One of the reasons I can decorate early for Christmas (and not pull down my tree until shamefully early into the spring) is that I shy away from your traditional holiday color scheme.

I don’t know when it began, as I was raised in a home where traditional Christmas decorations were ample and abundant. In my early twenties, I tried shifting into a more burgundy/hunter/gold scheme, but when I found myself back to decorating on my own a few years ago, I bought brand new decorations for a brand new life.

Best. Decision. Ever.

My color scheme? Peacock.

I never much cared for the scheme, didn’t think anything of the bird, and was just all around ambivalent to the peacock trend which had been making the rounds in Pier 1s across America.

However, when I was in Istanbul for many months, I was heart and homesick for my animals. I remember stumbling upon a petting zoo in the middle of Istanbul, a complete fluke, and seeing a pair of peacocks. I missed being close to animals so much that I remember thinking I’d never seen anything more naturally beautiful in the entire world.

At that moment, my peacock fetish was born.

I returned from Istanbul in December, 2011, and was determined to capitalize on the after-Xmas sales to prepare for my next decorating season. Last year, the peacock Christmas tradition began.

I love the rich colors – the teal, lime green, and I get a little crazy and add a bit of fuchsia because I needed a “red” alternative.

Are you a traditionalist? Red and green abound? Or do you do something different? Do tell…

-Al