Colonial-Inspired Natural Holiday Decorations
If you were to come to Colonial Williamsburg this time of year, you would be greeted by homes beautifully decorated for the holidays. However, you might notice that these decorations, while quite festive, are unique.
You would notice an absence of large red bows, glass ornaments, or twinkle lights. This is because all the pieces remain historically accurate to the Colonial time period, which means they are made entirely out of natural materials. This makes for an experience you won’t find in many other places.
These homes inspired us to create our own natural decorations for the holiday season! Natural options are not only beautiful, but fragrant, inviting, and budget-friendly.
Here are some tips for creating some natural holiday decorations of your own:
Something Natural
This one seems pretty obvious. However, there are lots of different options for natural elements that many people might not think to use. The Colonial era pieces we saw this year featured not only the usual greenery and holly, but also dried citrus fruits and even cauliflower and pineapples! Try incorporating some of the elements we saw this year:
- Evergreen bundles
- Burch branches (or other wood)
- Dried citrus fruit slices
- Apples
- Whole pomegranates
- Fresh cranberries
- Cinnamon sticks
- Holly
- Pinecones
- Wild berries
- Moss
These items not only bring a beautiful rustic comfort to the home around the holidays, they also are naturally fragrant! No need for scented candles…you’ll have the real thing!
Something Modern
While you won’t find modern items in traditional colonial holiday decorations, we like to add in these elements to help the natural decorations fit into any home. Modern touches build a bridge between cozy antique and clean simplicity. Try incorporating some of these modern elements:
- Festive ribbon
- Glass vases
- Glass ornaments
- Metallic accents
- White plates/pedestals
- Simple wrapping paper
- Calligraphy accents
Something Bright
Nothing feels more festive than holiday lights! There is something about candles and twinkle lights that put the world in an altogether romantic glow. While Colonial decorators didn’t have twinkle lights, they used plenty of candles around the holidays to get into the spirit. Try adding in a set of battery powered lights to a wreath or a large white candle to the middle of a centerpiece. Bright elements truly brings the natural and the modern together, creating a much more cohesive decor element.
How about you? What natural elements do you incorporate into your holiday decorations?