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By LORETTO J. HULSE
Herald staff writer
Do you ever wish Santa had sat down with the Pilgrims at Thanksgiving, or that orange was the color of choice at Christmas? If so, you're ready for durable decorating.
The term may be unfamiliar, but it's the perfect option for anyone tired of giving the house a major face lift the day after Thanksgiving - putting away turkeys and pumpkins and bringing out gingerbread houses and stockings.
Durable holiday decorating means getting the most bang for your buck, and for your time.
Instead of completely stripping the house as Thanksgiving gives way to Christmas, start with a few simple basics - a grapevine wreath for the door, candles and a basket of colorful autumn leaves for the coffee table.
After Thanksgiving, change the candles from orange to red, trade pine cones for miniature pumpkins on the wreath, and gild the browning leaves with a spritz of spray paint. Just that quickly, you're ready for Christmas.
Decorating for the holidays doesn't have to be complicated, and you don't need an army of decorators at your beck and call like Martha Stewart.
"Nobody has time to emulate every element of a Martha Stewart magazine," said Joan Serena, vice president of retail and consumer marketing for Department 56, makers of lighted ceramic villages.
"For example, take last year's dried flower wreath off the closet shelf. Give it a light dusting of silver or gold spray paint, lace it with iridescent ribbon, and you'll have a new wreath for the holidays. This idea takes very little time, is affordable and will work almost anywhere in the house," she said.
A simple, yet elegant, centerpiece, mantle decoration or table accent can be made by laying out a few sprays of silk flowers and accenting with a grouping of candles in candleholders of varying heights.
Finally, wind a decorative ribbon through the flowers and candles to complete the effect, said Helen McCoy of Spencer Carlson Unlimited in Kennewick.
"Because nothing is wired together, it's easy to change the flowers, pull out one candle and put in another, even add a figurine or musical instrument. With a little foresight, you can even use the same accent ribbon from November through January," she said.
While craft, decorator stores and even bazaars are great places to shop for holiday decorations, some of the most beautiful decorations don't cost a thing.
"Leaves, twigs and pine cones are free. Grapevine wreaths are great because they span the holidays the way a fir wreath doesn't. And in this neck of the woods, grapevines are so easy to come by, you can probably talk a grape grower out of enough to make your own," McCoy said.
Nothing is simpler, or more beautiful, than a bowl of bright fall leaves. If you don't have a tree, check with your neighbors. Most will be happy to let you have all the leaves you want.
"And now is the time to get them, while they're still in good shape and the colors are pretty," McCoy said.
Later, when the leaves turn brown, spray paint them gold, silver or a mixture of metallics and toss them into a bowl with some colored glass ornaments.
The grocery store is another source of holiday decorations. Tiny pumpkins, gourds and grapes make a colorful, edible, Thanksgiving centerpiece. A bowl of pomegranates, alone or mixed with other fruits and vegetables, also are attractive.
Allowed to dry naturally, pomegranates retain their bright pink-salmon color while losing much of their size.
"Buy lots," McCoy suggested. "As they shrink, fill out the bowl with other fruits, fresh or imitation, colored glass or plaster ornaments or pine cones."
Cinnamon sticks are cheap, colorful and smell delightful. Oversize cinnamon sticks, about 10-inches long, can be found in craft stores this time of year. Tie them with a pretty ribbon and use them in your arrangements.
For unique containers and bowls, check those cupboards and boxes you only open once a year or so. Bring out Grandmother's punch bowl, and fill it with bright glass ornaments. A wooden salad bowl is perfect for leaves or nuts, and pottery soup tureens make nice bowls for real or silk flowers.
"Be creative. Look at things not as what they are but what they could be," McCoy said.
When decorating for the holidays, McCoy recommends starting with what you have.
"If you have any kind of a collection use it, seashells, ornaments, figurines, teddy bears, anything. Groupings help set a theme. Add ribbons, silk flowers, pine cones, whatever you want."
Group your houseplants, and decorate them with ribbon, silk flowers and ornaments or tiny lights.
Wreaths don't have to hang on the door. Use unusual wreaths - bay or eucalyptus leaves - as rings for big, fat candles.
"They not only look good, but the leaves smell good, too," McCoy said.
As a final tip, McCoy recommends investing in "some good silk flowers, whatever you like. They're durable and are something you will use year after year. And you can use them other times during the year, not just at holidays."
Before you begin to decorate, take a few minutes to plan. Start with favorite gathering areas like the dining, living and family rooms.
"Look beyond the obvious tree and stocking for unexpected places to decorate - like the tops of cabinets, windowsills and even empty corners," said Serena of Department 56.
And keep in mind the age of holiday visitors. Don't put small breakables or lighted candles on low tables if you're expecting toddlers or pets.
Copyright 1996 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.