For some of us, holiday decorating is more of a chore than it is a blessing.
For Sara Gallagher of Sinking Spring, it is not only a blessing; it’s a desire. The inspiration to decorate all empty spaces, including tabletops, chair backs, entryways, stairs, lonely corners, light fixtures and more begins the week of Thanksgiving when Sara begins accessorizing and dressing, to the hilt, the first floor of her home.
Sara, a graduate of the Sheffield School of Interior Design in N.Y., uses her expert eye for color, texture and balance when she intertwines garland and ribbon with baubles, fruits and pine cones to adorn her home. Her special touch—orchestrated in every ensemble in every room—is a skill honed for 10 years now for her family. “I want my kids to remember their childhood Christmas as magical!” says Sara, whose 16-year-old daughter, Madison, and 14-year-old son, Andrew, drop out of the decorating game early on, knowing that it is best played in their mom’s hands.
Sara explains, "The kids and my husband help me bring up all the decorations in storage bins, but after about an hour or two they all slowly start to disappear and find something else that they ‘have to do.’ And I would love to say that we sing Christmas carols and sip hot cocoa and have fun decorating together, but that is far from how it happens. It is a lot of work, but I love it!”
A FAMILY ROOM WITH THE WOW FACTOR
Sara’s use of lighted garland in the foyer on the stairway handrail—and the way it joins hand-crafted arrangements comprised of greens, hydrangeas, pears, berries and pheasant feathers on the baluster end posts—is a promise of other good things to come in her home.
It begins with the fireplace mantel, a focal point in the most used room of the house. To achieve the look, Sara starts by arranging artificial garland repurposed from previous years and then adds something fresh and new to it. This year, she found a small reindeer head made of a lightweight resin and it all transpired from there, she says.
After the trophy was put in place on the wall above the mantel, Sara layered different textures and colors around it using a wreath, copper-colored bows and green apples. To give the space more of a lodge feel, she added pheasant feathers in addition to a copper pot filled with amber glass balls. A pair of fur-lined tweed mittens, a last-minute find, was added later on.
Sara’s approach to decorating is sometimes trial and error. She says, “I don’t usually have a final vision of what things will look like until I have added something new or have taken something away.”
Across the family room, an antique sideboard once belonging to Sara’s great grandmother is all dressed up with thick green garland, lights and two artificial topiaries to echo the look and large scale of the fireplace mantel.
To create the arrangement, Sara draped garland—decorated with ornamental Christmas fairies, satin ribbon and lights—around a large ornate mirror centered above her sideboard. On top of the table, she placed three differently sized apothecary jars, filling two with raspberry- and gold-colored Christmas balls and the other with sugared fruit. Additional garland, lights, pine cones and glass ornaments were added for more flavor and fullness. “I love the reflection of the colors in the mirror and glass jars,” says Sara about her design.
Sara’s nutcracker collection on display on top of a wall unit is out of harm’s way. According to Sara, it is better to keep these kinds of treasures together, as opposed to scattering them all over. “It makes more of an impact,” she says.
A writing desk with a display of original childhood letters to Santa is yet another example of Sara’s special touch. “If I have a piece of furniture that looks empty or needs a little something, I just add some lit garland and a beautiful ribbon,” she shares. “I just feel as though you should take advantage of every surface you have and use it in a creative way.”
Another precious heirloom, a secretary that has been handed down in the family, holds an array of delectable guilty pleasures, including cookies, gingerbread men and chocolate candies on a sterling silver serving stand. “This was a cherished piece of furniture from my grandmother,” Sara says. “I hope she would be happy to know that her great grandchildren are eating cookies off of it!”
SARA’S FAVORITE ROOM
The sun room, small and cozy, is Sara’s favorite space. Its muted-green walls are the perfect backdrop for a large chocolate-colored sofa and two coral-toned upholstered chairs with paisley-patterned ottomans. Most of the room’s accessories, such as pillows and throws, are in shades of cream and green. For Christmas, Sara decorates and displays two small trees (one for each side of the sofa) with white porcelain Lenox ornaments that she has received previous years from her husband. Other touches include small frosted fruit swags on the windows and garland decked with holly berries, grapevines and a silver mercury glass ornament at the entranceway.
TRIM THE TREE
The 10-foot-tall artificial tree (only because the family has allergies) is drenched with old and new trinkets and glass ornaments that hold special meanings for each member of the family.
“We have a tradition that everyone gets an ornament that reflects or symbolizes a memorable experience before the New Year begins,” Sara shares. The tradition started when her children were too young to buy something new at the store. “We all laugh when we find an ornament in a storage bin and it’s a crumpled piece of paper with scribbles,” she says.
One ornament, a white Lenox rocking horse for baby’s first Christmas, brings back more than one special memory for Sara. The ornament, held together with glue for 12 years now, broke when Madison tripped with it on her way to the tree. Later that night after the kids had gone to bed, Sara says, she found her husband, Michael, at the kitchen counter gluing all the tiny pieces back together. “Every year when I take that ornament out, with all its cracks and glue, I smile! This just shows that things do not have to be perfect to be beautiful!” she adds.
In January, Sara packs her growing collection of trinkets, baubles, garland and lights in labeled storage bins so that her things are organized and ready for next year. The one thing she doesn’t pack away are the memories of yet another magical family Christmas; these things she holds close in her heart.
CANDLES
Battery operated candles with remote controls are good for hard-to-reach places or those considered a fire hazard. For taper candles, try slow burning and non-drip varieties. Ivory colored candles are a good choice because they can be used all year long.
A BEAUTIFUL TABLE
Sara says, “A set table is as important as the food served because it shows that family and friends are important to you.”
Use your best plates. Sara uses the Lenox china that she received for her wedding 21 years ago. For elegance, use a shimmery silk wrap as a table runner instead of a doily. For glamour, use sparkly placemats and plate chargers. Decorate chair backs with bundles of greens tied together with satin ribbon in unexpected colors such as bright green and brown for a look that feels fresh and updated.
ARTIFICIAL FRUIT
Sara uses artificial fruit that looks like it has a sugar glaze. For fresh fruit, she says, you dip the whole fruit or fruit slices in egg whites and then roll in granulated sugar and let dry (not for consumption). You can also do this with flowers, holly or branches, and it sparkles, she shares. If you leave your decorations up for longer than six months, though, artificial is the way to go!
RIBBON
Use wired ribbon for dressing up banisters or making big puffy bows, and silk or satin ribbon to dress up a chandelier for a longer, sleeker look.
BY MARCIA WEIDNER-SUTPHEN PHOTOS BY JOHN A. SECOGES, SECOGES PHOTOGRAPHICS
