Monday Favorites: Seasonal Decor that Works From Now Through Christmas

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Pinecones, dried orange slices, pheasant feathers, and velvet ribbon are natural holiday decor that carry your home from fall to Christmas.

Seventeen years of blogging about decorating have taught me something important. Seasonal crossover decorating is smart; it looks polished and fresh, and it saves you quite a bit of time.

I used to be very fussy about never putting out one season’s or holiday’s decor before putting away the last one. I even had a name for mixing them, crossholidation, and it was not a compliment! Not any longer. I happily embrace the word now, because so many pieces cross over seasons and holidays in lovely, simple ways that make a home look inviting, uniquely yours, and beautiful.

Decorating from fall right through Christmas has become more about editing. You take out what is clearly one season, like pumpkins, leave the crossover pieces, and add a few more, like pheasant feathers. I no longer start a new season from scratch.

Today I’m sharing a few of my favorite seasonal decor pieces that do a wonderful job of crossholidating. Their warm browns, amber, rust, and cream feel right with pumpkins and mums today, and just as right beside evergreen, deep red, and candlelight in December.

These four are the hardest-working pieces in a seasonal decor box. Their warm browns, amber, rust, and cream feel right with pumpkins and mums today, and they feel just as right beside evergreen and candlelight in December. You decorate once, then add a little more as the weeks go by instead of starting over after Thanksgiving.

This Week’s Favorite: Seasonal Decor That Works From Now Through Christmas

Natural decor is the easiest way to bridge the seasons. Each of these pieces comes from the woods, the orchard, or the field, so it never looks out of place in November or December. Better still, all four tuck away in a box and come out again next year.

Here is why each one earns a spot, followed by simple ways to put them together.

Pinecones

Pinecones are the backbone of transitional decor. Their color and texture sit comfortably next to gourds and bittersweet now, and they look completely at home with fresh greenery and white lights later. Use them in mixed sizes so a bowl or basket has depth.

🌿 TIP BOX: Gather pinecones on a dry day and shake out any loose debris. Spread them on a tray in a warm room for a few days so they open fully before you decorate with them.

Dried Orange Slices

Dried orange slices bring a soft glow of color that leans harvest in October and old-fashioned Christmas in December. Light shining through them is so pretty in a window or on a garland. Store them in an airtight tin in a cool, dry spot, and they will be ready again next fall.

How To Dry Orange Slices So They Stay Vibrant and Fall Through Christmas: 8 Ways To Use Beautiful, Aromatic Oranges are two posts with lots of ideas for using oranges.

Pheasant Feathers

Pheasant feathers add a field-and-woodland feel that is hard to get any other way. Their bronze, rust, and cream markings pick up every warm tone in the room. A few go a long way, so tuck them into arrangements and wreaths sparingly where their pattern can show.

Velvet Ribbon

Velvet ribbon is the simplest way to signal a change of season. Start with caramel, rust, or bronze through Thanksgiving, then switch to deep red, burgundy, or forest green when Christmas arrives. Keep the pinecones, oranges, and feathers, and let the ribbon do the work.

How To Use These Natural Favorites Together

Once you have all four on hand, try them in a few of these spots:

• Fill a wooden dough bowl with pinecones and orange slices, then slip in two or three feathers.
• Tie a velvet bow on a lantern handle and set it on the hearth.
• Wire orange slices and small cones onto your front door wreath.
• Wrap each dinner napkin with ribbon and a single feather for Thanksgiving.
• Layer cones along the mantel now, then add evergreen garland after the turkey is gone.
• Hang a strand of dried oranges in a kitchen window where the morning sun comes through.

Swapping From Thanksgiving To Christmas

When Thanksgiving is over, keep the pinecones and orange slices right where they are. Pull most of the pumpkins, change the ribbon color, and add fresh or faux evergreen. The feathers can stay for a rustic Christmas or rest in their box until next fall.

For a full plan on moving from late fall to Christmas without the rush, see Transitioning From Late Fall To Christmas Decor The Easy Way.

An Item I’m Loving: My Christmas Tree

Because of blogging, I put up and decorate my Christmas tree early. It gives you fresh ideas and enough time to use some of them at home.

So much work goes into decorating a tree, and it seems a shame to enjoy it for only a few weeks. That is why my tree goes up before Thanksgiving. Some years I decorate it right away, and other years I leave it with just the lights.

It has become a lovely addition to our Thanksgiving traditions. Every year, the weekend after Thanksgiving, we do something Christmassy to kick off the holiday season. This year, we will decorate our tree.

Small Habit

Many of us have used this little rule for years, even decades, to keep our homes from becoming cluttered and disorganized, and we never knew it had a name. It’s called the 2-Minute Rule, made popular by productivity author David Allen in his book Getting Things Done.

The idea is wonderfully simple. When a task takes less than two minutes, do it right away. When it will take longer, schedule a time to do it so it isn’t hanging over you, and move on.

Small jobs handled on the spot never get the chance to pile up. Try it this week and notice how much tidier your home stays with very little effort.

What I’m Reading Right Now

I’m still reading The Women by Kristen Hannah, so I asked my daughter what she’s reading, and she suggested The Pirate Queen. It’s a sweeping saga that spans generations, following an Irish woman’s quest to protect her clan.

She also suggested The Rose Code, March, Jane Eyre, The Correspondent, and Theo Of Golden.

9 Weeks Until Christmas: Or 60 Days

A few small steps each week keep December peaceful.

Christmas Things To Do

• Start shopping from your master gift list, beginning with anyone you mail gifts to.
• Pull out your Christmas linens and dishes, and set aside anything that needs washing or pressing.
• Pick the day your tree goes up, so it can be part of your Thanksgiving season too.
• Stock up on stamps, tape, and gift tags before the stores get busy.

Home Organization

Clear out the coat closet and entry to make room for holiday guests. Donate coats and boots no one wears, and add a few empty hangers and a boot tray.

You Choose

Choose one thing personal to you and your family that is not on the list. This week I am perusing and collecting crafts, games, and fun things for my grandchildren to do while they visit us over Christmas. I’m also going to start making and freezing some cookie logs to slice and bake during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Here are 5 cookies using one dough from one of my favorite baking sites.

Fun

Pour a cup of something warm and flip through a Christmas catalog with a pen in hand. I mark up mine every fall to study how the designers decorate, and it is one of my favorite ways to dream up ideas for the season.

A Personal Note

One of the richest and most fun parts of my life is a group of friends who get together once a month. We call ourselves the Ski Club. None of us skis or goes anywhere near the slopes! We simply gather for good food and lots of laughter, and we find other ways to spend time together during the month too.

It’s so important to have a circle of women you trust and truly delight in being with. If you don’t have that in your life at the moment, gather a few of the nicest ladies you know from different parts of your life and invite them over. That’s what I did. You may be starting something wonderful.

Before You Go

If you are getting your home ready for the season, these posts will help:

• Transitioning From Late Fall To Christmas Decor The Easy Way
• How To Create A Holiday Charcuterie Board Step-By-Step
• Christmas Simmer Pot: Make Your Home Smell Like Christmas

A few simple things from nature can carry your home beautifully from the first cool days of fall through Christmas morning. Start with what you have, add one piece at a time, and enjoy every week of the season.

Happy decorating, friend…