home & garden

Deck the halls meets
bling the walls

WRITTEN & PHOTOGRAPHED BY Liz Breault

When Santa comes down the chimney at two Antelope Valley homes, he’d better be wearing sunglasses or risk being blinded by the brilliance of the decorations.

Since Marilyn and Mark Norris remodeled their Palmdale home five years ago, and decorated in a Tuscany style, their Christmas décor matched as well.

As their décor evolved and styles incorporated that lean toward the Middle East, the colors got even brighter.

Oh, sure, there are plenty of decorations made by the children over the years, along with treasured gifts from other family members and friends. And there’s a traditional tree with lights reflecting off shiny ornaments of all colors. Look any direction and the gleaming gold and vibrant red-orange colors will catch your eye.

“I’ve always loved the colors of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. I think it’s because my mother used to decorate with those colors as well,” Marilyn said.

A jester, dressed in Christmas attire with more bling than a king, adorns the Norris’ entryway—greeting visitors with two faces as he reflects in a mirror.

“The jester’s been in the family since most of the kids were little. My oldest daughter Brandy who is 33 now, laughed when I bought it at Costco,” Marilyn said.

“Now Brandy and the others, Ryan, Cameron and Kevin, call it their jester. They like it so much that when mom’s gone they might fight over who gets it!”

The Norris’ remodeled décor already included Tuscany-style faux wall and window treatments, but after a trip to Italy in 2004 they added more “authentic” touches.

“I learned that our old is 100 years and their old is 1,000 years, so now I try and add pieces that look really old. Just get me somewhere that has history and I will fall in love with it and try to recreate it,” Marilyn said.

During the holiday season, Marilyn wraps her presents as she buys them instead of all at once—carefully arranging each one under the tree. For the gift wrap, she uses the same dazzling colors she loves.

“The presents become part of the décor. And when we unwrap them, we admire and enjoy the wrapping, and unwrap them slowly—one at a time. It makes it even more special,” Marilyn said.

As elegant as the Norris’ home is to see at Christmas, it’s the jester that seems to bring the most joy.

“Every year he sits in exactly same spot, but sometimes his pose changes. I’m not sure who changes it, but there is a culprit—maybe more than one. Some days his hand is on his knee, sometimes it’s on the mirror or his head—unless he comes alive at night,” Marilyn said. Then she added, “Christmas is still for the kids!”

Ahhhhh, the magic of Christmas.

Colors and sparkle

Yvette and Ron Emard of Palmdale have Christmas bling on their walls all year, but it really comes to life during the holidays when the lights come on around it.

The Emard’s bling comes from two trees decorated solid in jewelry, and hanging on opposing walls in their living room.

“They’re not hanging side-by-side because we didn’t want them to compete with each other. This way they compliment each other,” Yvette said.

One of the trees belonged to Ron’s mother, Fern Irene Emard. It was the first one she ever made, and was the inspiration for the Emards to make one of their own.

“I saw hers at a Christmas gathering, and we started ours in January. It took all year, and we worked on it nearly every week, but we finished in time for the next holiday season” Yvette said.

To find the jewelry to make their tree, the Emards visited vintage stores, second-hand stores, garage sales and antique stores wherever they traveled.

“We asked all the female family members for a piece of jewelry to make it even more personal. As we gathered the pieces, we built it. We used a hot glue gun to attach each piece directly onto a Masonite tree-shaped board that Ron’s father made for us, and we painted,” Yvette said.

“The placement of those pieces led to some lively discussions,” Ron said.

Creative differences aside, the Emards agree that it was a wonderful project to do together and made their next Christmas even more special.

“It made Ron’s mom really proud when she saw it. Both his parents got to see it before they passed away,” Yvette said.

Now, across from their own tree, the tree that started the tradition graces Yvette and Ron’s home after he inherited it from his mom.

“Mom’s is mostly blue, and I remember how much she liked blue. It was the first thing that would come out every Christmas, and I always associated it with her.

“When you see the love and time that went into ours, you know it was the same when mom and dad made theirs,” Ron said.

“There’s a real special kind of joy and bonding when you are consciously piecing it all together, and working toward a goal. It is a beautiful piece of artwork and symbolic of our love. I think the symbolism is even more important than its beauty.

“I’m hoping my mom (Aida O-Connor) will make one for each of my daughters, and it will inspire them to make jewelry trees for their children. I would like for the tradition to continue,” Yvette said.

“When we made our tree, we wanted it to be many colors and all sparkle,” she said.

“After all, it’s not just a Christmas decoration; it’s a family treasure 365 days a year.”