The house across the street, lit by the fireplace and warm light radiating from the Christmas tree, the light pooling out of the window and onto the cold, dark street. The room filled with laughter as people cuddled up to watch a movie with a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate. On the other side of the street, a quiet house lit by the cold light of a minimalistic Christmas tree. People sit in the living room talking with family, but it doesn’t feel like Christmas.
In my opinion, a warm Christmas environment brings nostalgia, joy and warmth to a house every Christmas. The vibrant tree, the warmth from the fireplace, classic red and green colors and the stockings hung by the fireplace with care. The warmer-toned lights are golden, instantly making the environment feel more comfortable and relaxing. With the brighter lights of a white Christmas tree, it has more of a cold, uninviting look. The joy of getting your Christmas decorations down after Thanksgiving, the red and green glitter that coats every surface in your house for the months you have them up and the hope that all the lights work on the tree. Decorating the Christmas tree is a big part of the family bonding experience. Everyone has a role when it comes to decorating, dad drags in the boxes of decorations while Mom turns on the Christmas music and the kids turn on the family’s favorite Christmas movie. After what feels like ages the decorating begins. Singing along with Mom while you hand her the Christmas ornaments from the box in your hand and helping Dad try to get the ribbons out of a knot. However, your mother brings the Christmas spirit to life with her joy and magic for the season. Hiding the elf so you wake up to a task that you will someday enjoy doing for your child. It just feels like Christmas. No worries about the world outside. Only keeping the magic of Christmas burning as bright as the fire in the fireplace. Or as bright as the light shining off of the red and green ornaments. The lights wrap around the green tree like a million golden stars shooting across a clear night sky. Warm Christmas makes the season worth living.
The white Christmas aesthetic has become a popular trend, but to me, it feels like life out of Christmas. A recent poll posted on Instagram showed that out of those who voted, 27% chose a warm Christmas and 73% chose a white Christmas. I agree that white Christmas is gorgeous, but lacks what the inner child needs to remember. Those magical days when you would giggle in your bed as Santa’s bells would ring outside your window, trying to contain your happiness until morning when you knew there would be presents with your name on them. The white Christmas trend doesn’t have enough color to it. Christmas is a time for warmth in the cold months and the joy of seeing the contrast of the red on the green tree that smells of cedar. Any color can go with a white Christmas tree, some people even have trees with pinks and blues. Which is beautiful, but it’s just not Christmas. The Grinch wouldn’t even want to steal that tree. When you wake up in the morning it feels like there is nothing special about your house. Personally, It feels like another normal day with minimalistic Christmas decorations that could stay up for a whole year and no one would think of them as Christmas decorations.
It’s not always about the feeling of your decorations. In the end, what matters most is the people you bring into your home to celebrate the holiday.
