Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from Holiday Handbook! Wishing you and your family a wonderful season full of holiday warmth, cheer, and cookies.

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Christmas Decor: Imperial Purple & Tranquil Blue

A colour scheme for your festive decor can make your decorating more cohesive, and much simpler. Try these various shades of purple and blue.

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Purple is a nontraditional colour for Christmas decor, but the various shades of lilac and amethyst work perfectly with modern decorative themes. To add an elegant touch to any holiday decor, use pale shades of lilac and mauve; the light colours will add a youthful feeling to your interior decor. To create a more mature look to your design, use ornaments in shades of dark mulberry or plum. Use round bulbs in these colours and pour them into a large vase or set them atop a cake platter and place them in the centre of the table, on a mantel, or on the counter; guests will find them exceptionally eye-catching. Also try mixing and matching the different shades of purples and put together your own holiday place settings. 

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Blue is a wonderful colour for Christmas because it works perfectly with the wintry season... so the decorations can be kept up for longer! Start off by making a dinner table covered with icy blues and see where it takes you. Mantels are always a great place to spread holiday cheer, so try using aqua-coloured stockings, or add sapphire bows to the year-round decorations. Live near the sea? Try trimming the tree with shells with hints of blue. For a more traditional flair, use bulbs in darker shades such as royal blue. 

Christmas Decor: Winter White & Playful Pink

Christmas is a wonderful time of year because it brings in a new look to your interior design. Holiday decor is a great way to express yourself during this season, and playing with different colours will truly show off your holiday spirit during the festive months.

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Winter white is a great colour for the holiday season because it gives a sophisticated look to your overall design. Covering the tree with all-white ornaments in shapes such as snowflakes will give it that perfect snow-tipped look. White lights are another classic look that work well with the white theme. For a step further, try a tree with white boughs. Carry this white-theme all through the house including mantels and tables. White candles with ceramic centerpieces are a simple way of bringing holiday cheer to your Christmas dinner. 

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For a more fun alternative, try playful pink. Pink ornaments such as bulbs and all other shapes are easy to find during this season, and they add a beautiful sparkle to any Christmas tree. When it comes to under the tree, wrap all your gifts in various pink papers; everyone will know who the present came from, and it will look great with your overall colour scheme. Entirely pink Christmas trees will make your living room look pretty this holiday season; find smaller-scale versions for other rooms in the house as well. To spread the theme even further, fill clear bowls and vases with many different pink ornaments and set them in the middle of tables, on the kitchen counter, or above the fireplace.

Gingerbread & Shortbread: Two Holiday Favourites

Gingerbread and shortbread are two holiday baking essentials. Which do you prefer? Gingerbread brings a crunchier, spicier flavour to the cookie jar. Gingerbread cookies are household favourites for their decorating abilities, making everything from cute people cut-outs, to elaborate houses, to intricately embellished snowflakes and other shapes. Gingerbread cookies add a fun flair to your holiday baking list.

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Shortbread is another wonderful treat during the holidays. It adds a little something extra to your baking with its soft and creamy texture. Shortbread can be formed into a variety of designs from basic cutouts dipped in chocolate, to shapes covered with sprinkles, and balls rolled with icing sugar and finished off with a candied cherry. Whether gingerbread or shortbread this season, it's bound to bring some holiday goodness to your Christmas baking. 

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A Hot Chocolate Christmas

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It's that time of year when there's nothing nicer than a big cup of hot chocolate. There are so many different flavours of hot chocolate out there, why not try them all? Peppermint and caramel hot chocolate flavours are a favourite for many, as they add that little bit of Christmas spirit to your cup. White hot chocolate is another great alternative, as it takes away from the richness of regular hot chocolate, and makes it a little lighter and creamier.

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What's hot chocolate without marshmallows? Flavoured marshmallows are another awesome way to add that extra something to your cocoa. Make them yourself, or find different flavours in a variety of stores. Want something with a little more bite? Cinnamon can be sprinkled on the top of your hot chocolate to add some warmth, or even use a full stick of cinnamon to mix the flavour right in. Mexican is another popular variety of hot chocolate during this season, and there are many renditions that add lots of luscious ingredients including cinnamon, chili and even nuts. Hot chocolate on a stick can also be used as a great stocking stuffer for this holiday season. Simply take a warm cup of milk and everything else needed is compacted right onto the end of the stir stick.