At first, it may just seem like a decor theme for beautiful colors and the opportunity for flamboyant decorating, but there is a rich history to the symbolism of the Peacock in Christianity. For medieval man, nature revealed God’s presence and purpose. An ancient legend was that the flesh of the peacock did not decay. This contributed to a wide range of rich symbolic meaning for the peacock within the Christian faith. Medieval art works, paintings, and manuscripts use the peacock as decorative motifs in churches and buildings. Some paintings of Christ’s nativity include a peacock in the manger.
The Dining Room: I started by changing my chair pads to the original gold fabrics. This decor design came together fairly fast as there are no floral arrangements. It was a simple matter of placing items in a manner to bring interest and balance. Initially, after placing the table runner, birdcage candle stands, peacocks and cone trees, it looked good. Then, when I added the beaded garland, it brought dimension and movement to the centerpiece. It also connected the individual elements to give a unified feel. Don’t be afraid to try different combinations or layering of items to develop a centerpiece. If you don’t like it, remove it! The final touch was adding the gold bling votives and the wire lights to bring romantic ambience in the evening hours. To secure the large peacock, I used an acrylic disk and drilled it into the window trim. No one will ever see those holes. As not to damage the collectible peacock, I used Velcro tape to secure the peacock base to the acrylic and it is very stable. I decided not to hang stockings on the mantel, instead placing them on the large opposite walI on each side of the simple wall-hanging greenery Christmas tree. A small feather pick hides the hook. Knowing the theme would not have greenery, I planned on using the chair swags. After having one on each chair, the mirrors and arch window seemed bare, so I removed every other one from the chairs to better balance the room with greenery. I tried various peacocks in the corner candlestick and velvet cone tree grouping. It just drew too much attention away from the fireplace and table scape, so I removed those and opted for one gold magnolia flower. I had the room finished and thought it looked nice, but last minute I decided to place the Norfolk garland across the top of the high overmantel. Not only did it seem to better finish the fireplace wall, it also created more drama by drawing the eye up the height of the room. It gave weight and importance to the fireplace and provided better balance to the large window and high decor located there. And Christmas is all about the greenery! The candles are real wax battery operated and on a timer so lighting them is easy!
TIP: To not damage the wood, I use 3M Command wall hooks (colored with black sharpies) to secure or hang things on the mantels.
The place settings are a blue charger, teal glass dinner plate, and a peacock salad plate. Layered blue and green napkins simply pinched in the center and pulled through a ring are placed at an angle.
Catholics adopted the peacock as a symbol representing resurrection, renewal and immortality. The peacock feathers were used to decorate churches at Easter and Christmas as a sign of renewal, as it sheds its feathers every year, growing more brilliant each time. Early Christian paintings and mosaics use peacock imagery to represent Christ.
The Kitchen: I added a few touches of elements from both the dining room and the great room to make the entire space cohesive.
Note: After posting the blog, I found the Michel Design Works Peacock tray I had purchased for this theme.
With the eyes of its fully displayed tail, the peacock has been associated with the all-seeing eye of God. The eyes of the feathers also symbolize the beatific vision – God as He truly is, enjoyed by Angels, Christ, and the Saints in Heaven, a reason medieval tomb sculptures used the peacock as decorative motif.
Known as a destroyer of serpents, the peacock could swallow the poisonous venom without harm. The consumed poisons were thought to create its colorful plumage. Peacocks are also known to eat poisonous plants with no ill effects, and so their feathers are a symbol of incorruptibility and immortality. St. Augustine affirms this belief of the antiseptic qualities of the peacock flesh in The City of God.
The Great Room: For the tree, I started by placing the ribbons. Using two strands of reversible teal ribbon (one side velvet, the other glitter) and one light green strand embroidered with “Merry Christmas” in the middle, I tied them together leaving “bow loops” at the top end. I attached them to be front and center. As I worked it down the tree, I tucked and tied them to the branch using pipe cleaners, twisting the outside ribbons to reverse the velvet and glitter each section. When completed, I placed a shorter blue with gold on each side of the center green ribbon. Next, I made a “bow loop” at the top of the wide green sequence ribbon, and ran it down each side of the tree. Again, I tucked and tied it to the branches. Finally, I repeated the triple ribbon at the back section on each side.
Next, I worked on the topper. To bring light above the actual tree top, I attached a set of wired led bare branches. Then, I placed various peacock feather stems. I finished by placing some beaded peacock colored sprays to transition from the feathers to the bow base.
For the ornaments, I first placed the spinners for the mirrored ball ornaments. I tried to place them symmetrically, but as the tree gets smaller at the top, I staggered them to keep balance. In the same way, I placed the various peacocks and then a few of the larger special ornament types. I continued the process one ornament type at a time. I also placed solid green ornaments deeper into the tree by standing or sitting at different angles to find the gaps. I finished by placing the traditional hidden mickey ornaments (black icon head, red shorts, white gloved hand, gold shoe). Family and friends always seem to enjoy the hunt!
The mantel was quick and easy by placing the various items as I had done in the dining room and then I hung the stockings. I changed out the pillows to blue velvet, added the peacock pillows, and finished with a throw on each couch. I found the peacock wrapping paper as well as some wood ornaments as a small gift for visitors or special gift tags on some of the presents.
There were also moral symbolisms. The early Christians believed that the peacock was offended by its ugly feet. The lesson for Christians was to lament their own spiritual imperfections. The raising of the peacock’s tail feathers for show and praise should remind us to not let pride affect and expose our ugly vanity. Hence the phrase “proud as a peacock”.
The Guest Bathroom: It was a quick changeover from my fall decor by adding a few ornaments and filler balls to the floral arrangement and changing out the soaps and lotion.
I hope you are inspired by the colors and the religious symbolism to try using peacocks as your decor theme at Christmas!
TIP: Start planning and shopping early to watch for sales. Right now there are many 40-50% off sales, and after Christmas they can go up to 70-90% off!
If you are an individual or business in the Greater Portland area and interested in renting a Christmas decor theme please contact me: projectsbydesign@lumagen.com
Be sure to follow my Blog for more seasonal decor ideas. Mardi Gras is not too far away!
Products and Sources: I first used this decor theme in 2011 and I have been sourcing over the last few years in preparation, so many items are no long available. Dinner plates, salad plates, wine glasses, beaded garland, teal tree peacocks, and larger ornaments from Pier1 and discontinued; beaded table runners, peacock napkin rings from Zgallerie; Merry Christmas Ribbon from Michaels; wide green ribbon, various ornaments from Christmas Central; D. Stevens teal reversible velvet/glitter ribbon, ombré green sparkle cone trees from Horchow; Chair greenery swags, peacock stockings from Frontage; smaller glass peacock themed ornaments from Hobbylobby; Birdcage candle stands from Galore Home; wall-hanging greenery tree, green velvet and teal feather cone trees from Grandinroad; Raz Gold magnolia floral stems from Alsip Nursery; larger peacocks sourced from various collectable online stores; Hand soaps and kitchen towels from Michel Design Works.
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