Farragut’s Dockery decking the halls of Elders Ace Hardware
All of the sudden the weather’s cold ... stores are decking their halls … and some of us are already feeling Christmas spirit tingles.
One Farragut resident, however, is always in the Christmas spirit.
“My mother started a Christmas collection when I was in high school,” said Lisa Dockery, an employee at Elder’s Ace Hardware in Dixie Lee Junction, where she is part of the company’s decorating team. “Watson’s department store in Oak Ridge would offer a collection of Santa Claus ornaments with [the] year on them and the Santa was dressed appropriately for that year and for a specific country. She gave those to my sister and me each year.
“When I was in college, I had an opportunity to work one season for the Pool Place, and that introduced me to Christmas design,” Dockery added. “That became my passion and love.”
She was designer for the tree with tan Burberry ribbon, the red berries and the ivy just inside the front door at Elder’s. Her tree is just one of several themed trees on display already giving customers the perfect inspiration.
On Nov. 5, all 20 Elder’s Ace Hardware stores between Knoxville and Ringgold, Georgia held a Christmas Open House.
“Naturals, creams, mercury glass and Burberry plaid with chocolate brown and a hint of red are big this year,” Dockery said, “As well as lots of naturals — birds, rustic, use of galvanized material for
ornaments and buffalo check for the ribbon —
basically anything rustic. Here at the store we use lots of ribbon. Most of our trees will have at least three ribbons on them. People are primarily buying clear lights and are adding multiple strings to their pre-lit trees.”
“Each year Christmas trends take their cue from current home décor styles and colors,” said Robin Broyles, also with the company. “While décor trends come and go, traditional Christmas colors are tried and true and always in style — red and green. With that said, this year’s décor
colors are softer and more
muted. Gray, white, black, cream, aqua and taupe mixed with galvanized metal, roping, mercury glass and a touch of glitter round out our 2017 holiday cheer
and look great with pops of
the traditional — red and green.”
Dockery said people are
putting up trees sooner than
in previous years. “It’s getting
earlier and earlier each year,
oftentimes a week or two
before Thanksgiving. A lot of
our homeowners will put two to four or more trees up.”
Between trees at work, serving year-round on the creative
team with Fantasy of Trees
[This year’s theme is “Over the River and Through the Woods”] and her plans for a new
color scheme at home, Dockery is in decorating heaven.
“I’ve really always been traditional red, gold and green, but this year it’s going to be different,” she said about her color palette at home. “We have to buy a new tree this year and hopefully in the next two weeks I’ll have two trees up— a traditional Old World Santa and a natural cream and brown.”
