Holiday Decor For Cote De Texas

This month has not been fun for me.
I feel so left out!!! :(
Just like when I was a little girl and my best friend across the street was a Catholic with 6 kids in the family - on Christmas and Easter, it was so magical over there!! Joni Cote de Texas

Empire State Building decked out for Hanukkah

My dear friend Joni left the above comment at Style Court HERE
Hanukkah starts this weekend, so I thought I'd do a posting for Joni. I'd also like to wish you all a Happy Hanukkah!
Having been a designer in New York for many years, doing many wonderful Jewish weddings, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, I was often called upon at Christmas time to decorate the homes of my Jewish clients for the winter holiday season. Also as a side note, my ex husband is Jewish.

Harry the Hanukkah Armadillo on Friends

Some of my clients asked for Christmas trees in their homes. They just considered it decoration and nothing more or less. I never made a judgement call, no matter how they envisioned their holiday decor. But for those who did not want Christmas decor, I looked to nature and the winter solstice, the season, and to the symbols and colors of Hanukkah.

Valorie Hart Designs
Holiday Party
at The Puck Building, NYC

I would start with the concept of light, since this is the most beloved festival of lights.

Blue and white (and silver and gold) are the "official" colors...
...so I would use the blue and white collections in the home, enhancing them with some winter plants and flowers. And why not serve a holiday punch in your blue and white tureen?!
Many families have the traditional menorah, but for stylish Joni I would use a collection of nine French style candlesticks. I would visually join them together with a length of beautiful French ribbon.
Of course beloved family traditions must be honored and practiced...
...and today designers like Martha Stewart have whole lines of beautiful Hanukkah decorations that expand on tradition in a very stylish way. The traditional blue has morphed into a very pretty pastel Tiffany style blue.
Martha even tells you how to make a dreidel out of home made marshmallows...
...and to hand make cute little bags for Hanukkah gelt (I love the coin shaped chocolate).
I would get some of this glam gelt from Canada and fill lots of pretty bowls with it.
I would use snowflakes as a nod to the season...
...and shells since Joni loves the beach so much.
I'd take a page from my own decor and gladly give it to her...
...using shells and the color blue...
...to spread a little Hanukkah cheer around the house. I'd tie her pillows with ribbon to make them look Hanukkah gifts. If you didn't know I had a Christmas tree in this room, this would pass for a very pretty Hanukkah holiday decorated room!
Or maybe we'd get some of these lovely Rebecca Vizard pillows (posted on Style Court) and toss them all around!
Joni's house would be filled with pretty topiary plants...
...in pretty French flower pots or urns.
I would use pale color wreaths in every window...they would look so good with Joni's white slip covers!
...maybe even some silver leaf ones...
...or some glam white feather wreaths!
The front door would get a wreath too, maybe using some twiggy natural elements.

I'd set her table with a vintage country French blue and white tablecloth...
...and maybe these numbered napkins from France, to signify the number of nights the candles are lighted.
I would use a pair of grand urns on her table...
...filled with blue spruce boughs.
Outside and flanking her front door, I think a pair of these boxwood and light covered containers filled with white branches would make a terrific holiday statement.
I would sprinkle around lots of paperwhite narcissus flowers, white amaryllis, and maybe even white poinsettia, always potted in beautiful French style urns...


Pottery confit style pots would be wonderful filled with most anything, boughs, branches, plants, shells, pinecones,
or maybe pale vintage ornaments.
Little winter birds could perch around Joni's house...
...vintage lights from France could be strung wherever the fancy takes us...
...glass jars filled with ornaments,
...or gelt, or gilded Jordan almonds are always a festive touch of color.
Antlers are such a big decorating trend now, so why not bring some woodland deer into Joni's mix?
Baskets of pinecones are always a nice nautral touch, and I especially like white ones.
Every night a little gift is given, and here's another opportunity for a festive hoiday decoration.
Joni could also use blue toile gift bags tied up with a beautiful French ribbon, to enhance her holiday home on Cote de Texas!
These little lavendar sachets are too perfect! I would tie them with a ribbon to look like little gift packages,
...and put them in a huge white ironstone punch bowl. Everyone who comes to visit Joni can take away a small holiday favor.
So Joni, I'm putting the chemises in the valises, and hopping in the toile-mobile with all the decorations to doll up your house for the holiday season, and every Catholic kid on the block will be drooling over your magical decorations ha ha!