Tips for healthy, feng-shui holiday decorating and home entertaining

Serving buffet style is less formal and gives you more time to spend with your guests.

With the holidays fast approaching, I turned to design maven and feng-shui expert DeAnna Radaj for some tips on how to handle the holiday season in harmonic style. The wisdom started to pour forth. "With the holidays, our thoughts not only turn to family and friends and all that we have to be thankful for, but to our "to do" lists of all we need to get done, presents that need to be bought, food that needs to be prepared, any remodeling projects that need to be finished (or started), and our holiday travel plans. Is it any wonder that our thoughts and wishes are for January to hurry up and get here? November and December are also so BUSY!"

How about tackling those unfinished remodeling projects before the holidays? It's great to spruce up your home before family and guests arrive, but if remodeling hasn't been started yet, chances are your projects won't be finished in time for the holidays.

If you were planning on purchasing new furniture for a new look, it's almost out of the question to purchase any custom item. With custom work, you won't receive the item by the arrival of your first guest. Most custom pieces need to be ordered anywhere between 4 to 12 weeks in advance to ensure timely delivery. You can purchase an "in stock" item that can be delivered in time if you find one that meets your needs.The above photo is your reminder that there are many great showroom pieces just waiting to find a good home. Sit in the furniture, bring your paint colors and wall covering swatches, and scoop something up on the spot.

Any and all major renovations on your home should be put off now until the start of next year. DeAnna advises, "Obviously if you need a new roof, a tree falls through a window, or your furnace breaks, you need to swing into action ASAP. I'm speaking about the need to refinish your cabinets, get a new countertop, or put in new bedroom flooring. In planning for next year, all home renovations need to be started by September to be finished by the holidays . . . no matter what your contractor may tell you."

DeAnna advises that you can implement Integrative Lifestyle Design principles to achieve a great color scheme for your holiday decorations, a great seating chart for better family harmony, and a colorful, balanced menu.

"Thanksgiving, and all of November," says DeAnna, "is a time of abundance and giving thanks for all that we've been given over the past year. This is the month to celebrate the harvest. In Feng Shui, an integral part of Integrative Lifestyle Design, purple, green, and any metallic color are symbols of Wealth and Abundance. The appropriate shape for November is organic, free-flowing lines and the appropriate element is Water. In your 'I'm Thankful for the Abundant Harvest' color scheme, use the abovementioned colors for the perfect harmonious décor."

For Thanksgiving, DeAnna says that pumpkins, scarecrows, and cornstalks are no-no's for decorating. In Feng Shui terms, these items won't work, although pumpkins are appropriate for Halloween. Scarecrows are meant to "scare away" crows and other birds that would eat the crops; in FS terms, you don't want to "scare" away anything; you want to attract things instead. "You want to cultivate good energy and new opportunities," cautions DeAnna. "Cornstalks typically used are dried and dead, and you don't want to use anything dead in your décor as you don't want dead or stagnant energy in your home."

Here are DeAnna's top holiday decorating and entertaining tips:

1. Use hardy chrysanthemums in a variety of colors for your decorations. Mums are the Chinese flower for Fall, plus they come in many colors to create a vibrant party atmosphere.
2. A cornucopia filled with flowers, gourds, or anything else that represents abundance can be a great tabletop centerpiece that, by its nature, attracts more abundance to your home.
3. Any type of vines or branches with leaves can be draped in a free-flowing way to represent water. Decorate with garlands around entryways, on curtain rods, or on railings to bring in the Water element to your design décor.
4. Use accessories that embody abundance to you; it doesn't matter if it makes sense to anyone else!
5. Your decorations or party favors should include purple or green and can incorporate metal accents. Use deep, saturated, jewel-tones here. DeAnna likes to use silver as her "metal" of choice. This time of year though, gold is the most popular choice. Gold is warm, along with copper and bronze, while silver and platinum are cool. Gold can be used for smaller, more intimate gatherings, while silver can be used for larger gatherings to promote more mingling.
6. For your party or Thanksgiving menu, include foods that represent the colors purple, green, and metals (silver/gold/copper). Add these colorful foods to your traditional turkey-and-fixings menu: spinach pasta (or any other green pasta) and asparagus salad, avocado dip w/chicory, lemon and zucchini quiche, glazed baby beets, eggplant puree, purple plum pie, purple broccoli salad, and lavender ice cream.
7. When planning holiday parties, you should be able to spend time with your guests. Make dishes that are easy to prepare and can be shared by all. Set up buffet tables or serving areas in different parts of the main party gathering room for your various appetizers, main courses, and desserts to get people mingling and moving around the party instead of sitting in the same place. For a more formal party, it may be worth hiring one or more people to help clear and serve so you can pay attention to your guests.
8. Create a great ambience using aromatherapy. Each element in Feng Shui corresponds with a particular scent. The Water element can be "activated" by using Bergamot and Geranium scents. When using any type of aroma fragrancing in your space, make sure you are using essential oils and/or candles that are made of natural ingredients and burn using only cotton wicks. Look into DeAnna's Environment Sprays that correspond with the Bagua Board in Feng Shui. The Wealth and Abundance spray is Bergamot.

For more information, visit DeAnna Radaj on the Bante Design site, check out her books Designing the Life of Your Dreams from the Outside In and Feng Shui for Teens, and read her monthly Harmony2Share column.