Blue Christmastime Decorations

Are you one of those people who painstakingly puts up Christmas decorations every year, and are tired of using the same red and green colored theme?

I believe it was the mega-media mogul, D-I-Y Queen, Martha Stewart, who first started showing her viewing audience the great potential the color blue has, when decorating for the Christmas Holiday Season. However, it was the housewives of the late 1950s and 1960s who really new how to host a royal blue colored affair. The D-I-Y ingenuity of those housewives, are the real inspiration of this hub.

What can be drawn upon the most, from those ladies of the 1950s, was their love for using bold, often primary or bright, colors. What many of these housewives did best was to incorporate one bold color, to their entire outdoor decoration theme. It was nothing to drive through a neighborhood in the 1950s, and see a house completely illuminated up in blue lights. The indoor decorations were very similar to the boldness of their single color, outdoor, decorations by using;

• All blue ornaments on a Christmas tree or,
• Solid blue garland and tinsel, in conjunction with all blue lights.
  
• Have a color tree perhaps? Be bold, and go ahead and decorate your pink Christmas tree with all blue and white, Christmas bulbs.
• Incorporate different holiday characters into the festive decorations. For example, replace Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer with a Jack Frost doll, and Santa Claus with Frosty the Snowman.

1. Spray paint old Christmas bulbs, and use different shades of blue tones.

2. Cover old Christmas decorations in glue and heavily sprinkle on blue glitter, all over the glue.

3. Flock the branches of a cut Christmas tree, by using the light blue, spray-on-fake-snow, that comes in a can.

4. For the dinner table; use a blue tablecloth and completely white dishes, candlesticks, and accessories.

5. Spray fallen tree branches white, and sprinkle the wet paint with blue glitter. Gather the smaller branches together, and use them as backdrop décor, to a Christmas scene. You can put some of the branches in large vases for a winter floral arrangement. You can add the branches to evergreen garland, arrange them in with an all white candle arrangement; with so many options, they can be used alone or with something else. They are a quick and easy way to give your Christmas décor an extra pop of appeal.

6. Collect the fallen pine cones in your yard. Let them dry for at least 48 hours. Then using the same spray paints, paint them different blue shades. Once they have all dried, use them in centerpieces. You can even stack them in a big bowl for a simple table arrangement. Need ornaments? Then tie some of the pine cones up with fishing line, and hang them on a Christmas tree. Pine cones can be used individually or as a garland.

A best-kept secret, when using blue when decorating for this momentous occasion, is using one of those 1950s all silver, aluminum, Christmas trees. There are many outlets to find these types of trees, if you currently do not own one. A recommended outlet would be Ebay. They have many online sellers, with a very nice assortment of all silver, aluminum, Christmas trees to chose from at fair and affordable prices. I have also been able to find silver aluminum Christmas trees at antique stores and flee markets. The ones featured in antique stores and flee markets however, seem to usually cost a little more money for some reason. To get a really good deal for antique silver tree or white feather German Christmas tree, Ebay is definitely the first place to shop for it. At least it will give the buyer an idea of what the tree should cost, at the neighborhood flee market.

• In my home, my hearth/kitchen area floors are all ceramic. Because of the ceramic floors, I only use ornaments made from my son's past craft projects, and ornaments made of wood and fabric. In other words, nothing breakable is allowed on that tree. What once started out as a necessity, now has developed into a real show piece, and joy to display during the holidays.

• Whether you put up a Christmas tree in every room like I do, or whether you just enjoy decorating different areas and rooms in Christmas items, this year try coordinating all one look together. Using some of Martha Stewart's ingenuity display all your Santa Claus' together with other red and green decorations. Then combined all your snowmen, sleighs, evening stars, with all the blue bulbs, candles and lights.

• Something else I like to do is to use color wheels. I like to use decorations that are motion activated and change colors. This is another easy tool to use to make your house a blue Christmas.

• Spot lights and flood lights are a great, easy and cost affordable way to make your decorations turn blue for the holidays.

• One aspect that is truly unique, to the 21st century, is our love for spending money during the holiday season. In 2012, Americans spent a record $59 billion dollars during the Black Friday/Thanksgiving Day weekend. Last year's predictions estimated that holiday spending for 2013, would increase a record 30% for the entire season.

• Here in the USA, Christmas decorations can be found at auctions, estate sales, flee markets, and garage sales all year long. The summer time is probably the best time to load up on slightly used holiday decorations that can be repaired easily, added to, or even repainted into a theme color such as blue. Let's face it, buying Christmas decorations in July is generally not high priority but; it could potentially be one of the cheapest ways to incorporate, a much desired blue theme, into a room lacking Christmas decorations.

A way to set money aside for new or slightly used Christmas decorations- is to save up any and all pocket change. Saving back all your silver coins a little here and there, over the course of a year, can add up quickly.

• The key to using petty cash is to not spend all that money, in one place or at any time before the holiday season is kick started. For instance big D-I-Y stores like Michael's and Hobby Lobby put all their Christmas picks, ribbon, ornaments, trees, and outdoor decorations on sale over Thanksgiving Day weekend shopping. Saving customers fifty to seventy percent off their Christmas decorating items. Shopping wisely for Christmas décor items is also a great way to capitalize on all the Christmas holiday sales. Not only did Michael's have their Christmas décor 50 to 70% off, they had a 30% off entire purchase coupon for any in store or online purchases made between 4pm and 11pm Thanksgiving Day. Another personal favorite place to shop just before Christmas is Target. Target is always good about carrying a wide range and variety of solid colored lights and ornaments. But they are fantastic about marking down their Christmas holiday merchandise 50% to 75% off during the holiday shopping season. You just need to watch their ads to when it is the right time to shop. For people living in the Midwest, mall anchor stores such as Dillards, Nordstrom, Kohls and Macy's will have their Christmas merchandise 50% off the day before and the day after Christmas too. Pier One is another great retail store, for buying up blue Christmas Holiday decorations. They generally have a very large selection of Snowmen, frosted ornaments, and other uniquely blue Christmas theme items for sale. A person can find almost anything there, which would work well together with the cool color tones of blue. Like snowflake ornaments, tied up with soft glistening silver and blue string, for instance.

• One unique way that I decorate for the holidays is to use children books in my book cases, in my husband's office and on shelves. I purchased the Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer character set many years ago; from Target when they had them 50% OFF! They make a great added addition to curio cabinets, TV entertainment centers, and just about where else that has a solid flat surface.
• There are many exceptional reasons, why someone might want to decorate this holiday season in blue. What is not to love about the color blue at Christmas time? It is the perfect color, for nonconformists to decorate with, and supplies the nonreligious person a fresh new look for a modern Holiday tradition. Decorating in blue for the Christmas Holiday, adds an air of Christmas charm, while maintaining individuality and uniqueness, that is all you. What's not to love about that? Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to all!