Home for the Holidays: Decoration Inspiration
There’s no place like home for the holidays. And if you’re celebrating your first holiday in a new home, the season can feel even more special.
But decorating the house can conjure up a mixture of excitement and panic–with so many rooms to transform, including the exterior, the creative possibilities are endless.
To help inspire you deck your halls with boughs of holly, here are some simple holiday decoration ideas for some key focal areas of the house.
Decorating the Outside
From friends and family to carolers and passersby, decorating the outside of your home makes a lasting impression on anyone who passes by during the holidays! Here are some tips for adding fun and festive flair to your home exterior:
- If you’re featuring outdoor holiday lights, turn them off and on from the warm comfort of your home by using an outdoor remote-control switch!
- If you’re planning to hang a wreath on your front door, use durable felt or synthetic fabrics to cut out reindeer, angels, snowflakes and other festive icons, and tuck them into the wreath to make it pop.
- Add a swag of pine around your mailbox and accent it with bows and pinecones to make your neighbors’ (and mail carrier’s) day merry and bright!
- Got a bench on your home’s front yard or porch? Give it some holiday spirit by staging some holiday greenery on and around it–including wreaths, pinecones, garland and holly.
- While holiday lights look great at night, make your home’s exterior a bit more festive by hanging matching evergreen wreaths on your doors and windows.
Decorating the Dining Room
If you’re hosting friends and family during the holiday, the dining room will be one of the most used rooms in your house. Here are some ways you can turn it into a winter wonderland.
- Add some red and green decorative candlesticks to the dining room table for a simple yet festive holiday touch.
- Deck out your dining room light fixture for the holidays by draping it with garland or colorful ribbons, or simply hang a sprig of mistletoe.
- Create some festive flair to the holiday spread by staging small wrapped gift boxes and/or ornaments on serving trays in the center of your dining room table.
- Fill a few ornamental containers with holiday candies like peppermint, candy cane, mints and nuts and place them throughout the dining and living rooms.
- For the kids (and, let’s be honest, the adults), add some fun to the dining experience with a make-your-own cupcake station–complete with an assortment of tasty, holiday-colored toppings.
Decorating the Living Room
The focal point of the holidays–your living room is the place where the family opens presents, and guests talk over a cup of coffee, hot chocolate or eggnog. Here are some tips for making it as festive as possible.
- Add fresh greenery wherever possible to give your sitting area a merry and sweet-smelling atmosphere. Besides the tree, this can include tucking sprigs of pine in decorative pillows, hanging small wreaths on the windows and placing poinsettias on the table.
- Frame your fireplace with a long string of garland mixed with festive bows, ornaments and poinsettias.
- From reindeer and polar bears to nutcrackers and elves, place a few wintry-themed decorations to your living room for a more charming and traditional holiday vibe.
- Get guests in the holiday spirit by leaving a plate of holiday-decorated cookies for Santa out on your living room fireplace or table.
- Don’t just buy stockings for the fireplace–make your own with family and friends and personalize them with holiday-themed art!
We hope you’ve gleaned some inspiration from these holiday decorating ideas. Feel free to use your unique creative flair to incorporate your personality to the rooms. Happy decorating!
