Decorating for the holidays has just recently become of interest to me due to the fact that my almost six-year-old is completely enamored by everything Christmas. After attending our holiday Bunco party at my neighbor, Sharon’s, house, I was blown away by the creativity and care she put into every decoration. I knew I had to have her whip up some tips to share with the MDF readers.
Sharon, take it away!
DECK THE WALLS, TABLES, TREES, WINDOWS, DOORS, BEDROOMS, BATHROOMS, AND MORE! THAT IS MY MOTTO!! I just love decorating for Christmas, and it shows in every special touch in and around my home. If you are like me when you have a party, you want people talking about it for years to come and adding special decor is an easy way to make your party memorable. It can be intimidating knowing where to start, so I have put together some tips:
#1. Don’t expect do it all in one year! Decorating is expensive and when you have all the gifts and food to buy, the decorating often takes the back burner. When I first started, I added something new every year and those new additions were things I purchased after Christmas when it is all 50-70 % discounted. I travel to Ohio for Christmas and discovered the Front Gate outlet store along my route. I have found amazingly gorgeous garlands, wreaths, ornaments, candles, etc. sold with unbelievable discounts. You can also find beautiful and unusual things at specialty stores or large department stores. Think ahead, and put some money aside to use for decorating next year.
#2. I love to create homemade decor, so I buy wreaths and garlands that have varied evergreen, pine cones, magnolia leaves, berries. I then make my own bows, twinkle lights, and ornaments to customize to my house and my taste. This helps them to be less expensive than those which someone else has decorated. Purchase some floral wire and twist your creations on.
#3. Bows, bows, and more bows! A lot of people are intimidated by bows. They seem difficult at first, but they are easy-peasy once you get the knack. Purchase your ribbon at Costco or Sams and keep pipe cleaners on hand to twist them together and then onto your creation. Find a friend or neighbor to teach you, or watch sone youtube videos. Always puff up and refurbish bows each year after you have had them squished in a box.
#4. I decorate for every holiday so I re-use many of my trays, wooden boxes, sugar candle holders, wooden bread bowls, tins and large decorative pieces for each Holiday. I empty their contents into a box or bag for that container and I keep it all together for that holiday the next year.
#5. Go to your local Christmas tree farms or Home Depot or Lowes and purchase greenery to use in your arrangments around the house. Bring it home and soak in the bathtub for 24 hours to preserve. You can really add natural beauty to a space by adding fresh green elements.
#6. Make it glow! Incorporate little twinkle lights in all of your creations. Many of the tiny stringed lights are on timers so it makes your life a little easier and all twinkly too!
#7. When it starts getting scraggly and tired looking, THROW IT OUT!! Get something new like this gorgeous set of silver candle holders which I found on sale!
#8. Take pictures each and every year! Do this so you can remember what you did last year and where everything goes when you drag all those boxes out.
#9. Make something unforgettable. My “Coffee Tree” is something everyone loves and will talk about after they leave my house.
#10. Start collections, and add as the years go by. My Mom has been giving my sister, brother and me each a Santa every year for as long as I can remember. It is quite a conversation creation since I display it across my entire dining room table. I also have an angel collection, a special ornament collection, a white house Christmas tree and a snow man collection.
Finally, have fun with it! Start decorating early so you can enjoy all your hard work and be proud of how beautiful everyone thinks it is when they visit your home. It is truly worth all your time and effort, and will put you and your friends in the holiday spirit!
Thank you so much, Sharon, for providing these helpful tips. Good luck, everyone and Happy Holidays! We’d love to see your holiday decor in our comments!
xo
Jaime and Sharon
Hi I'm Jaime.
Modern Day Fox is a place where we celebrate the multi-passionate people in this world who are making it happen. This is also a place for me to create content around the topics I am personally most passionate about – personal development, photography, fitness, food, image, and music. This is a space to inspire and to be inspired. It's a classroom to teach and to learn. It's a table to share and explore. Together, let's learn how to "outfox them all!"
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