Decorating Your Home for Christmas - tricks and tips to make it gorgeous
Pleased with my home made wreath this year
If you’re anything like me, you have more Christmas decorations than you know what to do with. You’ve gathered them over the years and now they don’t all seem to go with one another. You love most of them but there’s definitely some toot you need to get rid of. As I pull them out this year there are the same old suspects that instantly end up in a ‘never going to happen’ pile while for some reason I just don’t part with them. Then there’s the battered old donkey that my daughter made out of a wooden peg at nursery that I just love and makes the cut every year.
This year more than ever, when it comes to decorating I thought I’d share some handy tips so you don’t go mad and spend loads on new decorations. There’s nothing worse than adding a whole load more toot to the pile and making the situation worse. And let’s be honest we need as much money as we can to just heat our homes this Christmas. You can get a great Christmas look in your home by just being a bit more thoughtful about what you’re doing. Here’s my handy tips for a Christmas home that looks lovely and doesn’t break the bank
Take a breath before you start
I hate to say it but being just a little bit organised will work wonders. Before you do anything, go through the house and work out the areas that you want to decorate. This is likely to be the room where you have your Christmas tree but there are so many other areas that you can sprinkle some christmas magic:
Beautiful and surprisingly great value from Neptune this year
The bannisters
The Christmas Table
The downstairs loo
The front of your house
Doorways
Now, get the decorations out while the kids are still at school or you’re on your own. Go through and group what you have by the areas you’re planning to decorate. Then when you see whats left over you can either save it for next year or bin the stuff you no longer want. Don’t chuck anything yet - just keep it to the side.
Less is more
You don’t have to use EVERYTHING you have every year. My husband is a culprit of this and runs around hanging random bits on door handles that we haven’t put somewhere. Doing this makes it all feel cluttered and messy. If you go too overboard in one area you’ll be ready to take it all down by boxing day morning. Try and stick to some key areas and it will all feel more designed and planned and less chaotic.
Use things in a different way:
Think about using some of the things you love in different ways to normal. How about hanging some baubles from the bannisters on ribbon or incorporating them in a Christmas wreath or table display? Put some lights in fireplaces that aren’t being used or use them to decorate your logs by the fire. Fill vases or baskets with lights and make the lights take on a different shape. A glass vase full of fairy lights can look lovely. If you don’t have a large vase you can look at Facebook Marketplace - I have an old demijohn bottle with fairy lights in and I love it. Really simple but very pretty.
Use the Ceiling
@styletheclutter is the one to watch for this as she suspends a branch from her ceiling above her Christmas table to hold a Christmas display. Have a look its beautiful and a great way to incorporate decorations if you’re short on space at the table.
Decorate your door and more
This is one of my favourite things to do each season and a chance to make your home Christmassy before you even get through the door. A quick search on Google or Pinterest for ‘Christmas wreaths’ will bring you up a huge amount of ideas to get your inspiration flowing. Most of which can be gathered from the garden or a quick stroll. Or use up some of those decorations that you’ve left to the side. Perhaps some baubles could be refashioned? Wreath rings are dead cheap, I got mine from Hobbycraft..Or do what I did and take an old one and give it a zhuzh (that’s how you spell it - I had to look is up!) All you really need is some florist wire to hold everything in place and then just have a go - it’s fun if you have the time. And while you’re there don’t just stop at one. They make a lovely present, or hang smaller versions on your windows, in guest rooms or even in the loo. When it comes to the door don’t be shy, the bigger the better!
Left overs in anything you’ve got look super pretty
Christmas Berries
Smells like Christmas
Christmas for me is a total attack on every sense. So get the Christmas smells going in the form of a candle. These can be as cheap or as expensive as you want to pay but have a whiff and find the one that smells like Christmas to you. And most of them last ages. Other ideas to get the right smells going is to make or simply heat some mulled wine. Put a bottle of mulled wine in your slow cooker at parties with some orange and spices - if nothing else it smells AMAZING!
Paper decorations - These have been quite on trend for a while now but I love how simple and effective they are. I’ve bought some from Ikea this year and love them. What’s on trend that we’re loving, the colours are getting more earthy, which doesn’t sound great but think darker red and green tones mixed in with browns, beiges and natural tones. They’re fab! This year we’ve been making brown ones and we love them.
These are lovely and great value from Ikea
Mother Nature
We’re so lucky in the UK at Christmas becasue Mother Nature has so many beauties that can make the house look and smell amazing. Don’t go mad (or watch out for the neighbours!) but go foraging and see what you can find, You’d be amazed how a vase of just greenery can look so lovely. Add some berries, some ivy, maybe some holly. Fir trees smell amazing inside and last for ages and eucalyptus is always a fresh smelling fave in our house. Don’t forget the mistletoe too of course!
You don’t even have to try to make Eucalyptus look pretty
When it comes to garlands, forage and make your own
Our Ten Faves for Christmas decorating:
1) A wreath - I LOVE them!
2) Blankets and throws - they don’t have to be Christmassy to be cosy. I’m not a fan of anything too garish but ALWAYS be cosy.
3) Candles - the more the merrier.
4) Warm white fairy lights - instant cosyness
5) No main lights - turn off the main lights and just use lamps and side lights. EVerywhere is so much cosier.
6) A decorating drink - mulled wine or baileys every time.
7) Garlands - I love to decorate our stairs every year. You can make or buy the garlands and then it’s all about the cable ties!
8) Bells- there are lots of lovely vintage looking brass bells around this year. I’ve just ordered mine and am going to incorporate them in my garland.
9) The table - I can’t wait to decorate the Christmas dinner table. I’m not a big planner I like just to wing it and see what happens. This year I have a white linen cloth and red napkins and will decorate the table with candles and foliage. I like to collect some on Christmas eve in the morning and then use it all around the house.
10) The tree! Whether you’re a matchy matcher , a tinsel-tastic or a ‘throw it all on and see what happens’, it’s ALL about making you smile. I’ve had a few that made me laugh. I never forget my sister in laws that smelt of wee, she was mortified!! But no - smile is the key.
However you choose to decorate your home this Christmas, make sure you enjoy it and that it makes you smile. Don’t make it just another thing to tick off a to-do list, enjoy the process. Some times that’s easier said than done but I find a glass and a mince pie always helps!
Merry Christmas!
