The Secret to Writer’s Block: Fashion Post Three

Diving into Decorating as a Distraction - Christmas Edition

Using Christmas Decorating as a Distraction from Writer’s Block

I LOVE CHRISTMAS. I love the whole season. I love the cooler weather (Florida- so we really don’t get true cold), seeing family, baking, shopping and gifting, but most of all I LOVE the decorating. There is just something about the shiny ornaments and sparkly lights that put me at ease. Anyone that knows me (including my husband) will tell you that I probably go a little overboard with this particular holiday tradition, but I love it! This year, Christmas will be a little different (thanks COVID-19), but I still enjoyed decorating for the occasion and thought that I’d share some of my favorites. And before you ask why I decided to put this post under the fashion - decorating is basically just fashion for your house. It changes with the season, it shows a sense of personal style, and you should throw things away if you haven’t used them in two years (just like that dress that you used to think was cute that’s still hanging in the back of your closet).

So why do people like to decorate? Decorating allows you to express yourself. It lets you show off your creative side and your personality. It’s one of the reasons that Christmas crafts are one of the most popular pins on Pinterest. It’s also one of the reasons that every year I try out a new Christmas crafting decoration. I love to peruse Michaels, Youtube, Home Depot (surprisingly good ideas), and of course Pinterest for inspiration in my crafting and decorating. I’ve already shared how to make your own ornaments and how to make your own decorative bottles this year. I also made a super adorable and pretty easy Christmas card board.

This brings me to the second main reason that people love to decorate. It is a great way to show off your sense of style to friends and family. It’s why people spend so much time and effort on decorating the outside of their houses. Not everyone (especially during a pandemic) will have the opportunity to see the decorations inside of your house, but everyone passing by can admire your beautiful outdoor decorations. It’s the same with decorating…the same with fashion... the same with writing. People want their good work and their taste to be recognized and it makes them feel good when it is.

One of my favorite decorating traditions is putting up all of our personalized ornaments. When we were growing up, my mom would get each of us kids an ornament and when we moved out, she gifted those ornaments to us so that we could display them on our own trees. She continues with that tradition and I always look forward to seeing what ornament she gets me each year. On our very first trip out of the country, my husband and I found ourselves in a tiny woodworking shop in the middle of nowhere UK. They made the most beautiful hand carved wooden ornaments and I couldn’t help but get one. From that moment on, I made it a mission to get an ornament that would remind me of each of our trips. So now, every year I get to pull out all of our ornaments and reminisce about my family and all the wonderful trips that we have taken. What could be better than that?

My personal style of decorating for Christmas combines bright colors with modern touches. And as I’ve insinuated, I don’t really believe that you can go overboard (although my husband disagrees).

Here are some ideas of things that make a ton of impact, can be used as part of a theme, and are versatile for use in different ways:

• Christmas ball ornaments: This is one of my favorites because they can be used in so many different ways. They also come in so many different sizes, shapes, and colors that you can personalize them to meet your favorite color scheme or holiday theme. I like to use them as fillers for vases or bowls as well as decorative accents throughout the house.

• Bells: Similar idea to the ball ornaments as again, you can buy them in different sizes, shapes, and colors to match your theme. There’s just something extra festive about using bells. Bells are a nice way of adding a little extra sparkle and can also fill in around the larger sized Christmas balls.

• Flowers (silk or real): Flowers are a great way to tie in a color story or a theme. Both silk and real flowers have their pros and cons. Silk flowers: They last forever, can be found in ANY color you can imagine, and take less upkeep. However, they typically cost more and take up quite a lot of storage room. Real flowers: They are beautiful, smell great, don’t have to be stored, and are typically cheaper. However, they don’t generally last very long and have to be purchased repeatedly. If you are going with silk flowers I recommend getting one stem at a time and using a high percentage coupon at your favorite craft store or buying them after the season for the following year. Adding a little sparkle of silver or gold is nice way to make your centerpieces more holiday. I also like the addition of non-traditional vase fillers like peppermints or adding red holly berry stems. If you are getting real flowers: there’s nothing like poinsettias at Christmas.

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Regardless of which theme or color scheme you choose, make sure that your choices represent you in some way. Show off your style, your creativity, and your sense of humor. If you are like me, you’ll enjoy the fashion side of things and that in itself will be an inspiration to keep writing. 

So, the next time that you feel like writer’s block is keeping you from finishing your story, try a little decorating as a distraction instead. 

I hope that these ideas help you to break through! 

Found a great source of inspiration or a distraction that works for you?  Let me know!

Still getting writer’s block?  Tell me how I can help!