Tips for decorating your mantel for Christmas, Hanukkah and beyond
Sometimes over-the-top is a fun holiday statement like this mantel designed by Jane Abrahams, owner of organizing/holiday decorating company, Jane’s Addiction Organization in Port Washington. Credit: Donna Schwab
All eyes on the fireplace during the holiday season — the hottest spot (literally and figuratively) in the home, where much of the merriment — the entertaining, toasting, caroling and of course hanging of stockings — ensues.
Yes, it’s a welcome landing pad for Santa, depending on whether you’re naughty or nice, and the mantel, being a focal point, is often decked out as the most festive feature in a room. That presents an opportunity for creative juices to flow.
Depending on your taste, décor can be elaborate and over-the-top, or a more symbolic, modern take. But no matter what, says Robert D’Alessandro, the owner of Invision Events, a boutique event planning and design company in Plainview, “Mantels should be a reflection of your personality.”
D’Alessandro, who has decorated many, advocates for, “displaying things that are personal, special and have meaning to you. When you look at it, it should evoke memories, be inspiring and, most of all, feature elements that make you feel good.”
A holiday mantle set up by Jane Abrahams and Stephanie Greenberg, owners of Jane’s Addiction Organization. Credit: Corey Sipkin
Jane Abrahams, the owner of Jane’s Addiction Organization in Port Washington, an organizing company that has morphed into a holiday decorating business concurs. “A mantel can really speak to you and for you, and should be treated like a statement.” Her partner, Wendy Trunz adds, “It’s such a great starting point, sometimes a tree can be overwhelming, but you really can do whatever you want to do in this one little area. It’s a place where memories are made.”
MANTEL MEMORIES
A traditional take: Ann Marie Moschitta loves a real traditional style and has got decorating her mantel down to a 20-minute science in her Manhasset home. Credit: Ann Marie Moschitta
You could call Ann Marie Moschitta, 57, of Manhasset, a holiday mantel decorating whiz. It only takes her 20-minutes to zhuzh hers up.
“I pull it out of the box and throw it on,” she admits. But the ease and speed make it no less impactful. “I like to create a little wow factor,” she explains. “I try to do it in a real traditional style for when the kids (she has three) walk in the door. Maybe it’s gaudy, but I like it to pop.”
Gold reindeers flank either side along with candlesticks, ribbon, garland and twinkly lights that run across the top. A fruit bedecked wreath hangs in the center, but most notable are the golden musical instrument ornaments that dangle from the ledge.
“All my children practiced their music lessons in this room and their music was a part of their childhood.” Her kids, now grown, are talented musicians, she adds. “This room is all about memories and laughter.” Out east at her vacation home in Cutchogue, the mantel is less elaborate, she says, and the holiday theme changes to nautical with seafaring Santas that she seeks out on eBay. “I want to keep it simple seaside,” she says.
DITCHING THE EXPECTED
For a mantel in yoga instructor Iris Eplan’s 1880’s landmark home in Sea Cliff, Robert D’Alessandro, owner of Invision Events, a boutique event planning and design company in Plainview, created a “bohemian” holiday design complete with handmade dream catcher, peace sign hand sculptures, fur-wrapped candles and a pile of greens at the base of the fireplace. Credit: @invisioneventsny
As comforting and cozy as traditional looks might be, sometimes the unexpected conveys an equally potent holiday vibe. That is the case for Iris Eplan, 53, of Sea Cliff, a yoga instructor who runs travel groups to India. She tapped Alessandro to dress up her 1880s landmark home for a holiday showcase a few season’s back.
“I’m into Yoga. I travel to India. I’m Jewish, my husband is not. Somehow, Robert was able to bring in all the elements of the things I love,” she explains of what is a somewhat Bohemian fireplace scene featuring a handmade dreamcatcher with gold-tipped feathers, golden hand sculptures in peace sign mode, fur wrapped candles and a pile of greens set in front. “Everybody goes for red and green, but this was definitely out of the ordinary and captured the essence of what we felt and the spirit of the holiday without being typical about it.”
A HANUKKAH MANTEL
Pauline Ferstenberg, of New Hyde Park, displays her collection of Hanukkah menorahs and other festive holiday decorations around her fireplace mantel on Nov. 17. Credit: Jeff Bachner
Of course, mantels serve as canvases aside from Christmas. For Pauline Ferstenberg, 63, an operating room nurse from New Hyde Park, her assorted Hanukkah menorahs make a striking play for center stage. She’s collected them since her children were little — (she has grandkids now) — when each one got to light their own during the eight-day holiday.
The fireplace, now laden with menorahs, one, a Calder-like mobile style, others turned out in the shapes of cupcakes, (“I bake a lot,” she says), mahjong tiles and sports figures, is a joyful sight.
“I’ve collected them for many years, and because people know I do collect them, I’ve received many as gifts,” she says of her collection. And she is constantly adding. “I purchase them anywhere from Target to Zion Lion (a Judaica store in Roslyn) to Israel. It’s such a nice holiday tradition. Hanukkah is big in this house,” she says, adding, “I really wanted my children to have the holiday spirit.”
Holiday fireplace (or not) fabulousness
There are plenty of services all over Long Island that will happily come in to your home, and presto, holiday decorating is a done deal … and seriously, it will be gorgeous. But these services can be pricey so we’ve reached out to a few experts for DIY tips on how to keep costs on the down low and still create maximum impact for your mantel.
-Start with a plan: “Create a little storyboard for yourself of looks or styles that you love,” says Jane Abrahams of Jane’s Addiction Organization, an organizing and holiday decorating company in Port Washington. “Once you have this, and before you go shopping, you can take stock of what you already have.”
-No fireplace, no problem: For homes that don’t have a fireplace, there are plenty of options says Jessica Hass, a floral designer from Port Washington Florists. “You can create an entire Christmas theme on a banister, a wall unit, even a shelf.” Adds Abrahams, “Decorate around a mirror, a bench or even using a ladder can look very cool. These things become the foundation of your design.”
-Shop fake and cheap: “I tell first timers to buy artificial garlands and berries and mix it in with the real thing,” says Haas.
-Light it up: “Lights are really important,” says Abrahams. “Whether they’re different colors or white lights, they give your fireplace a feeling of warmth.” Along those lines, says Haas, now is the time to go for sparkle. “For holiday, glitter on a branch or even a single stem adds a magical effect.”
-Use what you have and what’s available: Robert D’Alessandro of Invision Events in Plainview suggests creating “an eclectic look with things you have and what’s available.” To keep the budget low, Abrahams recommends displaying colorful holiday cards to amp up a mantle. She adds, “Think about things you never use like those candle sticks that are stored away, or display family photos or things your kids made when they were little.”
-Think storage: Putting away your decorations carefully ensures you’ll have them for another holiday. “Organizing is the most important thing,” says Abrahamson. She numbers pieces of holiday trees, labels everything and even stores items by color in marked, see-through bins.
