By MARY CAROL GARRITY, Scripps Howard News Service

If you're like me, you absolutely love to shop. But even we shopaholics feel a bit of angst when we stare down our long holiday gift lists. There is so much pressure to pick a perfect, thoughtful gift that you're tempted to start your shopping marathon at the confections store, where you can draw on the power of chocolate for inspiration and reinforcement.

I love gorgeous garland. I adore shimmering, showy Christmas-tree ornaments. And I've never met a set of holiday dishes that hasn't set my heart on fire. But if I had to pick the single-most-amazing holiday decorating tool that you can use to transform your home for the season, my vote would go to the humble, versatile, never-fail wreath.

You'd think the thin strips of wood above our fireplaces were gangplanks the way they make us quake at the knees when it's time to dress them up for the holidays. Even those who love to decorate for the season feel stage fright when it comes to tackling mantels. But I've got a secret for you: Creating a marvelous look on your mantel is simple when you follow one of these two strategies:

One of my favorite traditions during the holidays is to learn about other people's holiday traditions. I enjoy hearing about their childhood memories, like baking cookies for Santa or caroling for neighbors, and how they have woven their holiday heritage into their own observances as adults.

A couple of years ago, in a weak moment, I vowed to never again host a holiday open house at my historic home. Getting ready for the tour, which was held during my busiest season at work, was giving me gray hairs.

After years and years of decorating my home and others' for the holidays, I've come to this conclusion: I think Christmas decor looks its best when it's subtly woven into our year-round displays, adding just a whisper of the season in a few key spots, rather than being the center of the show.

In my hometown of Atchison, we have all the ingredients for a chilling Halloween celebration, from creepy Victorian mansions to so many spooks we've been declared the Most Haunted Town in Kansas.

Fireplaces steal our hearts and fancy, and they are usually the first thing we lay eyes on when we walk into a room. Yet even though the fireplace is an undisputed focal point, when so many of us decorate this all-important spot, we dress up only the mantel, leaving the hearth tragically bare, a yawning, empty cave that grabs visitors' attention but leaves them cold.

For me, there is no better color palette than the rich hues of autumn -- burgundy, chestnut brown, mossy greens, pumpkin orange and amber. And there are no better decorating props than those Mother Nature provides this time of year, from gourds, harvest fruits, vegetables, dried grasses and vines to acorns and hedge apples.

"What makes a gourd desirable?" my husband asked, calling from a farmer's roadside stand where I'd sent him in a panic to find pumpkins and gourds for my fall open house. Everyone has her own answer to that question. Some love gourds with traditional shapes and colors of red, buttery yellow and persimmon orange.