Trade in your red, green and silver Christmas balls. Put away your tinsel and holly and inflatable yard Santas. Break out a glass of eggnog and drag out your creativity.

It's time to decorate your house for the holiday season.

For holiday 2005, however, the traditional ideas and themes -- poinsettias, pine garlands, candy canes and strictly red-and-green -- are out.

Peacocks, mushrooms, polka-dots, colorful ribbons, branches, clear glassware and silk flowers are in.

Why the shift to nontraditional? Ryan McCoy, owner of Urban Cottage in Roanoke, said, "The whole point is to be festive whether it's for Hanukkah, Christmas or Kwanzaa. Being festive doesn't mean you have to go with red, green and gold."

The new holiday looks, he said, are twists on the traditional ones.

"There's more to a Christmas tree than cranberries, popcorn and colored lights," said Michael Daniels, Hotel Roanoke's floral designer and director of Fashions for Evergreens, the hotel's annual display of themed holiday trees.

Floral designers, interior decorators and consultants say this year's hot looks are inspired in part by the desire to have fun in what has been an otherwise rocky year. The hot holiday colors include -- brace yourself -- lime green, turquoise, peach, brown, pink and purple.

"Pink and chocolate are hot," said Anthony Hall, floral designer at The Art of the Party in Roanoke County. "It doesn't have to scream Christmas to be Christmas. You wouldn't think polka-dot for Christmas, but it's fun. It would be fun for people to do instead of red, red, red."

Unless, he said, you're talking about red matched with peach. Hall used lime and citrus for his own holiday designs.

Wayne Spencer, a wedding consultant at Brides House & Formals in Roanoke, paged through dozens of magazines and watched plenty of television to find out what's new.

"What they are putting in print is what everybody is wanting," said Spencer, who decorates homes for the holidays as a side gig. "One of the prettiest trees I saw one year was lime green, orange and royal blue. It makes for a very interesting conversation piece. It just really popped. The colors just jumped off on you."

And that's the point of decorating for the holidays, he and other designers say. That doesn't mean you have to suspend your tree upside down in your living room. You simply have to put a new twist on what you might already have stashed away in the attic.

"A lot of people are wanting to use what they have," Spencer said. "The main thing is using what you have, but looking at it in a different way."

Here are ideas to make the most of your holiday decor and add spice to your home's festive look:

Trees and greenery

Before you decorate your tree, McCoy said, think about what you want to create. For example, if you collect teapots, decorate your tree in a teapot theme.

For his business's Christmas tree at the Hotel Roanoke, McCoy went for a "Japanese geisha girl" look, which is timely considering the upcoming movie release of "Memoirs of a Geisha."

"You're finding color in more and more Christmas trees," McCoy said. "Why not buy a lavender tree and add color-coordinated balls?"

Ideas:

n For a classy look, dress your tree in white or silver pieces and add silk stems to it, McCoy said.

n Instead of a star, angel or bow topper, get silk stems or sprays or branches and put them at the top of the tree for a festive look.

"By staying simple you create an elegant piece," he said. "Why be so traditional? Why couldn't you have a turquoise and black tree and have all the gifts wrapped in the same colors?"

n Take a look around your back yard for inspiration and items such as flower pots and branches and twigs, Hall said. One of the trees he designed includes mushrooms, silk hydrangeas and, as a topper, willow branches.

"A tree is so boring if it's all balls," he said. "You want different layers and different texture to it."

n Instead of the traditional tree skirt, lay colorful bridal netting under your tree. It makes the tree appear to be floating, Hall said.

n Use oversized ornaments to make your tree pop. Hall said if you want your tree to really glow, hand-wrap the individual branches with lights. "You'll end up with 20 or 30 sets of lights when you're done."

n Don't be afraid to use color when it comes to wreaths. Hall said this season he has made them with lime green silk ribbon and with ribbons of varying color and style. "It's hard to get people out of red and green," he said. By not sticking to traditional Christmas colors, he said, you can keep a wreath on your door longer into the winter season.

Votives

Candles, especially ones placed in clear jars, can play a big role in setting the mood for the season.

Ideas:

n Place a tall, thick white candle at the bottom of a clear cylindrical glass vase, McCoy said. Then, as Martha Stewart recently suggested on her talk show, add unshelled nuts.

n Another approach on the same idea, McCoy said, is to place marbles or sea shells around the candle. Light will play off the glass, creating a sparkling effect, he said.

Flowers

Tired of the traditional poinsettias? There are plenty of alternatives.

Ideas:

n When you order an arrangement, ask for a flower called the Star of Bethlehem.

"It's nice and something different," said Spencer, who was once a floral designer. His other suggestion: calla lilies.

n If a poinsettia is what you want, then do as Hall says: Get modern-looking fake ones made from wire and glitter. Stick them in a clear vase and add fake snow.

Centerpieces and holiday accents

You don't have to stick to the tried-and-true flower arrangement. This season, fruit, glass and mirrors can be used to make a talker.

Ideas:

n Spencer says fill a clear bowl with fruit such as oranges or Granny Smith apples and add a few holiday balls in matching or complementary colors.

n Another centerpiece idea, Hall said, is to place fake cranberry branches -- the more realistic the better -- in a tall, clear glass vase or jar. Add faux snow for a festive look.

n Meanwhile, McCoy said, rustic also is in. His suggestion: Gather a bundle of twigs and tie them together with lightweight wire, then spray them silver or white for an antique look and add a string of white lights. You can hang the bundle for a dazzling chandelier or place it in an oversized clear glass vase.

"It could be for a New Year's party," McCoy said. "You will definitely receive a lot of compliments."

n Use a mirror as a centerpiece, Spencer said. Put it in the middle of a table and add a few Snowbaby figurines so it appears as if they're floating on an ice pond.

Gift wrap

Ideas:

n Instead of traditional holiday paper, wrap your gifts in paper that's the same as, or a variation on, your home's color theme. Use thick black ribbon to make a bow.

n As a bonus, wrap unused gift boxes and display them on side tables or in your foyer. Doing so will allow you to bring your color theme to other parts of your house.