Peacock feathers and chartreuse? Christmas trends not typical decor

Tired of the traditional red and green of Christmas? Consider peacock feathers and chartreuse.

Holiday decorating trends have come and gone and come again over the years — bubble lights; colorful strings of lights with opaque bulbs bigger than some lamp bulbs; retro silver trees; and the turning color wheel to make your Christmas tree appear blue, then red, then yellow and even green.

Local decorators say tree ornaments and other holiday decorations run the gamut this year.

“Anything — mild to wild, whatever the person’s taste is,” said Randy Mansfield, a decorator with Inside Accents.

The Dothan store quickly sold out of stuffed peacocks and what it has left of peacock feathers and wreaths continue to sell, Mansfield said. The idea is to stick the peacock feathers between tree branches or to hang the small wreaths from a branch.

And the lime-green color chartreuse is everywhere.

Lelah Womble, a decorator for Loftin’s, expects the color to become a traditional Christmas color. It’s a good choice for a Christmas tree because it stands out better than darker greens.

“It just shows up more,” she said. “It’s more playful.”

Copper and brown are popular colors this year, according to Womble, and Mansfield said teal and chocolate-colored decorations are selling along with the traditional reds and golds. Fuchsia and black also stand out. Glittered pine garlands and sequined parrots adorn some of the trees on display at Inside Accents, adding a whimsical style to Christmas trees, Mansfield said.

Womble said customers also want more trees in different rooms of their homes — one for the living area, one for the man of the house, one for the kids and even one for the dog. Loftin’s displays several themed trees. There’s the hunting and fishing Christmas tree, the cowboy tree, a Coca-Cola tree and a tree covered in dog ornaments.

“It used to be one tree,” she said. “It’s very surprising.”

And customers are putting their trees up earlier this year, some even before Thanksgiving. With new instant fluff trees that come right of the box looking like they’ve been out all year, Womble said artificial trees have become more manageable.

“Anything goes with Christmas now,” Womble said. “ ... I don’t think there’s any right or wrong when it comes to Christmas. It’s what makes the person happy.”

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Picking a Christmas tree
Whether you go with an artificial or a real tree this Christmas, there are some things to keep in mind.
Artificial
• The quality of a fake tree is based on the number of tree tips — the more tips, the fuller the tree.
• For a tree stand, go for metal legs with rubber feet to prevent scratches on the floor.
• A hooked tree is cheaper, but you have to attach the branches one-by-one. Hinged trees have the branches already attached. The trees are usually in pieces that you simply attach together and arrange and fluff the branches as you want.
• If you go with a pre-lit artificial tree be careful not to get a tree with too many lights, which could be an attempt to hide poor construction. On the other end, manufacturers may install too few lights as a cost-saving measure. Also, make sure the lights are UL-approved and have standard features like anti-twist bulbs as well as a feature where if a bulb blows, the rest remain lit.

Real
• If you go to a retail lot for a real tree that’s already cut, do a freshness test — green needles on fresh trees break crisply when bent sharply. However, the needles on fresh pines, as opposed to firs, do not break unless they are very dry.
• Other indicators of a tree that’s too dry include excessive needle loss, discolored foliage, musty odor, needle pliability and wrinkled bark.
• Do your research. Some species last longer and remain fresher in certain climates. And some have more open foliage, stiffer branches and longer needles — all of which could come into play depending on how you want to decorate your tree.
• Heading out to a tree farm? Saws are usually provided, but it wouldn’t hurt to call ahead and make sure.
• Know your ceiling height and the width of the area where the tree will be displayed. Trees are usually cut to an 80-percent taper being wider at the bottom. So, a 10-foot tree will be 8-feet wide at the bottom. Trees will look smaller in a field with no ceiling above them. Be careful not to overbuy.
Sources: www.artificialtrees.com; National Christmas Tree Association, www.christmastree.org