The holidays are all about love, warmth, family, and friends. Glowing lights, the smell of fresh-baked gingerbread, mugs of steaming hot cocoa. Sprigs of fir, the scent of frankincense, festive lashings of crimson, metallic, silver, and green spread throughout your home and kitchen.
You're on it. You have a veritable warehouse of Christmas supplies stashed in storage just waiting for your ready hands to give them a home again this year. But as you root through all the stuff, you realize that a lot of it is the same as last year and the year before that, and much of it is varying degrees of kitschy. Santa placemats. The same boring snow-tipped garland. That old plastic mistletoe. And of course, the reindeer antlers, styrofoam snowmen, and that tacky Christmas sweater. Perhaps this year requires not more but better. Decorations that create a warmer, more inviting home given the unusual (isolated, perhaps?) circumstances we find ourselves in this year.
That doesn't mean you have to ditch your old decor and buy new stuff ('cept maybe the sweater). We're not in the habit of promoting unnecessary buying and greater waste. Instead, we're going to use that stuff you already have lying around your home, and with the help of nature, create warm, tasteful spaces in your kitchen that enhance the spirit of Christmas. Keep in creative mind, these ideas can be used anywhere in your home you want cozy Christmas nooks.
Coffee, Tea, or Cocoa Station
Your family will adore this one! Choose an area of your kitchen where you have space for a small table, large enough to hold your coffee pot or an insulated carafe, and a few small items. If you have a wooden table, leave it exposed. The element of wood lends a feeling of simple warmth and charm. Or, cover it with a solid table covering in fresh linen or a shade that complements your kitchen. Arrange your coffee maker next to a glass jar filled with ground coffee or beans and a wooden or classic white canister holding a few wooden utensils, including a coffee scoop. If you have something like a Keurig, place the pods in a small bowl. If you have the space, include a small jar of assorted nuts, a small green plant or poinsettia, and a couple of small espresso cups and saucers. It's a simple arrangement, but it creates a delightful little nook reserved just for coffee. If tea is your drink, just swap the coffee maker for a teapot and the glass jar for one filled with loose tea or your favorite tea bags.
Festive Salt & Pepper Flutes
This is a charming and festive centerpiece for your everyday dinner table. Fill two champagne flutes with pink salt and black pepper and label them appropriately using simple stick-on labels and fancy lettering. Place them on a large serving plate and scatter some wine corks around the base to create a nested look. Or, place a few sprigs of pine or fir and pine cones, dried berries, and a couple of small candles. If you don't care for "finger pinching" your salt and pepper, include a small wooden spoon in each flute.
Fairy Lights in Rattan Baskets
That extra string of lights comes in handy here, and if it's a jumbled mess, even better! A friend of mine made these for her kitchen in a space where light was lacking, which solved a functional issue as well as the desire for a touch of something special. Use a wicker or rattan basket and toss in a string or two of plain white Christmas lights or fairy lights. Then string the basket up on a wall or attach it to the top of a window in your kitchen. The base of the basket should be flush against the wall or window, so the lights will drop down to the bottom, creating a kind of nested look.
Rubber Boot Planters
Got a retired pair of rubber boots? Use them as indoor planters to contain a delightful bouquet of fir or pine clippings from your backyard or Christmas tree. Include long branchlets, twigs, and sprigs of fresh or dried poinsettias. Place at the foyer of your home or in the sunroom, fill in a corner of your kitchen for a bit of country charm, or display on the stoop outside the front entrance.
Glitzy Pinecones
This one will get the kids busy too! Brush glue onto the tips of pine cones and sprinkle metallic sparkles over top. Alternatively, brush some all-purpose metallic paint on to the tips. Allow them to dry and then arrange them on exposed kitchen shelves in those little nooks that need filling in.
Scatter Christmas Baking Accessories Throughout
Select some jars and festive plates, and artfully arrange things like Christmas cookie cutters, cinnamon sticks, gingerbread men, cloves, and nutmeg throughout your kitchen. These decorative arrangements look great on kitchen islands, your main eating table, corner spaces, and more. Boost up the festive charm and place a red or woven rattan table runner or placemat under the arrangement.
Make A Spice Station
While we recommend storing your spices in a dark place, for a short time they'll keep as long as they're stored in a lidded jar. Alternatively, if you're doing a makeover on your spice cabinet, don't toss out the old ones. Use them to make an attractive spice station instead. Take a few of your favorite warm seasonal spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and mace, whole or ground, and fill matching glass jars. This display creates a nice effect if the jars are different sizes too. Trim the jars with festive ribbon or raffia to achieve that country-kitchen-ready-for Christmas look.
Display a Stone Mortar and Pestle
If you're doing a ton of baking this season, an unpolished granite mortar and pestle is a handy kitchen tool that also has a timeless rustic appeal. Rather than keeping it stashed in a cupboard, display it on your countertop next to your spice station. In between uses, you can fill it with mandarin oranges that are easy to remove and replace. Or, fill a translucent organza bag with potpourri or whole spices and stash it in the mortar between uses. It will lend a beautiful festive fragrance to your kitchen too.
'Tis The Season To Make Things Beautiful
There is no shortage of beauty this time of year, and creating timeless treasures over kitschy dollar-store displays enhances the warmth and elegance of your home and kitchen. The soft glow of spice-scented tealight candles in recycled jars are a nice touch in nearly any space too.
Enjoy this collection of easy and elegant holiday displays for your kitchen. From our kitchen to yours, we wish you beauty, light, and love in the kitchen and throughout your home this holiday season!
