Antique Christmas Decorations

Hingham Woman Set to Open New Business on Thursday

Longtime Hingham resident Mary Wheeler, who once lived on lower Main Street, is excited to open her new business on North Street this week.

Wheeler will open Pear Tree Hill Décor on Thursday. The store will feature antique and vintage furnishing and decorated accessories as well as a line of fine handcrafted topiaries.  

"I want to be know as the topiary lady," Wheeler said. "I will have real ones and preserved ones."

Although she will have a variety of handcrafted topiaries, Wheeler said her main focus is antiques. Pear Tree Hill Décor will offer Italian, Chinese, Indonesian, and American fine arts that Wheeler believes will touch the imagination of area residents and decorators.

"I have unique items,"  she said. "There's a little bit of something for everybody. I have soaps, candles, and minituare topiaries and linens."

Wheeler said shoppers looking for wedding presents and anniversary gifts and anyone looking for home decorations should shop at the new Hingham Square store.

Wheeler is no stranger to success. Prior to launching Pear Tree Hill Décor, she founded Wheeler Publishing, Inc., then one of the nation’s largest publishing firms of international best sellers in large-print format. Wheeler sold the firm in 2002. Earlier in her career, she ran an importing company that focused on fine English prints.

She got the idea of opening the Pear Tree Hill Décor after she sold hand craft decorations, and topiaries from her home before Christmas and built a reputation around Hingham.  Wheeler also has been collecteing antiques since she was young.

"If you buy something from my store, everything is beautifully embellished," she said.  "Everything’s packaged as a gift.  It’s incredibly decorated.”

Pear Tree Hill Décor will be open from Wednesdays-Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The store location will be at 106 North Street next to Hingahm Liquors . The store can be reached at mwheeler@peartreehilldecor.com . Pear Tree Hill Décor is reachable on the Web at www.peartreehilldecor.com .

How to Green Christmas Decorations | Eco Alternative Energy

Part of the magic of Christmas comes from the transformation everything takes. Buildings and interiors go from plain and everyday ordinary to being extraordinary. They sparkle with lights, colors and beautiful decorations. To go green this holiday season you don’t have to give up your holiday decor, just be a little more mindful of how you decorate and what you use to make your home sparkle with the magic of the holidays .

Take stock of the decorations you already have on hand. Do you really need to buy anything new? Those stockings still look wonderful and that tree skirt will do its job just fine. Those antique and handmade decorations are beautiful and full of memories. By purchasing less Christmas decorations this year, you are not using up any precious resources that would be needed to create new things.

Go natural to go green. Think of traditional Christmas greenery: swags, garlands, wreaths; all of these are natural and renewable , and can be composted or chipped after the holidays and returned to nature. In addition to traditional evergreens you can add seasonal flowers: hyacinth, mimosa, narcissus and amaryllis are all in season during the holidays. Red roses are a green option if they are grown locally in greenhouses. Beautiful, natural accents for your decor can also include dried berries, twigs, and small logs. You can also incorporate fresh apples, oranges and other fruits and nuts into incredible, edible decorations.

Get a real tree. Unless you already have a fake tree that you use over and over again, real trees are the greenest choice. Real trees are grown on farms and are grown to be cut, and new trees are planted in their place. Fake trees are filled with plastic, PVC and harsh chemicals. They give off toxic gases when new and they cannot be recycled. Real trees are the greenest, most sustainable, eco-friendly choice, especially when you buy them from a local tree farm and recycle them after the holidays.

Switch out your incandescent light bulbs for energy saving LEDs. Regular light bulbs generate heat and up to 90 percent of the energy they use goes to producing that heat. LEDs burn bright and cool, using 80 percent less energy than a regular incandescent bulb and they last around 20 years. They might cost a little more than regular bulbs but in one season you can see the energy savings and that will make up for the extra expense to purchase them. For outdoor lighting go ultra green and purchase solar powered LED light strands. Check out SolarIlluminations.com for solar LEDs.

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