ones. Small lights strung through an outdoor pine tree, across the porch railings, over the door lend a peaceful feeling to the dark hours. And they are very dark in rural areas. No street lights to compete with, so each one of them has more of an impact.
