Holiday Decorating How-To’s, Tips & Tricks
Do you find yourself wanting to make your home look absolutely spectacular during the holidays, but you’re not sure what exactly is stopping your decor from looking the best it possibly can? In today’s blog, I’m going to share with all of you my little tips & tricks I’ve learned & picked up over the years of obsessively decorating for Christmas. No, I’m not an interior decorator, I’m just someone who really loves Christmas decor, and always wants my space to look like it could be straight out of a home decor magazine.
I’m going to break it down into four sections: General Tips & Tricks, Decorating The Tree, Garland & Wreaths and Outdoor Decorating, since I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve for each of these areas. Of course, this is just my personal way of decorating, and you may have another way that you work & love, so do whatever works best for you! Let’s start off with some overall tips.
General Tips & Tricks
01. PICK A THEME OR COLOUR SCHEME, AND TRY TO STICK TO IT: If you’re looking for that “magazine-worthy” Christmas decor, I strongly advise against trying to mix colour palettes (Ex. Red & green with navy blue) as it will make it look completely mismatched & unintentional. I know it can be hard to stick to one look (there’s so many beautiful pieces!) but I promise the overall look of your space will look best with one theme.
02. BUY NEUTRAL EXPENSIVE ITEMS: If you find yourself changing your mind a lot about what look you want for your Christmas decor (Ex. Boho Christmas one year, and traditional the next), invest in neutral toned base items that are the most expensive: the tree, garlands, wreaths without any additional items like pinecones, flocking or lights strung through; and instead add your colour or theme in cheaper items like your ornaments, bows, blankets or pillows.
03. PICK ONE LIGHT TEMPERATURE: When purchasing string lights, decide if you want warm white (gives a feel similar to candles) or cool white (gives a more snowy feeling). Warm white would be better if you want to make your space cozy and decorate with primarily warm colours (red, orange, yellow + gold). Cool white would be better if you want to replicate a snowy, winter-wonderland feeling and you decorate with mostly cool colours (green, blue, purple + silver).
Tips for Decorating the Tree
01. DON’T HANG ORNAMENTS ON THE BOTTOM BRANCH: Not only are they more likely to get knocked off, but it doesn’t look as clean and put together if the ornaments are showing under the last branches of the tree. If you look at any professionally styled tree, nothing hangs below the bottom.
02. FILL THE TREE WITH ORNAMENTS: The more ornaments the better! If you think about any holiday ads you see, the trees are always packed with tons of ornaments, beads, garland, ribbons, etc. Moral of the story: don’t hold back! And if you’re worried you don’t have enough, it’s easy to know because you’ll find your tree looks bare when it’s done.
03. FLUFF YOUR TREE BRANCHES: If you have a faux tree, before you even consider starting to add ornaments, take some time to spread the branches out (fluffing the tree); it will make your tree appear fuller & more realistic.
04. THE MORE THE MERRIER!: Don’t just add ornaments — strings of beads, ribbon & garland go a long way too. I personally choose to put my garland on last (carefully, not to knock off any ornaments) and then adjust which ornaments I want in front of the garland.
Garland & Wreaths
01. SPACE OUT YOUR GARLAND: If you like to wrap your garland up the railing of the stairs, try tying it up every foot or so using Christmas ribbon instead of wrapping it around the banister. This not only leaves the railing free to hold, but I’ve found it creates less mess, saves time & saves energy.
02. NO FIREPLACE? NO PROBLEM: If you don’t have a fireplace to hang your stockings over, hang your stockings from your garland that runs up the stairs. Or, if you don’t have stairs you could use stocking hangers on a TV stand or buffet, or use command strips & hooks on your walls (this is what I do!).
03. WREATHS AREN’T JUST FOR THE FRONT DOOR: Get some smaller wreaths and hang them on inside doors (Ex. Your bedroom door, etc.), or consider hanging them in windows as well! This will look especially cozy & cute if they’re lit up on a snowy winter night.
Tips for Outdoor Decorating
01. GET A TIMER OR WIRELESS REMOTE: If you want to add some lights to your outdoor area, but don’t want to constantly run out to plug & unplug them, invest in either a timer or a wireless remote light switch so you can easily control when you want the lights on or off from the comfort of indoors.
If you have any of your own tips & tricks for getting your house fantastic for the holidays, please drop them in the comments below. I’m always looking for more efficient ways of decorating & storing my decor, so if there’s something that you think would help me, and everyone else out, please let me know!
