For the past 15 years, my sisters, their husbands, our children, and our best friends all spend Christmas together. Everyone drives over to my house the night before, put the gifts they’re bringing under the tree, and spend the night talking and laughing until the children wake us up at the crack of dawn. This tradition has resulted in two things: 1. I’ve gotten quite good at decorating for Christmas with entertaining guests in mind, and 2. My loved ones have gradually fallen out of the habit of decorating their own homes for Christmas at all. So when my best friend asked me to write a post on simple decorating ideas that she could use, I jumped at the opportunity.
Even if you’re not hosting a huge Christmas gathering like I do every year, there are still simple touches that you can add to your home that will put you in the holiday mood leading up to Christmas Day.
1 Wreaths
There are so many options out there for holiday wreaths. A quick run to Home Goods, Target, or even a home improvement store will give you tons of wreaths to choose from. If you’re more of the DIY type, you can check out your local arts and crafts store for ‘naked’ wreaths to dress up on your own. Some arts and crafts stores even offer free tutorials on holiday crafts.
2 Christmas Centerpiece
Even if you’re not intending on entertaining guests, a beautifully set table with an awesome centerpiece, will fill you with Christmas cheer. A centerpiece like this one is not only for your dining room/kitchen table. You can place this on a mantel, a side table, at the entryway table, or anywhere around the house to create a festive feel.
For more centerpiece ideas check out this link.
3 Tabletop Trees and Poinsettia
No need for a ten foot tree if you’re not hosting this year. Local grocery stores have plenty of tabletop trees and potted poinsettia readily available for the holiday season. Some of the trees even come fully trimmed. Be careful with poinsettia and other holiday plants, however, if you have small children and/or pets. Some popular holiday plants can be toxic to your little ones.
4 Candles, Lights, Snow Globes!
Candles on any occasion are a beautiful addition, but candles at Christmas are a must have. The subtle and romantic light of candles bring to mind the nostalgic glow of a fireplace. Snow globes also have a subtle and romantic feel to them. Remember being a kid, shaking those things up, and watching in childlike wonder as the snow swirled around that magical scene? Yeah, so you might want to have a couple of those in your house this year.
These are just a few of the small touches that you can add to your home to bring in a little Christmas spirit. What are some of your favorite decorating ideas? Remember, my best friend is reading this and needs some tried and true ideas!