Christmas Style

Festive, colorful and (some might say) gaudy, this holiday cornucopia holds many surprises. Staron and Pranga, who have owned and operated their L.A.-based decorating company, Dr. Christmas, since 1984, have an untamed panache for design. They present several ornate design themes for the Christmas tree and home, such as Golden Opulence and Royal Velvet, as well as some curious regional offerings; it seems unlikely that Midwesterners would decorate their trees with freshly sliced limes, for example, or that Westerners would do the same with oranges. However, the unique creations--including trees that look like Joan Crawford, Marilyn Monroe and 10 other ""Dames of Christmas""--make this a memorable volume, if not a very practical one. The authors suggest putting holiday decorations everywhere: the shower, the bar and, especially, over the top. For their Winter Wonderland design, ""the illusion of a forest was created with birch trees trimmed in crystal-and-white ornaments and clear lights, surrounding a table and chairs covered in faux-fur fabric and flocked with cotton 'snow' batting."" Ornaments include everything from 18-carat gold Egyptian creations to hot pink bath ""scrubbies"" and paper umbrellas. Likewise, ribbons might be anything from silk and velvet to faux leopard. One gets the impression that, with the exception of their celebrity-autographed baubles, Staron and Pranga seldom use the same decorations twice. Many of the designs photographed here will likely be too loud for most, but with this extravagant volume on the coffee table, less ambitious readers can consider their holiday decorating complete.