Christmas is a festival with many names, celebrated at the heart of winter in a mixture of religious and pagan traditions around the world. However your family celebrates, the chances are that you will be dressing your home with festive decorations for the season. From a passing nod, to the full glory, here are my top twelve holiday decorating ideas to help you create something special in your home or office this year.
1. Hang a wreath on your front door
European seasonal traditions often focus on nature. The classic Christmas wreath decoration has been around for a long time, to welcome your guests and put them in the holiday spirit. You can buy a wreath from a store or, if you’re feeling creative, use your own décor ideas to make it yourself with fresh local greenery and pinecones. If you’d like something truly chic, try weaving wire, ribbons or absolutely anything you feel will look good. A good tip for something stylish is to add touches that echo the period of the property.
2. Put up a Christmas tree
For many, no Christmas home is complete without a Christmas tree. Choose a tree that’s the right size for your space (a smart tip is no more than three-quarters of the ceiling height) and decorate it with your favorite ornaments, fairy lights, and garlands. If you don’t have space for a tree, consider a simple illuminated log or branch instead. The tree often becomes the heart of Christmas decoration so, for the greatest effect, pick a simple two-tone color scheme and draw this from your tree as a theme around the home. There’s plenty of advice online from interior designers, some of it quite complicated. My feelings are: If you want to try out many different colors and textures, go for it – it’s Christmas!
3. Adorn your fireplace
If you have a fireplace, it’s the perfect place to hang stockings, place a wreath, or arrange some Christmas candles. You can also use the mantelpiece to display your favorite Christmas figurines, nativity scene or other decorations that come out year after year. If you don’t have a fireplace, think about creating a unique focal point in the living room to act as a centerpiece and counterbalance the room with the tree. For the best effect, try to co-ordinate the color theme from your tree, which will make both displays appear more impressive.
4. Illuminate your windows
Window decals, lights, silhouettes, menorah, and candles are a simple, quick way to add some Christmas color to your home’s exterior and spread a little cheer out into the world. If the windows are big enough, hang Christmas stockings or wreaths in your windows to add shape. Colored translucent paper can be easily cut to create a stained-glass effect creating magical light indoors during daylight. My top tip here, if there’s children around, is to get them making window designs whilst you untangle fairy lights!
5. Bedeck your staircase
6. Display your table.
Second only to the tree in setting the mood for Christmas is a festive dining table. You can go with a traditional gold, red and green tablecloth, add Christmas décor with candles, ornaments, or garlands to simply invoke the holiday spirit. Or co-ordinate a theme reflecting the rest of your decorations. The secret of a memorable tablescape is small details that will be seen when seated, coupled with a jewel toned, glimmering impact as your guests enter the dining room. A grand centerpiece will give height and plenty of impact but make sure it’s removeable as you’re going to need that space for the food.
7. Decorate your kitchen
8. Titivate your bathroom
I know it sounds over the top, but even your bathroom deserves a little Christmas makeover, and it’s guaranteed to bring a smile to the faces of your visitors! Hang a stocking on the towel rack, place a Christmas figurine on the sink, or go over the top with a Christmas-themed bathmat. If you want to stay stylish, how about an orange and clove, or nutmeg scented pomander for a delicious seasonal feeling in the smallest room.
9. Decorate your bedroom
You can go all out to create a cozy Christmas retreat in your bedroom by hanging a wreath on the door, placing a Christmas tree in the corner, or adding some Christmas bedding. If you don’t want the family to think you’ve gone completely elfy, try just a simple string of fairy lights to invoke the festive mood.
10. Illuminate your porch
If you have a porch, illuminate it for Christmas with lights, garlands, and other decorations. The entrance to any building is a welcoming focal point and sets the scene for what lies beyond. For maximum effect I’d always suggest you stick with one color of lighting at night, which will really look impressive, and let the garlands wave their welcome during daylight. Spraying a little fake snow is tempting, but you’ll regret it in the new year when you come to clean it off!
11. Decorate your home and garden
If you have outside space of any kind, you can have festive decorating fun dressing it for Christmas with lights, inflatables, and other decorations. Some homeowners go all-out to create an enormous winter wonderland display reaching the roof. But it’s possible to create a very impressive display by simply illuminating existing foliage or placing a single piece to draw the eye.
12. Decorate your pets
OK, so maybe this is going a little too far, but even your pets could get in on the Christmas fun! You can buy them a Christmas sweater, bandana, or hat. You can also place them in a Christmas-themed pet bed or basket.
No matter how you choose to decorate your home for Christmas, the most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the holiday season! Don’t stress over trends, schemes and fashions for decorations, because there are far more important things in our world, and it will all be packed away in a few weeks.
Merry Christmas!
“An interior should be informed by the life that is lived in it.”
– Sandra Hinton, Founder –