The holidays are a wonderful time of the year when friends and families come together to show each other how much they care. It can also be a tremendously stressful time so make your life a little bit easier by using the following Christmas decorating ideas to add a taste of the holidays to your home quickly.
Christmas Lights
Christmas or holiday lights are inexpensive and easy to find, simply add them to hour home in creative and decorative ways. Decorate doorways, mantles and staircases with holiday lights and a bit of garland. Or fill large vases with Christmas balls and holiday lights for a quick and easy festive display.
Decorate with Candlelight
The warm flickering glow of candles harkens back to Christmases long ago when actual candles were clipped onto tree branches. Now there are much safer ways to illuminate a Christmas tree, but placing some fragrant candles in decorative votives around the house for the holidays still gives a warm inviting glow.
Buy Holiday Plants
The Christmas tree and the poinsettia are the best known holiday plants, but there are other living plants that you can bring into your home which will brighten it and add a seasonal flair. Look for Norfolk Island pines, dwarf albertas, amaryllis, cyclamens, azaleas and Christmas cactus. If you have pines on your property, cut some boughs and create your own fragrant wreaths and decorative boughs.
Tie a Bow on It
Purchase some holiday bows and ribbons and tie them to lamps, chair backs, door handles and anything else you can think of. Ribbons are fairly inexpensive and they quickly add holiday cheer as well as bright color to your home.
Go Where the Eyes Go
Make your decorating count, instead of tucking holiday odds and ends in every corner, place them where they’ll get the most attention. Decorate your front door with a wreath for an immediate welcome. And then look at the house as a guest would, place decorations where they’ll be seen and appreciated.
Use Food for Centerpieces
Quick decorating that doesn’t break the budget, food items used as centerpieces serve two functions as they’re decorative and edible. Layer green apples with red ones in tall vases or scattered in large bowls. Fill smaller jars with red and green M&Ms, gumdrops, jelly beans and other treats that are pretty little snacks. Use limes and pomegranates for a more intriguing display. Get creative and come up with your own concoctions.
Holiday Scents
Don’t forget to hit the sense of smell. Whether you get it from live plants, an air freshener, potpourri or fresh homemade gingerbread cookies, the smells of the holidays instantly transport people to a warm fuzzy place.
Holiday decorating doesn’t have to be a chore that causes you additional seasonal stress. Use these Christmas decorating tricks to help you infuse your home with holiday spirit and joy.
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