Today, I want to share some easy Christmas decorating tips and ideas to get your home ready for the holidays.
I have been sharing Christmas Decorating Tips & Ideas on my Instagram and Facebook page and people have responded saying those tips have helped so much. I thought it would be a good idea to put them into a blog post so they can be a resource to refer back to year after year.
Christmas Decorating Tips & Ideas
- THIS ONE TOOK ME A LONG TIME TO FIGURE OUT, BUT IT MAKES THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE. You have to be in the mood to decorate. If I am not feeling like decorating, I will not be happy with what I did and will most likely, have to start all over. No one has time for that. If you aren’t feeling like decorating, wait for another day so you can enjoy it.
- Turn on some Christmas music or your favorite Christmas movie while you decorate.
- Think about how each space you are decorating before pulling out any decor. Do you need to remove furniture or rearrange it to get the Christmas tree up? Can you get rid of some seating or will you need it for the holidays? Think the entire space over and remove or rearrange what you need to before you add any Christmas decor to it. It is less overwhelming this way.
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If you feel like you struggle with a style for the Christmas season, start researching.
Head out to your favorite stores and see what decor you are drawn to. Head to Pinterest and start a Christmas board with decor and ideas you love. Browse through magazines. Buy yourself a drink at Barnes and Noble and get lost in a few Christmas magazines. Not only will you feel inspired and get some ideas, but you may come away with some fun projects to DIY.
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Is there an area that you like to decorate the most? Start there.
I always like to start in the hutch in our living room. It is a small place to start so it isn’t overwhelming right off the bat. Once I get the hutch done, I am usually eager to move on to other areas in the house.
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Get an empty box or tote before you pull any Christmas decor out.
This will help you organize as you go and ensure you are only keeping and storing decor you love and use every year. As you pull out Christmas decor, look at every item. If you aren’t going to decorate with it, it goes in the empty box. Once the box is full, drop it off at your local donation site. There is no reason to store things you aren’t going to use. Who knew Christmas decorating could help you get organized?! If you would like more help with getting organized, check out my Organization Guide HERE.
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As you are bringing out Christmas decor, organize them in a way that makes sense to you.
Maybe you set all the boxes for the living room decor in one area and the bathroom decor boxes in another area, etc. Don’t feel like you have to get everything out at one time because that can easily become overwhelming (if you follow me on Instagram and Facebook, you know that happened to me this year). Start small. Enjoy the process. It’s Christmas. The most magical time of the year. It’s supposed to be fun. No one says you must have the entire house decorated in one day. Breaking it up into smaller areas over a few days or a week will have the house decorated just in time.
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Don’t be afraid to change things up.
If you are someone who likes to put things in the same place every year, try something new this year. Put the Christmas tree in a different spot. Hang a garland where you never have before. Putting Christmas decor in different places makes it feel new so you fall in love with it again. This will also help your budget because you won’t feel like you have to buy new decor.
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Decorate in different ways.
Think outside of the box. I had three small wreaths that I didn’t want to hang anywhere so I stacked them and added a faux candle to the center of them. Blankets and scarves make great tree skirts. I love adding plaid lunch boxes and vintage thermos’ to a collection of vintage Santa mugs to round out the look.
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Get the family involved. It is always more fun and the memories you will make are priceless.
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If you have small kids at home, let them help decorate the tree and don’t move any of the ornaments they hang.
They have so much fun doing it and to know that mom is not going to come back and rearrange their work is a huge win for them. You will have plenty of years to have a “perfect” Christmas tree when they are older. Cherish this time when they are small because believe me, you will miss it so much when they aren’t.
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Hang Christmas lights in your bedroom!!!
We have always had trees in Landen and Gabrielle’s room, but I never really decorated our bedroom. A couple of years ago, I added some garland and twinkle lights to our headboard and fell in love with the way it looked. I will never go without lights in our room again. Now, we have a small, lighted tree in our room as well. It is magical. Matt and I love it. If there is one thing you do different this year, let it be this. You can thank me later. 🙂
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Rearrange throw pillows and throw blankets from different rooms.
Doing this can change the entire look of a space. If you want to add new throw pillows and blankets for the season, search the clearance area at stores like Home Goods, TJ Maxx and Target. Look for colors and patterns that go with your Christmas decor, but may not have a Santa or Christmas tree on it. That way, you can use that pillow or throw all year round if you wanted to. I found three beautiful pillows at Home Goods that were on clearance.
Two of them are green plaid and one is a darker green velvet. They are perfect for our Christmas decor and I can use them all year around the house. I feel like I am spending wisely when I buy things on clearance that I can use all year round. Anyone else?
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Shop thrift stores, yard sales and estate sales for Christmas decor.
You know I preach about this with all decor, but they are the best places to find vintage and other Christmas decor that you won’t find in stores. I pick up old, green books, green tins, vintage scales and as many vintage Santa mugs as I can find. Adding these pieces to our home around the holidays makes it feel more cozy and we love the stories that come with our finds.
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Fill your home with Christmas scents.
If that is your favorite candle or an essential oil you like to diffuse, Christmas scents are a must around the holidays.
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A Christmas Countdown is always fun.
Over the years, I have made many different versions of an Advent calendar for the kids: a repurposed Advent calendar, a fabric Advent calendar, a rustic Advent calendar, and this year, I made a Christmas Countdown from an old ironing board.
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Don’t forget about the bathroom(s).
The bathroom is a busy room in the house and it is a space guests use when they visit. Add a few Christmas touches to the bathrooms in your home.
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If you have a small home to decorate, keep it simple.
Add some greenery to different areas in the home. Use twinkle lights in different areas around your home. It doesn’t have to be major or a lot of decor to add the season to your home. A candle and a couple of pine cones from the back yard are just enough sometimes.
- Christmas is all about the season. Don’t make the decorating part stressful or too hard. If it isn’t enjoyable, it isn’t worth it. Do what you can and that is good enough. The season will be waiting for you to be present and enjoying it if your home is decorated or not.
{Affiliate links are used in this post. Click on any of the underlined links to find the products I am talking about. You can read my disclosure HERE.}
Links For Some Of The Christmas Decor In Our Home:
Brass Bells another option HERE
Green Beaded Garland
Felt Ball Garland
Plaid Throws
Small Knit Stockings
Small Flocked Christmas Trees
Galvanized Letters For The “JOY” Sign
I hope these Christmas Decorating Tips & Ideas are helpful and inspire you to decorate your home for the holidays!
What are some struggles you have with decorating for Christmas? Leave them in the comments below. I would love to help!
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How To Style A Hutch For Christmas