Dressed for holidays

In storefronts and homes, tradition rules in this year’s Christmas decorations

This year inexpensive, natural decorations are popular, as people turn to more traditional baubles to decorate their homes for Christmas.

With boughs of holly, fresh fruit, fresh greens, pine cones, wired ribbon and brown paper bags, a family can decorate their entire home for little or no expense, said Patti Pearce, owner of Flowers by Design, a floral shop on Main Street in Bel Air.

For years, Pearce has decorated homes and storefront windows in the county.

Although total sales have decreased, she said she has seen more customers this year. Last year she had a handful of business customers who spent $150 to $200, and this year she had about 20 customers, who spent about $75, she said.

“We really wanted to make Main Street look beautiful this year, so I gave businesses decorations at wholesale,” she said. “I got a lot of customers, but they aren’t spending a lot of money.”

When she decorates homes, she gives people hints on how to save money, she said.

She has about a half-dozen homes that she decorates inside and out. Although the customers might spend between $500 and $1,500 for decorations, many of them choose to use the decorations in their home for multiple years after she decorates the first time, she said.

The first suggestion is to plan ahead.

When Pearce purchased her home, she planted a winterberry bush and a Magnolia tree in her yard, she said.

“Winterberry is very expensive to buy, even for a florist,” she said. “But since I have it in my yard, I can go out and clip some off and use it for holiday decorations. I don’t suggest that people go steal greens from their neighbors’ yards, but that they use what they have available.”

Pearce uses the greens in window boxes and on wreaths, centerpieces, swags and trees, she said.

“Many people put their window boxes away in the fall,” she said. “Leave them up and clip fresh greens and put them over the dirt. Then put a bow on the box, and it looks beautiful.”

Or gather fresh pine cones and spray paint them gold and put them in a bucket on the front porch, she said.

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