The Want List: Decor for Holiday Whimsy
Welcome wonder into every room of your home this holiday season.
If you heed the call of Mariah Carey before turkeys touch tables, you’ll no doubt find merriment adorning your home with season-specific motifs as soon as the calendar hits November. You have our permission — it’s *hits the high note* time! Though it sometimes feels like a mad dash transforming your home from Halloween to decked halls, doing it right will set your spirits bright for six weeks or more. Here’s a list of inspired objects to transform all corners of your house with whimsical holiday decor.
FOR THE ENTRY
Celestial Bauble Vase
Forage the landscaping, the woods beyond the back door, or the florist’s shelves for fistfuls of fir and buckets of berry branches. Gather a bouquet that looks like Charlie Brown’s tree. Then put it in this bauble vase that resembles an oversized ornament — it’s perfect for the foyer table.
$22.00 at Anthropologie
Fresh Greens and Berry Wreath
While wreaths have waltzed themselves into year-round vignettes, the holiday season is when they truly dazzle. Why not fill your entryway with fragrant foliage, welcoming yourself (and your guests) home in aromatic bliss? This lush, round wreath is ornamented with berries and hot pink amaranth blooms, harvested from a women-owned farm in the Pacific Northwest — Jo March approved.
$148.00 at Terrain
FOR THE KITCHEN
Collector’s Edition Winter Plaid Mug
Mothball your fleet of everyday coffee cups for the season. It’s time for drinking vessels that spark seasonal joy. From the potter’s wheel to the last brush stroke, these plaid mugs are handmade by skilled artisans: the real-world answer to elves. Each piece is one-of-a-kind, filling your kitchen to the brim with caffeine and cheer (which some might argue are one and the same).
$165.75 at Farmhouse Pottery
Winter Pinecone Tea Towels
The vibrant spectrum of winter presents gloriously in these tea towels, with rich colors of everlasting berries and evergreens that pay homage to the season’s spirit without being too on- Rudolph’s-nose. This subtle holiday accent enlivens the kitchen as batches upon batches of gingerbread and biscuits bake.
$36.00 at Pomegranate
Evergreen Treat Jar
What is the holiday season if not an elaborate excuse to collect a variety of cookies? Whether baked or bought, store your sugar loot in a jar that emulates the essence of this lustrous, indulgent time of year. Bright green, tiered and polka-dotted, this Evergreen Treat Jar will attract the gathering to the kitchen — and not just for its contents.
$75.00 at Lenox
FOR THE LIVING & DINING ROOMS
Vintage Noel Stocking
The traditional dangling of an ornamental sock has never looked lovelier. Block printed fabric adorned with hand-stitched embroidery brings more warmth than the crackling fire to the hearth. Hang these stockings as holiday decor, as future heirlooms, as a cherished gift to the next generation.
$44.00 at Soleil
Holiday Hand-Painted Taper Candles
Hand-painted garland twists around these burgundy taper candles, adding character to the holiday scene you’re setting. Dim the lights to let these candles shine on the dining table or in an equally whimsical sconce. Doing anything by candlelight in the latter part of the year cranks the romanticism of early sunsets and chilly evenings all the way up.
$68.00 at Tuckernuck
Make-a-Star Garland
You’re welcome to craft a paper star garland of your own, but in the event that your seasonal social queue is as packed as St. Nick’s stable, Cambridge Imprint made one for you. Enhance the holiday’s regular red and green color story with a collection of folk art-inspired patterned paper stars. Dollop this decor throughout the house, or string together for a 10-20 yard garland to drape across frosted window frames.
$29.00 at Boston General Store
Wooden Christmas Tree Candleholder
Turning the overhead lights on will land you on the naughty list. Keep the vibe regulated by adjusting your mood lighting to that of candlelight. Fit for chime candles, this Swedish-made Christmas-tree-shaped candleholder delights anyone who ever wrote a letter to the North Pole or wished upon a star.
$45.00 at The Six Bells
Cozy Cabin Hooked Wool Pillow
It’s time to spruce up the couch with the next rotation of seasonally specific pillows. For the holidays? An endearing winter cottage scene where fictional inhabitants can either be spinning dreidels eight nights in a row or rocking around the Christmas tree.
$69.00 at Garnet Hill
Noa Star Table Throw
For a festive tablescape that redefines the traditional holiday palette, the Noa Star Table Throw delivers. Mauve taupe, bright blue, olive green, and baby pink stamped stars pepper the cloth for a gleeful spread. Challenge your traditional holiday palate while you’re at it and cook something new for the feast.
$160.00 at Viand Mercantile
Regency Holiday Salad Plate
A whimsical aesthetic can be the result of colliding patterns, colors and textures that evoke warmth and coziness. But it can also mean leaning into fanciful fare, like gold-rimmed plates, for special occasions only. Williams Sonoma’s Regency Collection is a china cabinet worthy fleet of porcelain dinnerware. This Grinch-green and holly ornamented Holiday Salad Plate is the ideal landing zone for your favorite shaved Brussels sprouts salad course.
$159.90 at Williams-Sonoma
FOR THE BEDROOM
Rhubarb Gingham Linen Blend Flat Sheet
Piglet in Bed brings enchanting English countryside style to wherever you count sheep. This is particularly desirable around the holidays, especially if The Holiday is a repetitive watch. The deep red gingham linen sheet adds an easy festal flair to the bedroom. Pile heaps of hand-sewn quilts atop and wrap a cashmere scarf around yourself to evoke the nostalgia of a serendipitous transatlantic house swap.
$81.00 at Piglet
FOR THE BATHROOM
Pine Tree Reversible Jacquard Hand Towel
When the pine hand soap is set on the vanity, so too should a coordinating hand towel. Textured with trees, this plush piece completes hand washing in the jolliest of ways. It’s the small joys, in the unexpected corners, that ties everything together in a billowy bow fit for the tippy top of a holiday present.
