About Formal Christmas Mantles
Come Christmas, it's time to make the mantle as decorative as the rest of the house. Down come the pictures, and the painted landscape, up goes the big wreath, the candles, poinsettias and twinkling lights. Mantle decorating is an art, and you'll find that the more symmetrical your mantle decorations are, the more formal your display will look. Does this Spark an idea?
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History
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Fireplaces used to be just that: a place for a fire. There was no mantle, no chimney and no cheery hearth. But back in 1367, the story goes, a visitor to Rome complained about the open pit in his room, and had his servants build him a chimney and a mantle. Not content with that, he asked the servants to add his coat of arms above the mantle. And no one has been content with a plain mantle ever since, especially at Christmas.
Effects
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Christmas is the perfect opportunity to give the fireplace mantle a pride of place in the room. The effect of a beautiful formal display of Christmas greenery, candles and garlands is to make it the heart of the house, and the gathering place for family warmth.
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Types
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Choose your mantle decor with respect to your fireplace type and the size of your room. In a medium to small room with a decorative fireplace, the mantle may be downsized, with just enough room for a small wreath and candles flickering among the greenery. Decorate on a grand scale if your room is large with high ceilings, and a long stone hearth. Hang a giant wreath, and line the mantle with candles and twinkling lights.
Features
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Santa will be coming down the chimney on Christmas Eve, and the fireplace needs to be ready for him. Decorate the mantle to accommodate the hanging of stockings, the placing of Santa's cookies, and a special collection of favorite Christmas decorations. Nutcrackers of all sizes make an attractive display, as do angels.
Significance
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Decorate your mantle with the most meaningful collection of all, your nativity scene. Create an ideal teaching opportunity to tell the children the significance of each figure in the Christmas story. In many homes, it is traditional to display the nativity collection with an empty manger. Then on Christmas Eve, the figure of baby Jesus is added in commemoration of His birthday.
Misconceptions
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The more the merrier? Not when it comes to a formal Christmas mantle display. Simplicity and symmetry give the mantle its decorative impact. Center the wreath and place an equal number of candles to each side. Or, line the mantle with an evenly spaced row of Nutcracker figures, or identical ball ornaments. An asymmetrical look can be effective too, if you keep it simple. Three tall candlesticks on the right, and a wreath on the left for balance. Just remember, if it's pleasing to your eye, it will be to others.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Linda Johnson, Jordan's mantle
