Well, it’s almost time to take our Christmas decorations down, for those who have them (and no, I’m not going to get into the argument about whether Twelfth Night is the 5th or 6th of January …) so I thought I’d do a seasonal post, talking about decor or decoration. And I hope you all had a good break, whatever and whenever you celebrate, and wish all my readers a Happy New Year as this blog goes into its seventh year …

A decoration is an ornament or less frequently an award or medal. Decoration is the act of decorating something (making it look nicer by adding or changing items such as wallpaper, paint, etc),

Decor is all of the decoration and furniture in a room, the whole thing. So decor is the larger category, into which decoration falls. Your Christmas tree, if you had one, as well as its decorations and any decorations hanging from the chandeliers and door frames, will all form part of the general decor of your house and rooms.

You can find more troublesome pairs here, and here’s the index to them all!