It’s nearly December, and you know what that means! It’s time to deck out your home in holiday style. Here are a few of our suggestions for decorating your home for the season.
Add natural greenery: As beautiful as faux trees have become, we have a soft spot for adding touches of natural greenery to your home. Plus, it’s hard to beat that smell of fresh pine. If you don’t want to go with a real tree, add a pine wreath or boughs to bring a touch of the natural into your home.
Decide on a theme: Choosing a theme will help you determine which of your holiday decorations to put out. You could create a winter wonderland, with whites, silvers, branches, and snowflake ornaments. Check out Jackie Glass’ recent segment on how to create a winter white holiday table. Silver and gold metallics are always fashionable at holiday time. Or you could go traditional with shades of red and green – there’s nothing more festive.
Try an easy DIY: You don’t need to be a DIY diva to add elegant homemade touches to your holiday décor. Try your hand at one of these wreaths, created by Antonio Bellusci. Or one of these five DIY projects from Kimberley Seldon. Decorative pepperberry branches look just as beautiful either in vases or strewn across a mantel.
Add a little light: white lights in particular add a nice warmth indoors – add strands of white lights to mantels, banisters, or along the floor. Alternately, add white votives or tea lights to clear glass containers and place them on your holiday table. Pillar candles are another option. Remember to never leave a lit candle unattended.
Control your knick-knacks: Choose your knick-knacks wisely, and in order to avoid clutter, only put out your favourites. We love the rustic look of items made from natural materials – wood, pinecones, etc. Perhaps a woollen throw over a chair or sofa to cozy up a space. Hang stockings from the mantel, if you have one. Alternately, place them underneath the tree.
Ornaments — not just for the tree: If you have extra tree ornaments, place them in decorative bowls, baskets or wide-mouthed clear glass vases.
Display your cards nicely: Let your holiday cards become part of your décor! Place them on your holiday table, your mantel, or hang them from a ribbon like a garland.
Don’t forget about fragrance: Even if you’re not a baker, it’s worth baking a batch of ginger cookies or shortbread just so you have that beautiful fragrance in your home. Otherwise, you can recreate holiday scents via candles or scented oils – some popular choices at this time of year are variations on spice cookies, balsam, cranberry, and eggnog.
How do you decorate during the holidays? Share your decorating plans in the comments below!