Christmas decorating for the home offers a great deal to excite the imagination and capture the magic of the season, and can be a truly festive and joyous time providing memories for all.
Hang holiday wreaths
- In the old days a circle of evergreen, a wreath, was hung in the hopes of warding off evil spirits and bringing in eternal good fortune. The wreath then became decorated with ribbons, berries, bows and other embellishments like toys and ornaments. You can even tie on little candies and have scissors handy to cut them off for guests.
- Start your Christmas decorating for the home by hanging a beautiful Christmas wreath on the front door as a sign of welcome, but don’t stop there. You can hang one on the interior doors, over the mantle, on the windows or loop a mini wreath over the drapery hardware.
Fresh Pines
- If you are going to be using a live Christmas tree, the fragrance of the fresh evergreen will stir the holiday senses. Trim a few of the branches from the bottom before putting it in the tree stand and place them in vases to make simple arrangements in the dining room or an occasional table.
- A few sprigs of holiday greens can be tied to the back of dining chairs with ribbon or hanging from the windows.
Poinsettias
- Arrange poinsettias (if you don’t have pets because they are poisonous) in a guest room, a bathroom or on the hearth. Because they are available in so many beautiful color variations, you can place them anywhere you need a splash of holiday color.
Garlands
- A garland is a decoration (either real or artificial) made from a variety of materials. It can enhance the home in many ways including highlighting furniture, like on the top of an armoire, over a doorway, or on the mantle. If you have stairs or an indoor balcony drape a garland over the railing and weave ribbon through it, topping it off at the banister with a bow.
Ribbons & Bows
- Ribbons can be festive and add color and texture. Use ribbon with wire edges so it will retain its shape from one year to the next.
- Your choice of ribbon can add to your Christmas decorating for the home, from the look of a plaid country style ribbon to an elegant gold.
- Tie generous bows with the ribbon and use in plants, tucked in a bookcase, at the base of your candlesticks, tie one around a stack of coffee table books, on your wreaths, to the handles of any baskets you may be using for magazines, anywhere you want a touch of holiday whimsy and color.
Lights
- Besides just using lights on the tree, adding white Christmas lights are a great way of creating a warm holiday atmosphere. Tuck them on top of the wall unit or bookcase, along the mantel, on the railing with the garland or concealed among the accessories on a console or buffet.
- Beautifully displayed candles of different sizes can be another great Christmas decorating for the home idea that creates a festive atmosphere. Using scented candles of cinnamon or pine adds to the aroma of the season.
- Electric candles in the windows, delight the eye from the inside, and also makes your home inviting from the outside.
Seasonal Fruits
- Supplement your evergreens with fruits of the season including rose hips, fire thorn berries, rosy apples, tangerines, nuts and grapes.
- Something as simple as a plate of fruits and nuts or a bowl of green apples in the hall can be welcoming. Leave them natural to eat or spray them with a splatter of gold or silver to highlight the greens as a variation of the horn of plenty.
- Christmas’ potpourri with dried variations of these fruits can be placed in a glass or other decorative bowl, or simmer the potpourri to gradually distill the fragrance in the air.
- Pillows help to create a comfortable atmosphere to a room. Place pillows of a holiday motif in unexpected areas for a festive touch.
- If you have glass bowls or jars, fill them with the old fashion ribbon candy, or other items that are traditionally associated with Christmas.
- Wrap small packages or display Christmas balls all of one color or mixed.
- Place Christmas theme books in a basket with a teddy bear on the hearth or stacked on the coffee table.
- Stack wrapped packages (not real ones) on the floor and tie together with a big bow, decorate with artificial sprays of berries.
- Fill teapots with greens or holly, use a quilt, or other beautiful fabric for a tree skirt.
All the things you love around the house and everyday items can be used in magical ways to celebrate the joy of Christmas decorating for the home, and it is fun to find new and unexpected homes for your Santas, snowmen, trees and other collections you hold dear. Gather them and display together among garlands with lights, along the mantel, on top of a china or on the shelf of a hutch.
Entertaining friends and family and sharing your home will be a pleasure as your home is transformed from your living space of every day to the magic of Christmas!