For traditionalists who allow seasonal decor to follow the Gregorian calendar—choosing not to swap Jack-o-lanterns for Christmas trees and actually celebrate an autumnal aesthetic — the weekend following Thanksgiving is the designated time to decorate for the Christmas season. Year after year social media tends to influence the tweaks and updates required to maintain a sense of freshness to existing decor, but what do the pros think?

For All Occasions, or, as it’s called by insiders, “FAO,” has been the faux floral design showroom for decades. Beloved by Houston interior designers, the 11,000 square foot showroom is filled with hyper-realistic faux trees, floral arrangements, examples of “living” walls, and the like. The most festive service they provide, however, is their on-site holiday decorating. Clients who prefer a laissez faire approach to decorating rely on FAO to install remarkable, on-trend Christmas decorations for their interiors and exteriors. Co-owned by Gail Terrill and Tammie Jacobe, FAO keeps up with all of the latest and greatest trends.

Terrill took a break from an installation to discuss this year’s hottest holiday trends. She tells CultureMap that Grandmillennial, oversized bows, and tone-on-tone are the top three trends for 2024. While two-thirds of the trends are self-explanatory, “Grandmillennial” is a little vague.

First introduced by Emma Bazilian in a House Beautiful article in 2019, the trend has become a contemporary Christmas staple. “Grandmillennial style re-imagines old-school design fads and combines them with contemporary looks,” Martha Stewart explains. “The resurgence of this specific design style is a rebellion against the midcentury modern look that has ruled interior spaces for the past several years.”

A Grandmillennial Christmas will include anything that is quintessentially “granny.” Think ruffles, lace, and needlepoint. This theme will focus on nostalgia, kitsch, and whimsy over anything else. It’s also essential to focus on a theme as there is a fine line between curated Grandmillennial and hoarder-chic.

Oversized bows are essentially a focused, themed offshoot of the Grandmillennial style. If bows aren’t the vibe, focus on other nostalgic Christmas decor items such as rocking horses, bells, or nutcrackers. The idea for this style is for every item to look collected — nostalgia and memories are the stars of the show here. According to Terrill this is a great theme due to its range and can go with most home styles, which is ideal as “most clients tend to stay to a style that reflects their interiors.”

“Depth and dimension, layering, and well thought out ornament selections” are what separate the amateurs from the pros, Terrill says. Make sure to reach deep into the tree when placing lights and baubles to ensure as much light as possible is reflected, placing ornaments and other decorative items exclusively at the tips of the branches will cause a design to fall flat. If the tree is looking thin, add some depth by adding picks and floral sprays.

Continuity is also an important factor in creating a festive atmosphere. While a full matching set is a bit passé, make sure to mix and match the same colors throughout any auxiliary floral decor, such as centerpieces, garlands, wreaths, and swags. Remember, a successful interior is one that tells a story.

This year, rather than shunning any vintage or handmade ornaments previously relegated to the attic, return them to the tree where they can shine. Remember — they’re trendy!

  

Photo by Gail Terrill

A show stopping garland plays with scale.