this holiday season, make your mantel as festiveas your tree. take what you have now and make it go wow with mantel decorating tips fromjim marvin, the designer in charge of holiday displays at the white house. for 17 years,jim marvin has been decking the white house halls for the holidays. if anyone knows howto make your mantel merry and bright, it's jim. to start, group objects like candles,vases and sparkling trees of varying heights along the mantel. jim recommends using twoor three groupings to get the most impact. garland is the real showstopper on any mantel.use a heavy object like an urn at the corner of the mantel to hold up your garland andavoid adhesives or nails. for that final touch of wow, use wire to string shiny ornamentsinto a cluster. a glue dot under each cap
ensures the ornaments stay in place. add acluster or two to the garland for a bubbly fun finish. with these festive holiday wows,you'll be celebrating the season in style.