DECK THE HALLS

Loretta Templeton loves Christmas. Her north Cape Girardeau home is laden with lights, bows, candles, evergreen garlands and Christmas figurines, and four Nativity sets.

"I add to my collection of decorations every year," said Templeton. "I make a lot of my own ornaments."

The Templetons put up their Christmas trees -- one in the family room decorated by her children with their own set of ornaments and one in the living room she decorates herself -- every year at the start of November.

"When you go through this much trouble, you want to enjoy it more than one or two weeks," she said. Besides, Templeton says the whole decorating process takes at least two weekends and the better part of the week in between.

"This year we (put up our decorations) a little bit differently," she explained. "We had two decorating parties with friends -- one weekend we had it at our house and the next weekend we had it at theirs. That was really nice."

Templeton, a school teacher in Cape Girardeau, said she rarely finds time to make ornaments for her tree other than during the summer months. This year, she made a wall-hanging to accent a picture in the family room near the children's tree.

Her ornaments are spherical montages of sequins, beads and cloth. She said she gets her ideas from craft fairs or from ornaments she sees in stores.

"Sometimes I buy kits," she said. "I really enjoy making my own ornaments -- it makes the tree more special, more personal."

Although the trees go up early in her home, they come down soon after Christmas.

"My son plays indoor soccer and both my children have piano lessons," she said. "We've got to take everything down before that starts and before school is back in session."

But before the decorations come down, Templeton goes shopping for the next Christmas.

"I go out the day after Christmas to shop for decorations," Templeton said. "That's really the best time to go -- you can get things you had your eye on but couldn't afford before the post-Christmas markdown."

But area shoppers are buying ornaments, decorations, garlands, lights, figurines, wall-hangings, centerpieces and wreaths by the truckload at area retail stores.

Mike Thies, co-owner of Holiday Happenings at 5 S. Henderson, said people are buying ornaments almost as quickly as he can put them on the trees.

"You wouldn't believe it now, but this place was really packed with things just a couple weeks ago," said Thies. "Everything is selling. I guess we purchased the things everyone wanted this year -- there seems to be something for everyone."

Holiday Happenings does not only stock ornaments, tiny towns, Santas and angels of every shape and size, lights of every variety and garland to match, the store's designers also will go to a customer's home and decorate it for the holidays -- inside and out.

"We have people who will come in here and say their tree just isn't quite right," said Thies. "So I'll take a bunch of ornaments out there and work on it awhile, until the person likes."

Thies said people are not buying "theme trees" like ones seen in holiday stores showing off several of the same kind or color ornaments. More often they like a mix of decorations on their trees.

"But that isn't always a rule," said Thies. "I had one woman come in a week or so ago and ask for 80 little ornaments off of one of our trees."

Consumers have to choose from literally thousands of ornaments on the market, and also have to choose what kind of lights to put on their trees.

"The big lights on trees are pretty well out of style now," said Thies. "The chasing lights are still pretty popular. White lights show off your ornaments best, and people like the bubbling candle lights a lot, too."

There are also little snowmen lights, lights that look like little red lamps, lighted ornament strings, lighted bells and on and on.

Thies said Nutcrackers, smoking Santas (which burn incense inside), scenic Christmas villages and wall hangings are very popular.

Even though it may seem like Christmas advertising starts earlier and earlier with every passing year, Thies said many of his customers come looking for ornaments in late September and early October.

"People come looking for the unusual things we only have in small quantities long before Christmas," he said. "Some people like to put their Christmas trees up at the beginning of November, and want their decorations early."

Several people will also wander into the store, asking for custom-made wreaths or other decorations, said Thies.

"If they have a corner they need something for, we can usually fill it," he said.

Another place Christmas decorations buffs can go for unusual but beautiful holiday decorations is Whitfield's at 220 Independence.

The restaurant specializes in fine dining, but each room is adorned with wreaths, wall-hangings which can double as centerpieces, free-standing decorations and fine statuettes surrounded by rare and beautiful leaves and flowers.

"Everything you see is for sale," said Richard Slinkard, who decorates the restaurant.

"The kinds of things you see here are appropriate for display in your home all year long," said Slinkard. "It all depends on where you hang it in your home."

Some things come in sets -- like centerpieces or some wall-hangings. Others can dominate a room by themselves.

"I use silk flowers and dried leaves," said Slinkard. "I like lots of glitz, too -- bows, ribbons, lots of different golds and purples."

Each room in Whitfield's has its own theme. There is the bird room, the flower room, the angel room, the lovers room, a room featuring African-American decor and so on.

But the one thing you will notice about Slinkard's decorations is that all are big and extravagant.

"I like to use natural things when I work," said Slinkard. "I will get a tree branch and begin hanging greenery on it and bows, ribbons, flowers, and before I know it it's finished.

"I like to think the man upstairs has something to do with that."

Elma Whitfield Staten says nearly all the decorations sold in her business can be used year-round, some with a few minor alterations.

"We have a straw wreath with sunflowers, finished with a poinsettia bow," she said. "If you change the ribbon, the wreath can be used for other seasons as well.

"We figure that if people are going to buy something and spend a lot of money for it, they are going to want to be able to display it year-round," said Staten.

"This house has been wonderful fun," said Staten. "It lends itself to being a restaurant, a floral shop and a gift shop, beautifully."