The Preservation Society’s Newport mansions provide a gracious plenty of thought-provoking ideas for decorating this Holiday season. With trees in almost every room, there is inspiration galore. And while the mansions might seem imposing in their scale, many of the ideas here translate beautifully to smaller spaces. So in many ways this post is about dreaming what could be! What I’m talking about is not decorating your tree but about decorating with your tree. In fact, you’ll find yourself surprised at just how many of the following ideas can add a festive note to your home at Christmas.

I chose the feature image because the dining room (here, at Marble House) is the second most likely spot for a tree (or second tree). I’m always a bit surprised that more people don’t include a tree in their dining scene. Between a Holiday party and Christmas dinners, a home’s dining room provides many reasons to include the beauty of a tree. Nestled in the corner, it doesn’t take up much space but offers the welcome aroma of fir and twinkling lights to remind you that this is a time of celebration.

While we’re at Marble House, I’ll point out another singular use that plays up the advantage of a Christmas tree…in their entry hall a tree is placed in the “crook” of the stairwell to be seen not just as you enter but as you proceed up the marble stairs.

And then can be viewed again looking down on it from the halls above. So now, one has seen this gorgeous tree from three different vantage points.

The placement of a tree is also another opportunity to break out of your holiday decorating complacency. Have you ever consdiered placing a tree in the center of a room (handsomely shown off in the Gothiic Room at Marble House)? With the fireplace on one side, a refrectory table at the entrance side, and sofas and chair groupings on the two other sides the tree indeed becomes part of the evening and certainly a party.

Taking this note a step further, let’s turn up the drama! With a room mirrored for effect (here, the Music Room at The Breakers) why not place your tree in a mirrored alcove where its bejeweled beauty can be multiplied (no wonder “The Gilded Age” series chose this room to be the ballroom and site of a waltzing evening at the end of the first series).

Since this post is turning into a love fest for a Christmas tree, I’ll suggest that you consider not one, but two trees as the Preservation Society does at The Breakers Great Hall. Given the space, you have to admit it’s creative and inviting.

Speaking of halls, when you enter the Elms you go up a few steps to a hall running the length of the house. As you turn left to proceed on the tour, a brilliantly decorated tree is to be seen in a small parlor at the end…”framed” by the elegant marble doorway and plaster work above the door. The Christmas tree is a subtle note that catches your attention because it is so unexpected.

I particularly enjoyed a note at the Elms that suited me to a “T,” given my affection for this afternoon ritual. A vignette had been created with an elegant tea service set upon a French side table in front of the fireplace. The tree was perfectly adorned with Renaissance angel ornaments (recalling those at the Metropolitan Museum in New York), their full skirts in a range of pastels that drew my attention to the firescreen. This scene reminded me that the last resident was Miss Julia Berwind, niece of the coal baron, Edward Julius Berwind, who built the Elms in 1901.

The Elms also enjoys a note of whimsy upstairs in one of the childrens’ rooms…which is so charming, decorated with toys and surrounded by almost lifesize stuffed animals. Can you now not resist creating a smaller version for your child’s bedroom?

I hope I’ve inspired you to look at your home with a new eye this season, adding a bit more magic to your surroundings. Are there places you haven’t considered for a Christmas tree? The 25th is almost upon us.