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HOLIDAY CHEER W ITHOUTTHE FRENZY?THIS FAMILY DOES IT BY

LETTING A FEW FAVORITE TRADITIONS RISE TO THE TOP.

Christmas traditions run deep in Juliet and

Stephen Romano’s family. Without fail, the couple

and their three kids watch “A Christmas Carol.”

Almond-flavor sugar cookies are guaranteed, as is

Stephen standing at the bottom of the stairs to

videotape the kids rushing down Christmas

morning—never mind that they’re now ages 19,16,

and

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and need a mid-morning nudge to rouse

them from bed. “Christmas for us is mainly about

family time,” Juliet says.

So it’s no surprise that the decorations in the

Romanos’ 1940s Seattle home follow suit. Juliet

keeps the look personal by letting her special

family pieces star, such as the silver baby rattles

and cups that once belonged to the kids and now

work as ornaments. This year, Juliet took down the

black-and-white silhouettes displayed throughout

the house and gathered them to adorn the tree in

the living room. A silhouette of son Will, done

on a vacation to Disneyland years ago, is the tree

topper. “I like to use my collections rather than just

have them gathering dust on a shelf,” Juliet says.

While sentiment drives the decorating, time is

also a factor. Simplifying has been Juliet’s mantra

in recent years. The four ceramic Staffordshire

dogs stay on the mantel year-round; Juliet festoons

them with miniature wreaths for holiday cheer.

She limits fresh garlands to the front door and

banister in the entry. “In the past I’ve gone

all out decorating, but I’ve found keeping things

simple and sentimental actually makes the tree

and the decorations stand out more,” Juliet says.

“It allows the things with the most meaning to

float to the top.”

“Traditions come and go but as long as we celebrate together, it feels like Christmas,” says Juliet Romano,

above,

with

family pet, Dover. On the living room mantel,

opposite,

a wreath on a ceramic Staffordshire dog and an everlasting

boxwood wreath hung over the mirror reflect Juliet’s easy-does-it holiday style. Tied with ribbon, a silver baby rattle

becomes an ornament,

above left.

Roping and a wreath are traditional touches at the front door,

above right.

BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS DECEMBER 2008 1 4 1