From House To Home

Every town has at least one: a house that is so unbelievably decked out for the holidays, a steady stream of cars line up to admire the spectacle each night. Though we’ve seen it all a million times, the season’s exuberant color and pageantry never fails to generate feelings of delight and nostalgia. Whether your own personal holiday style is outrageous or understated, how you choose to festoon your home for the season gives a clue about your family’s identity. Where do you and yours fall on the holiday decorating profile?

The Showmen

This family is committed to making their house a shining—and often loud—beacon of Christmas cheer, whether their neighbors like it or not. From mounds of colored lights to 8-foot inflatable snowmen to a team of roof-top reindeer, they spare no effort—or expense—to ring in the season.

The Minimalists

Forget flash—it’s all about understatement for this family. Whether classic white lights are painstakingly wrapped around the tallest tree or a simple vintage sled, they’re never tempted to overdo it. Electric candles in each window and a small wreath on the front door finish the look.

The Retros

The wooden “Charlie Brown Christmas” display they bought in 1965 has been put out on the front lawn every year since.

The Reason-For-The-Seasons

Their simple Nativity scene comes complete with real hay and some well-placed spotlights for nighttime viewing.

The Purists

No plastic ornaments here. This group literally decks the halls with boughs of holly. From garlands of fresh pine needles that gracefully drape over a white picket fence to the real mistletoe hanging in the foyer, their style is 100-percent unadulterated 19th-century Americana. They probably even string fresh popcorn for their Christmas tree by firelight.

The Year-Rounders

They simply plug in last year’s lights and re-inflate the waving Santa—because they never bothered to take them down in the first place.

The Somethings-Are-Better-Than-Nothings

They string one layer of those new-fangled “icicle” lights to the trim of their house and call it a day.

The Non-Participators

Their house is free of decoration: not a ribbon, twinkle light, wise man, candy cane or Santa Claus in sight. (Since I fall into this category, I’ll hypothesize that the home’s inhabitants usually spend the holidays elsewhere, and therefore don’t see the need to decorate.) This is generally looked on by the neighbors as lame, however, and should probably be remedied this year. Where can you buy those icicle lights again?