Decorate your home for Christmas
The time has come to start putting up Christmas decorations. But before you rush to your local store to shop for this year’s collection of ornaments, wreaths and garlands, think carefully about your decorating theme. Christmas themes can range from traditional to modern; elegant to fun; natural to high-tech, etc. Browse through a few magazines and websites for inspiration, then decide on a general outline. Whatever you choose, it should complement your interior and your lifestyle.
Once you’ve chosen your Christmas theme, pull out the décor bits and pieces from previous years. Select those that would go with your current theme or could be easily adapted. Ornaments, garlands, candles and candle holders can be simply transformed with a little imagination. Embellishments can be painted, stenciled, sprayed, wrapped, or decorated with fabric, ribbon, glitter, pearls, and beads. Garlands and wreaths can be sprayed with metallic or frosted paint and decorated with berries, acorns, dried leaves, feathers, and pearls, depending on the theme.
You can also decorate some of your glasses and tableware: spray or drape them with removable paint and glitter or decorate them with removable stickers and film. Use your glass bowls, jars, vases, and containers to display ornaments, fairy lights, dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, glass beads, and candles. Display them around your home or use them as a centerpiece on your Christmas dining table.
When you’ve customized your existing pieces and home items, browse a couple of stores to find a few pieces to complete the look. It’s best to buy simple pieces that can be further decorated and adjusted in subsequent years to suit different themes.
The two most important elements of Christmas decoration are the tree and the lighting. There’s nothing better than the smell of a real pine, but if you want to create a modern look, a pre-lit twig or feather tree might just be the right choice to fit your décor theme. The secret of a successful tree is to use a maximum of three colors, shapes and materials when dressing it. To create an interesting tree, make some of your balls edible, with chocolate, candy, dried fruit, and nuts.
When it comes to lighting, use a variety of lighting systems. Wrap fairy lights and garlands around door frames and railings, hang them in windows, stack them in glass vases, drape them over the dining room table, or make them into a garland. Use string lights outside your home, around your windows, doors, pathways, and trees. Stack church candles on the mantelpiece, in large containers, on the dining room table, or in unused fireplaces. Place scented tea lights on your windows, shelves, and coffee tables.
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