DECORATING A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS IS SOMETHING OF A Canadian tradition. New home builders also get into the spirit with festive displays in their model homes and sales centres, which range from simple exterior lights and seasonal planters to more elaborate displays outside and in.

Our friends at Sheridan Nurseries start planning for this busy season early in October. Brenda Luckhardt, business to business marketing and development manager, shares these tips and trends for 2013. “Holiday items often follow colour and style trends seen in fashion and home décor. This year we’re seeing candy-floss pink and black and white themes emerge,” she says. Examples of this from Sheridan’s line-up are the Fi-Fi and Black Tie. Luckhardt describes Fi-Fi as “every little girls dream” – a soft pink-coloured tree decked out with ballet slippers, French poodles and feathered birds! Black Tie mirrors formal evening attire – a white tree with black and silver ornaments. Silver is the predominant metallic in holiday décor this year, she notes.

“It’s not all glitz and glam though. This year we are seeing a return to rustic, natural woodland accents, especially in outdoor container design,” explains Luckhardt. Look for driftwood stars, birch lollipops and straw owls and reindeer.

Luckhardt says the traditional choice of a fresh cut tree is still the most popular among their customers. Balsam and Fraser Fir are the top sellers but a relative newcomer Nordman Fir is catching on for its soft blue-green needles which will hold for over three weeks indoors. Sheridan advises to always give a “real” tree a fresh cut, use Sta-Fresh or similar product and check the water level daily.

Everlast trees are an excellent choice, particularly if you wish to set it up well ahead of the holiday or if you plan to be away for a period, as they don’t require water. “The selection in everlasting trees has vastly increased over the years,” says Luckhardt. “A slim-line tree is a good choice for a condo or small office whereas a majestic 12-ft. tree will fill a room with cathedral ceiling.” Depending upon the look you are after, you’ll find everlasting trees range from very life-like to boldly different in mint green, white and black, for example.

For many of us, the fragrance of a fresh cut tree is what we’re after but we don’t want a real tree. Incorporating cuttings into table centrepieces or on fireplace mantles is a great way to have the scent and can look very dramatic in a room. Or, consider a potpourri or room freshener with the evergreen scent.

The bottom line is that there are no hard and fast rules; adding one or two new items or displaying treasured pieces in a new spot may be all that you wish to do.

This is part of a series of articles on topics of interest to new-home buyers, authored by Sue Webb Smith, marketing director for Geranium Homes.