My favorite part about Christmas when I was a child was decorating for the much anticipated holiday season. My mother had boxes and boxes of Christmas decorations. Each decoration had a story, a memory, and special place in our home. Though we loved to “ooh” and “awe” over every glass ornament or figurine, our favorite and most anticipated decoration was the angel tree topper.
We would carefully remove her from her box and set her in the center of our dining room table as we decorated our tree and house. Once everything was put in it’s place then my father had the honor (or the height) to place the her on the top of the tree. Finally, we turned on the tree lights to admire our Victorian angel as she brightened the room.
The angel is a wonderful theme for your Christmas decorations as well as a tradition you can begin with your family. You can find so many types of angels which range from simple to elaborate designs. The most popular is the Victorian angel with her magnificent wings and flowing robes, she floats over white cotton clouds with a cherub face of serenity. Below are some decorating tips and pointers on how you can use a Victorian angel theme this Christmas.
You can find Victorian and/or vintage angel tree toppers and ornaments online, at local antique shops, or specialty stores. Some great places to shop online is Pottery Barn, Target, and Amazon.com. Also, shop around at department stores and craft stores to find your angels. Buy as many decorations as your budget allows, don’t worry about buying too many because there is no such things as having too much of anything in a Victorian Christmas.
Once you have a good assortment of angel decorations and ornaments then incorporate other elements to complete your design. I would recommend using some other types of Victorian design elements used during the time. For example, strings of popcorn, holly, ivy, mistletoe, and ribbon on the tree and fire place mantle are nice touches. Candles are always subtle and nice addition which will balance a design on a table or mantle. Finally, white lights are preferred over multi-colored lights because they provide the illusion of twinkling candles on your tree as they would of used during the time.
After you are finished you will have a warm, cozy Victorian angel theme which every one will admire. The angel is a very important part of the story of the birth of Christ. As the song goes, “Hark! The Herald angels sing!” so join in and have your home sing with the angels.