Decorating tips to make the season bright

We all have our own special ways of decorating our homes for the holidays. 

Regardless of how you celebrate the season, here are some ideas. Hopefully you will find some new decorating tips to help you and your family create memorable times and traditions for years to come.

Get an early start

Start unpacking holiday decorations and lights right after Thanksgiving. This will give you a chance to see which items you need to replace before you start decorating. 

Check to make sure tree lights are working before you put them on the tree—they are much easier to fix at this stage.

Give yourself time before the holiday rush by making homemade ornaments in November.

Keep it simple

Make small changes. You can get a change of look just by swapping out a few things. For example:

Swap out throw pillows, adding holiday-themed pillows. 

Put away candles and replace them with candles in holiday colors and in winter scents like pine.

Exchange your welcome mats with ones that have seasonal themes or holiday sayings.

Tablecloths, napkins or table runners: Purchase linens with a holiday color scheme or decorations.

Tree or no tree

If you love putting up a tree every year, don’t limit yourself to a single tree in the living room. If space permits, consider getting a smaller tree for another part of the house.  

You can highlight a theme or place special ornaments on the extra tree.  One idea is to set the tree in the kitchen and decorate with small cookie cutters, kitchen tools and cinnamon sticks tied with ribbons.

Don’t splurge on new ornaments. Save money by accenting your old ornaments with colored ribbons, sequins or beads. Make ornaments from pine cones or dried flowers  to create a warm, welcoming, natural look.

If you don’t want a tree, there are lots of easy decorating tips and ideas that will bring touches of merriment and joy to your home. Don’t feel pressured to do the holidays the traditional way. Create your own traditions by turning your space into your own personal winter wonderland—and if you love the look, you can keep it up long past the holidays.

Think evergreen boughs, pine cones and real or faux branches arranged in vases or planters. Include pine-scented candles around the room for a festive, seasonal aroma—no tree required.

Spray paint bare branches gold or silver and place in a vase or container. 

Pine cones can also be spray painted and placed in bowls or baskets.

A simple idea, such as placing a bunch of clementine oranges in a wooden or green ceramic bowl with sprigs of holly, can brighten any table.

Another easy table decoration: Arrange six (or more) small matching glass or ceramic vases, and place a red carnation or a red rose and a sprig of greenery such as spruce or holly in the vase. Line up the vases across the table or on top of a mantel.

Brighten with light

Winter nights can feel dark and dreary. Lights are a wonderful way to add cheer throughout the winter season, way past the holidays.  

Attach strings of glowing light to windows, a  staircase banister or along your mantel. 

Or place an LED battery-powered light in a glass vase and place it on the table, or place two matching vases on the mantel.