It's that time of year again, when boxes get dug out from under the mounds of a year’s accumulated stuff in the garage and our supplies of aspirin and band-aids run low.. We steel ourselves for the annual ritual of plugging in strings of lights and spending hours replacing bulbs, stringing garland, hanging wreaths, and putting up the tree. We balance ourselves precariously on ladders while swaddled in strings of lights, as what surely must be hordes of enthusiastic children run rings around us eager to "help".
We brave the traffic and all the other poor lost souls out there on the road, trying to keep our Christmas spirit intact as traffic crawls and horns blare. We find our holiday spirit in serious endangerment as the last parking space is taken by that guy who zipped around the parking lot, in the wrong direction no less, and slides into "our" spot with what was certainly a look of smug self satisfaction thrown our way. We won’t even mention that lady who snagged the last big turkey.
By the time we are ready to put the star on the tree and get the last piece of tinsel out of our hair, we are more than ready for it to all be over. Of course Christmas is a wonderful time of year but lordamighty, getting there is one heckuva journey sometimes.
Yes, it's indeed Christmas time and all the joys that come with it. Both true and tongue in cheek. Or teeth clenched together, depending upon how many stress free nerves you have left. Don't reach for the last of your prescription yet though.
How about something you can do that will gain you brownie points with the spouse, be as stress free as possible, and add a great touch of holiday style to your home to boot? You won’t even have to leave home! Not possible you say? Au contraire my tinsel covered friend. It's as simple as a few mouse clicks and hitting enter on your keyboard.
Just go online and have some silk floral Christmas centerpieces delivered to your home. Yep, that's it.
Doesn’t sound like much eh? Well, it isn’t, and, it is. While most folks settle for putting up the tree, hanging a wreath, and possibly stapling a few thousand lights to the roof, you can make a huge difference in how festive and colorful your home is with just a couple judicious centerpiece selections. A plain table in a bare room can instantly be transformed into something that conveys Christmas tidings with no work at all.
The trick, if there can be one, is in selection. We’re not talking about going to the local grocery store or florist and grabbing a few poinsettias in a foil covered pot at ridiculous prices, then throwing it out on January 1st. We’re talking about placing a full silk flower centerpiece rich with color and sparkle that will look great for years to come.
I remember when my better half set out one of her creations a few years back. It was the first time I'd seen one in my own home, and I was literally amazed at the difference it made. Of course it helps that she's the one who knows what she's doing when it comes to floral arrangements, decorating, color coordination and just about anything else that require some finesse and style, but even a lummox like myself can appreciate the effect it had.
Our dining room table had been transformed into a beautiful holiday setting, full of warmth and cheer, just because she had the idea to add a wonderfully designed centerpiece.
Another in our living room along with a couple candles literally transformed the "feel" of our home. Sure the decorated tree says Christmas in a home, but what about when your guests are in a different room? Well, a centerpiece will carry that Christmas vibe anywhere you put it. And best of all, you don't have to put any nails in the walls, risk electrocution from 10 year old light strings, or go three rounds with an irate holiday shopper to do it. Have a look at some of these for an example. Alicia's Christmas Collection. You want traditional? You can have it. You want sparkle? Artificials most certainly can fit that bill. Just a small piece to fill in that bare spot on the end table? No problem.
Artificial flowers have really come into their own in terms of quality and pricing, and Christmas is one time of year where I think they truly shine. They won’t die, they won’t make a mess. Yes, you can forget trying to get pine sap out of your hair with an artificial arrangement. They can be used again and again, and pay for themselves many times over. Just take a look out there to see what a comparable real arrangement of the same size would cost, then add that up over just a couple years.
There's really only one caveat with purchasing an artificial arrangement and that’s quality. You simply can't expect to get the quality and style you want from a local big box store. Even most of the well known specialty stores are limited in the quality of their selections. I've been appalled on more than one occasion when considering what they had to offer.
So you are not just getting a pat on the back and shove out the door here, I'll add a few things to look for when deciding to purchase. I did say it would be as stress free as possible didn't I?
For me, the number one thing is craftsmanship. Look for obvious stem joints and bare spots at the base of the stems. A good floral designer knows just like everyone else, that real flowers don't have plastic connectors at their joints, or green foam where soil should be. And they know to design those eyesores out of the equation.
Another thing to look for is blossom quality. Look for frayed edges, loose threads, and thickness. A poorly made silk flower blossom will look like fabric even from a distance, and the better ones will make you want to touch them to see if they are real. Which leads me to my next consideration.
Do you find yourself WANTING to touch the arrangement? When you find yourself experiencing this involuntary impulse, it's a good bet the arrangement was well crafted.
One more thing to consider is the base. Is it plastic? If so, I usually pass them right on by. Sure the flowers are important, but even a world class silk rose isn’t going to be able to shine if it's sitting in a cheap plastic pot. There's no excuse for using a cheap plastic planter, or tray, other than that someone, usually the designer, was more interested in cutting costs than producing quality. With all the excellent ceramics, glass, and resins out there, it's inexcusable.
One last thing is glass. Glass bases come in a wide variety of styles, and choosing one is a matter of tastes. What you can look for however, is thicker glass, a wider base for stability, and distortions or bubbles in the glass. All of these should be considerations when a silk floral designer creates a piece, and if that glass is thin, skinny at the bottom, or has wobbles, bubbles or waves in it, then the designer probably wasn’t interested in quality as much as they were quota.
Well, I hope this is helpful to you, and that maybe I've saved you some hassle and given you a new idea for adding some Christmas spirit to your home. May your holidays be bright and cheerful, and Merry Christmas.
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