Original article featured in Velvet magazine December 2011. Photography courtesy of The Contemporary Home.

Christmas is just around the corner and if you followed last month’s guide to getting your home ready for the festivities it’s now time for the really fun part – dressing the tree!

Christmas is a great opportunity to ramp up your usual interior style and Victoria Harrison of Angel + Blume shows you how to choose Christmas decorations to extend and emphasize your usual style for the holidays. So put on some carols, pour yourself a glass of mulled wine and get decorating.

Traditional
If you love all things traditional, Christmas is the perfect excuse to indulge in all of the holiday customs. Holly, ivy, evergreen wreaths and stripy candy canes are all great Christmas staples. Pair these with classic glass baubles in red and gold, the richer the colours the better, and your home will look picture perfect. Scent also plays a pivotal role in making your home feel festive, so add in some scented decorations such as cinnamon sticks and candied fruit for an all encompassing festive glow.

Modern
If your style is urban and minimal you can still keep your home feeling cool and contemporary with some fun decorations such as this cheeky brussel sprout wreath which is a quirky alternative to the traditional evergreen version. If a classic Christmas tree is too traditional for you, why not focus on a different centrepiece and add some festive cheer with bold colours and plenty of zing and glitter. These cheerful coloured lights draped over a pair of white antlers, for example, offer a jaunty alternative to a pine tree whilst still creating a focal point.

Vintage
Everyone has a box of decorations in the attic that they bring out every year and as time goes on these gain vintage status. If you love all things heritage, emphasise this by mixing in some hand crafted decorations in soft, pretty colours. These little bird decorations from Cox and Cox have a lovely retro feel and Cath Kidston also have lots of old fashioned decorations. If you’re crafty then get creating, as anything hand stitched or knitted instantly adds a soft, vintage feel; similarly little cameo decorations are also great at creating a vintage mood.

Eclectic
If you love collecting items from around the globe this is the perfect time to indulge this as Christmas is a great opportunity to mix up different styles. Different cultures have totally unique ways of decorating their homes for the holidays and it’s lovely to take elements of these to decorate your own. From simple, wooden Scandinavian decorations to the ornate ornaments and gingerbread creations that can be found across German Christmas markets, if you fall in love with something then there’s no reason not to add a small element of it to your own home.