Editor’s Notes: December 2018

Decorating your home for the holidays.

I always loved decorating my home for the holidays.

After Thanksgiving, my family would begin hauling totes from the storage room into the living room and open them up to reveal treasures to adorn the house: my mom’s Christmas paintings, string lights to hang on the deck and lanai railings, and ornaments we made and collected over the years to decorate our Christmas tree.

Every year my family would trek out to the farm and select the perfect Christmas tree to bring home – not too tall, not too short (a Hanukkah bush, my dad would say) and always nice and full of strong branches to support our ornaments, colorful lights and garland. My dad would saw off the bottom branches so we could neatly stack our wrapped gifts for one another below.

Some houses seem to have the perfect location for a Christmas tree, almost like the spaces were designed specifically for this time of the year. In my childhood home, we’d place our tree in front of the bay window, where a sofa typically sat. When you walked in our front door, it was the first thing you’d see.

Now that I live in a condo — and have a smaller collection of ornaments — I place a small faux tree atop a desk in front of the picture window, out of reach of my mischievous (but cute!) dog. I hang string lights outside on the lanai and hang a real wreath from Helemano Farms on my front door (even though it’s against house rules – bah humbug!). My small-scale décor feels just right for my small-space living situation.

We’ve sprinkled this issue with holiday decorating and gift ideas for the home, from wreaths to recliners. How do you decorate for the holidays? We’d love to see! Share your photos with us on Instagram with the hashtag #hawaiihomemag or post them to our Facebook page. We’ll repost some of our favorites.

Happy holidays to you and yours,

Stephanie Silverstein, Editor

stephanies@hawaiihomemag.com