Need a little Christmas decoration inspiration this year? Kids and adults alike will get inot the spirit when you take the time to decorate. But what’s hot in Christmas décor this year? Designers and retailers get together each January at the Christmasworld exposition. It’s there that they that Christmas and holiday trends are sold. These are the important products and trends people will be buying all over the world. This article features some of my favorite of the festive trends for the coming season!

Asian Elegance

As the world becomes ever smaller and more connected, we’re all being influenced by each other. The trends for 2008 and beyond are influenced by a cultural diversity of festivals from north, south, east and west. The simplicity of a Zen garden with its orchids and blossoms, exotic glass and polished metals are all hot this season. Eastern colors like orange-gold, linden green and sky blue are popular.

Candy Kitsch

The colorful, sparkly candied look is one of my favorites and it’s back again this year. Look for accents made with mirror glitter, immersed in confectionery colors like pink, caramel yellow and mint. This is a fun and even garishly colorful style, but what better time of year to go over the top? Look for whimsical pieces and bright colors.

European Opulence

Clean, elegant shapes dominate the world of festive decorations. We’ll still see ornate candlesticks and vases, but the colors have changed. Black and white, as well as silver and white combined with black or gray are hot this season. Tiny faux gemstones and glitter surfaces provide added glitz. As in fashion, gray is slowly taking over black. Gray is also combined with turquoise, lilac, dark red and pink.

The Chocolate Brown Trend Goes Festive

While we always see the natural colors setting the tone for the Autumn/Winter/Christmas season, chocolate brown has been accompanied by Scandinavian-style turquoise or ice blue for several seasons. This combination creates a link between the cold and warm style.

Green and Sustainable

The greening of Christmas can be seen in décor this year. Leaves, twigs and branches made of wood, silver, metal or silver adorn rooms and walls. Even shells, horns, and feathers will show up in living rooms around the world. The natural look makes an impact this season in décor, but the natural look is also popular for wrapping papers, some of which feature imitation animal skin. Look for spring-like, pale green that sets off colorful accents on festive decorations and Christmas candles. Packaging manufacturers are also reacting to climate change. Expect to see drink containers made from cornstarch-based bio-plastic and recycled servers. If you’re lucky, you may even find vases made 100 percent from recycled glass.

As usual, there’s a lot to choose from. I’m going for Candy Kitsch. How about you?