Welcome to Christmas

Southern Living, Dec 1997 by Griffin, Eleanor

Step into the season with these easy, inviting decorating ideas.

Sherrill Holt knows how to make an entrance. At the front door of her Atlanta home, twin wreaths and velvet stockings stuffed with airy French tulips greet guests with a wonderful surprise. "I'd planned to hang baskets of flowers from the wreaths but couldn't find a basket that would work. It just hit me: `Why not a stocking?' " says Sherrill. "I found the right ones here in Atlanta at Vermillion Galleries.

"David and I renovated our house last year, and we wanted to add some special touches for Christmas. I met floral designer Darva Murray when we both worked on the Southern Living Centennial Idea House and asked her to work with me." (Sherrill also designed the Chestnut Hill Idea House, featured in our August 1997 issue.)

Entering Sherrill and David's home, you're greeted by holiday decorations created with a natural palette. "I didn't want a frilly, fussy look. I like a simple, refined look using lots of natural materials," Sherrill says. She and Darva concentrated on the Holts' front door and large tree as key welcoming touches.

The entry is framed by a boxwood swag. Darva, owner of Atlanta's Hollyhock shop, secured limes with florist picks and florist wire to add color and texture. Bronze twine draped throughout the swag softens and complements the natural look.

"It's so easy," says Darva. "Boxwood is my favorite natural material. It's lush and full, stays nice and green, and doesn't shred or drip. Look for garlands [at your local nursery or holiday tree lot] that are full-not spindly. Boxwood roping or swags are decorations on their own.

"Boxwood generally does well when exposed to Southern winters. It stands up fairly well if it's freezing or snowing. A bigger danger is protecting it from windburn on very blustery days or sudden temperature rises on a warm day."

Here's a rule of thumb if you'd like to place a swag around your door this season: Purchase or make about 20 feet of natural garland for each single door. Darva recommends using any extra garland for a mailbox spray. She and Sherrill hung the swag on page 119 by nailing three large nails across the top of the door frame. They draped the swag across the nails and let it fall gracefully down.

Inside, a towering Fraser fir commands your attention. "Some of the best Christmas decorating ideas come from Mother Nature," says Darva. Here's how Sherrill and Darva trimmed the tree with materials from Sherrill's yard.

1) String lights on first. Sherrill and Darva used old-fashioned large white bulbs with rattan "party hats" or shades clipped on them for a special touch.

2) Weave bittersweet vine throughout the tree.

3) Tuck in clusters of dried oak leaves and twigs in the spaces between the branches.

4) Wire on your favorite ornaments. Sherrill chose copper leaves made by artist David Little, of Acworth, Georgia.

5) Add the crowning touch. Sherrill's tree topper is a tin Christmas star, also by David. Her simple burlap tree skirt completes the natural look.

"I know a lot of people have houses with large family rooms they like to decorate for the holidays," says Darva. "You'll make an impact with two strong images-a wonderful tree and a great mantel decoration. That's much more inviting than lots of random decorations scattered all around."

"Christmas is a special time for my family," says Sherrill. "My two daughters, Schuyler, who's 12, and Margaret Pardham, who's 9, do have a children's tree in our den. But they very much enjoy this tree, too, because it's so different. They're learning a Christmas tree doesn't have to be filled with expensive ornaments, and we're all getting hooked on the natural look."

Pages 118-122: Velvet Christmas stockings by Tassels, Toes & Bows (M), $90-$120, available from Vermilion Gallery (R), 1244 West Paces Ferry Road NW., Atlanta, GA 30327, (404) 869-9845. Copper leaves and tin Christmass star by Georgia artist David Little (D), and rattan clip-on shades for Christmas lights are available from Hollyhock (R), 22-B East Andrews Drive, Atlanta, GA 30305, (404) 233-4412.