The holidays are upon us, and ’tis the season to decorate your home for this festive time of year! And, there is perhaps no better place to celebrate the holidays than in Newport Beach, where time-honored traditions, including the annual Christmas Boat Parade (in it’s 106th year!) and the Holiday Ring of Lights, are sure to get us in the spirit of the season. (Please see www.ChristmasBoatParade.com for more information on these wonderful holiday events).

This year’s holiday decor trends build upon those we’ve seen in recent years, and will no doubt be evident in beautiful homes throughout Newport Beach and especially in those homes where the halls are festively bedecked to participate in the city’s annual Holiday Ring of Lights home decorating competition. According to Eric Cortina, Creative Director of Roger’s Gardens, fortunately, this season’s trends are easy to incorporate into your home, using decorations already in your collection and adding a few key pieces and colors to provide a lovely holiday update.

Gold Gilt- The biggest trend this year is gold. In recent years, many gravitated toward pewter, silvers and tarnished glitter. Now, most are drawn to a warmer gold palette. Mixing metal tones is very in fashion and gives a modern approach to holiday decorating. In the past, it has been strictly either gold or silver accents, but now they are mixed together in an eclectic way. The best way to bring gold into your existing décor is to add gold ornaments to your tree, place starburst gilt mirrors on your mantel, and scatter gold votives down your table. The more votives the merrier!

White on White- Another popular trend that has evolved is all-white décor. This look is easy to incorporate on your table setting since most of us already own white dinnerware. Picture your table set with white linens, solid white dinnerware, and assorted white and clear votives. For your centerpiece, gather different holiday greenery and add in white roses, hydrangea and amaryllis. The look also mixes matte with gloss whites, which brings a layered texture to your décor. A great design alternative if you are tired of your current statement decorations is to give them a new look by painting them a solid white. We’re definitely dreaming of a White Christmas at Roger’s Gardens!

Scandinavian Christmas- You don’t have to be of Nordic decent to relates to this clean holiday decorating style. Using a classic color combination of red and white, add natural elements of wood and greenery for a lodge-inspired feel, or try adding in mercury glass and take it in a more elegant direction.

Copper & Pinecones- For those who love the current burlap trend, this is a wonderful holiday ‘take’ on the look. Using your existing decorations from Christmases past, add in copper accents such as trays to hold votives or large copper urns for greenery. Use mini rice lights with copper wire to bring brilliance to your Christmas tree or smaller topiaries. Add in pinecone accents for a more natural feeling. To make it more elegant, try adding magnolia branches, which will beautifully accent the copper with their brown-backed leaves.

To create these Christmas trends in your home, visit Roger’s Gardens, located in Corona del Mar, CA. No matter what direction you go with your personal holiday decorating, remember all those who will appreciate your efforts this season. Adding wreaths to your doors, bringing the scent of fresh cut Christmas tree indoors, and the festive feeling created by collected ornaments will bring back fond memories and create new, lasting memories. The participants in Newport Beach’s Holiday Ring of Lights home decorating competition understand this, using their time and energy to share the spirit of the holidays with residents and visitors to Newport Beach. Be sure to take the time to appreciate and marvel at their efforts this season, with a walk around Balboa Island or a Duffy electric boat cruise around the harbor. Wishing you a very happy holiday!

By: Eric Cortina
Eric Cortina’s has been with Roger’s Gardens for over 25 years. He started out in the floral department and worked his way up to his current position as Creative Director. He is also the home décor buyer. In his position as Creative Director, Eric sets the overall looks, themes, and vision of the various departments throughout the year. A large part of this creative work revolves around the Halloween and Christmas presentations, which customers look forward to each year. Eric also started designing his own line of Christmas ornaments 10 years ago. The ornaments, which are hand made in Europe, have an old world look, and encompass traditional, as well as whimsical designs. With his early experience with floral design, Eric frequently teaches entertaining seminars that include floral design workshops, as well as holiday decorating seminars. Eric loves travel, antique stores and spending time in the garden. – See more here.