by Julie A. Hogan

Created on: September 03, 2008   Last Updated: October 09, 2010

It's that time again, dig out the ornaments, un-tangle those lights you worked so hard in January to keep straight and hang the dusty garland over the mantel. Ahh the holiday's!

You work hard all year long to make your home look and feel a certain way. You may have spent hours picking out the perfect fabric for your living room sofa, or diligently labored over a room re-do that incorporated the perfect shade of blue to coordinate with a favorite piece of art. Being so careful not to choose the wrong shade, and having everything look "just right" is your mission. Just when you feel you've achieved a space worthy of a Metropolitan Home photo shoot, here comes a parade of red and green that has a mind of it's own and could care less about your carefully coordinated home. Ahh the holiday's!

All is not lost however. You can stand firm and reclaim what is yours. After-all, you've worked hard and a red and green nightmare is not about to derail all those other sleepless night's worrying about matching the chair to the wall color. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a fancy-shmancy holiday room just like the next person. In fact, I even have a (secret) collection of snow globes, but let's not talk about that. There is really no way around the youthful fantasy the holiday's bring, and I accept that. However, what I'd like to think is that I can somehow control where that fantasy ends up in my home.

When considering just what holiday decorations from the past to unpack and which ones you should reconsider keep a couple of things in mind.

First and foremost, if there is an ornament or decoration that truly is meaningful to you or your family, then by all means incorporate it. Family traditions are especially important during the holidays. Regardless of what your overall design statement is, color coordination and all, the family has to come first. Having a tree or area in your home that is decorated by and for the kids is a special and meaningful way to showcase each and every homemade ornament, uniquely strung garland, brightly blinking colored lights and yes, the snow globe collection. The space will be yours again before you know it.

Secondly, are there ornaments or decorations that are broken, out-dated or just no longer important to you? If you have decorations that are broken, throw them away. Holiday ornaments that are just not of significance to you any more can be donated to local charities and put to good use by other families. If you have some that are favorites but

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