Making the holidays sparkle

The weekly micro-decorating newsletter * Issue 13 of 13, A24 *
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The New Yorker always has brilliant holiday covers and my all-time favourite is this one by Edward Steed:

It captures the gleeful excess of Christmas decorating, and the way this season turns our homes inside out, displaying signs of good cheer to anyone nearby.

At other times of year, I tend to study store windows for ideas to shoplift – you've seen me share discoveries here – but in December it's time to just take it all in and enjoy. So, here are a few sights that made me pause and smile over the past few weeks.

I loved this giant gingerbread house in the window of Saudade in Little Portugal:

I also got a kick out of these cartoony cookies at Full Stop, an indie cafe in The Junction:

Decorations are popping up in unusual spots. In the Manulife Centre, even the ceilings are fair game for elaborate panels of ornaments and greenery:

Santa, too, has a way of bursting out of the scenery. In Williams Design, he makes a surprise entrance from the drawer of an antique card catalogue:

His expression is delightfully ambiguous: he might be offering a gift to someone nice, or a scolding to someone naughty, depending on your outlook.

Windows with movement always captivate me. Old Country Shop on Roncesvalles has a turntable with an eclectic assortment of holiday goodies:

The lure of too much is tempting, but understatement also has its merits. At Mrs. Huizinga, ornaments and champagne glasses make a simple and effective pairing:

And over at Atomic Design, a sprig of berries in a porcelain milk carton proves that minimalism can be magic:

Night time is when the decorations come fully alive. Necklaces of light around the corner from my apartment create a cozy passageway on my route home. The maturing trees mean that this display looks better with each December:

Whether you're going all-out with holiday decorating, or simply revelling in the sparkly landscape, I hope you and your loved ones enjoy the season to its fullest.

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

Thank you for reading.