The Top Christmas Dcor Trends for 2015 ...

From porcelain to glass or velvet, polar bears seem to be sneaking into every crevice of our Christmas this year. Large or small, accompanied by fellow arctic critter, the penguin, polar bears come as tree hangings, life-size heads on walls, inflatables a third of their natural size and tableware for children's Christmas parties. Whole animal herds are appearing on designer and decorator-treated walls this year. Sequined, covered in fur or glittering in copper, silver and bright white, polar bear, penguin, stags, rhino and co have taken over our festive decorations large scale!

Stories at Christmastime are magical. They transport us to a different world and that in itself is very much the trend for department stores and independent shops this year. From the stage setting for just one product to the enormous decorative designs for city centers and shopping malls, they all tell a story. Garden centers create whole forests with real Christmas trees, animatronics reindeer displays and Santa Grottos that will delight all ages. Figures from fairy tales greet us in shopping mall cafes and whole elf orchestras play to us outside supermarkets. The scenarios created for products will often stay in consumers' minds long after the actual campaign and Christmas itself is over.

An important color for 2015, copper oozes warmth, understated elegance and opulence. Candles, wreaths, vases, baubles and ribbons this year sport copper hues. Not only does copper breathe more life into our seasonal decorations, it blends well with other metallic tints like gold, silver, black and red and the whole spectrum of green, creating an atmospheric mood just right for the consumption of eggnog, mulled wine, gingerbread men and sugared almonds.

Showing their feminine side, men hanging their tress with pink, pale blue, mint and turquoise baubles inject a measure of youthful joy into their decorated homes that cannot fail but impress female visitors. Pastel colored garlands and candles remind us there's springtime waiting just around the corner, with Valentine's Day not far off on the horizon. It puts us into a romantic, emotionally receptive mood and brings an agreeable freshness and youthfulness to every room decorated in timeless pastel colors.

Rather surprisingly, the color black is joining traditional white more often these days when Christmas accessories for the home are on display in stores. Dramatic and attention-grabbing black tree decorations, black paper stars, candles and vases make quite a statement when combined with silver, gold, white, red or copper. Use your living room to make a grandiose statement. Set the stage for the most spectacular festive days ever with black decorations. Combined with brightly colored baubles and candles, white artificial trees can also make a glamorous statement.

Stake your fortune on Mother Nature's own decorative powers. Pine cones and acorns grace delicate garlands or imposing wreaths, sometimes in their natural coating, sometimes sprayed in white, copper, gold or silver, even black. Toadstools, planks of wood, brushwood, bark and moss all make it into decorations, appearing in tea-light holders, on platters with fruits and nuts, in vases, on tables as centerpieces or as small Christmas tree replicas.

Any material that people cannot wait to touch and stroke in the winter season will make for a good alternative to traditional decorations. Feather, fur and velvet will always be welcome. Cushions and throws allow us to snuggle up and make the most of creature comforts and togetherness at Yuletide. Combine this look with untreated or white-stained wood, preferably driftwood, and the effect is very pleasing indeed. Christmas accessories such as garlands of feathers or velvet in white, pink or black are also much talked about. Feathers are reminders of angels' wings, while fur and velvet exude warmth and opulence.

Although hues like pink, copper, mint and turquoise can be widely found in candles and ribbons this season, there is undeniably a trend to stick with traditional red, yellow, gold, silver, white or green check colors for candles. Christmas shapes for candles are also very conservative, including trees, angels, hearts and stars. Ribbons run along similar color schemes and haven't changed that much from previous years.

Copper and pearls are very popular with florists these days, both appearing in bouquets and floral arrangements. The more elegant specimen of artificial flowers and blossoms in bright colors, including metallic tints like copper, are staging a come-back. Brightly colored, painted metal threads are also very popular, together with slender grasses and twigs of cherry blossom, orchids, snowball viburnum and magnolia. Basket-weave, wood, bark and real pine-cones are also widely used in festive decorations now. Coarsely-worked metal vases and stoneware in green, blue, pink and natural colors are ideal for showing off bright artificial flowers and stems.

What color scheme have you chosen or will be choosing this year?