How to Decorate Your Home for Christmas
Decorating your home for Christmas is easy when you know where to start. Start planning early and take an inventory of what items you already have and what you need. The earlier you know what you are interesting in buying, the more likely you are to find deals. Keep it simple at first and focus on the basics, including a Christmas tree, lights and ornaments. Then, deal with accents and finishing touches. Carefully store items after the holiday to streamline the decorating process next year.
Suggested supplies:
- Christmas tree
- String lights
- Tinsel or garland
- Paper snowflakes
- Wreaths
- Themed home accents
- Pillows
- Quilts
- Throws
- Hand and dish towels
- Tablecloths
- Ornaments or supplies for painting and designing your own
- Tools for securing and storing decorations
- String
- Ribbon
- Tape
- Scissors
- A hole punch
- A ladder for hanging lights and wreaths outside
- Plastic bins and newspaper
- Mistletoe, holly, and pinecones
- Extra decorative touches
- Nutcrackers
- Candles
- Candy canes
- Nativity scenes
- Stockings
First, establish a plan. Decide how much decorating you would like to do, how much time you can devote to the project, and how much you’re willing to spend. If you’re not sure, start small. Typically when decorating inside and outside the home, less is more. Strategize what rooms in your home are top priorities. For example, you may want to start with your front hallway because it is the first room family and guests will see when they enter your home.
You should start with big picture items inside and out. Indoors, your Christmas tree will fill your home with immediate, festive warmth. Decorate the tree with tinsel, string lights, ornaments, and place a star, angel, or other accent on top. Wrap garland or tinsel around staircase bannisters and frame doorways with them. Outside, you can hang a wreath or multiple wreaths on your front door and/or a large one elsewhere on the façade of your home. Placing electric candles inside all windows is a traditional sign of hospitality and adds a nice touch to the exterior façade during the holiday season. Note: It’s a good idea to turn candles and string lights off when you leave your home or go to sleep to avoid potential fire hazards. Additionally, you’ll want to be careful with small children and pets near the tree, lights and string decorations.
Next, focus on the finishing touches. Consider displaying decorative items such as nutcrackers, Nativity scenes and stockings, typically hung over the fireplace. You can make your home feel festive without spending much if you get crafty. Display Christmas cards by hole punching their upper corners and stringing them together. You can then hang them in the room of your choosing or along your garland. Place mistletoe above door frames, and brighten up garland with holly, red ribbons and pinecones. You can use candy canes to decorate trees and garland and fill glass vases or jars. Have fun with your decorating and make it fit your personal style. After all, it’s your home!
Finally, pack up until next year. Carefully wrap tinsel around pieces of cardboard, pack away ornaments and other fragile items with newspaper and store items in closed, plastic bins. This time next year, you will be glad to find these items neat and tidy for another year of Christmas decorating.
