5 Tips to Decorate For the Holidays
It’s (almost) the most wonderful time of the year! Get ready for hot cocoa, Christmas movies, holiday shopping, ice skating, and spending time with family. The holidays are approaching, they’ll be here before you know it! Decorating your dorm, apartment, or house for the holidays will definitely get you into the Christmas spirit. No Grinch around here! Whatever holiday you’re celebrating this December, these tips will for sure help! Follow these 5 tips to decorate for the holidays:
1. Find A Theme
The first tip to decorate for the holidays is to find a theme. You can go for “Classy Christmas” – with gold and silver highlights, glass ornaments on a snow covered tree, jazzy Christmas vinyls on the record player, and a sophisticated Christmas dinner set up. Or the “Tacky, Cute Christmas” with plenty of tinsel garland wrapped around the tree, hung over doorways, around the stair banister, the elf on the shelf sneaking off every night, and little figurines set up around the house. How about the “Nostalgic Family Christmas” with family photo ornaments hung on the tree, a classic Christmas movie always on the TV, and stockings hung above the fireplace? Perhaps you can base it off a specific Christmas movie, or decorate each room with how different countries traditionally decorate and celebrate for the holidays. Whichever theme it is that you choose, doing so will provide organization and help you find what you need to buy to get your house looking festive!
2. Plan It Out
Planning out your holiday decoration will make decorating your house run a lot smoother and keep you from asking yourself the “Where do I even start?” question. By mentally or physically noting where you’re going to set up the Christmas tree, indoor and outdoor decorations, it will ease a lot of stress that comes with decorating your house. Another thing to note is what decorations you already have, and which decorations you would like to add to the collection. You won’t be feeling that dread of knowing it will take hours to get everything decorated in your home. Plus, by planning out your strategy to decorate it will save some time for you to spend doing Christmas activities with loved ones.
And what are these Christmas activities you could be doing you may ask? Well, here are some ideas to encourage you to get that decorate time out of the way: ice skating, Christmas shopping, white elephant gift party with friends, organizing a secret santa, baking Christmas cookies, Christmas caroling, volunteering for a food shelter, walking around your neighborhood to look at Christmas lights, and/or having a Christmas movie marathon.
3. Shopping Time!
Decorating for the holidays should be fun! Spending one day shopping for cute, festive holiday decorations with friends or family will allow you to find everything you’ll need to stick to a theme, if you’d like, and turn every room into one that is cozy and cheerful. Write your list (and check it twice) of the specific Christmas decorations you are looking for! A snowman ornament? A fluffy green blanket? An elf on the shelf? A Lego advent calendar? Whatever it is that you are looking for, write it down so you don’t forget! And maybe you can get some gift shopping done during this shopping day, too. Keeping a note on your phone or paper with gift ideas is easy to keep track of with putting a check mark next to their name once you’re done. Remember don’t put too much pressure on yourself to find the perfect holiday gift, it’s the thought that counts. Find Christmas ornaments, lights, figurines, a Christmas countdown, blankets, an advent calendar, and a mug and plate to set out milk and cookies for Santa! (Then sneak that as a little midnight snack for yourself on Christmas eve night) So, set that date in your calendar for you to find everything you need to transform your living space into the North Pole!
4. Schedule A Decorating Day
Decorating for the holidays can be timely, and it’s tiring to use that creative side and lug heavy boxes around your home. It’s basically a mental and physical workout to decorate your space. That’s why by spending one day decorating for the holidays is the way to go. Perhaps after Thanksgiving and Black Friday, or when Cyber Monday deals end, is the perfect day to find time to turn into a little elf, find your inner interior designer and get to work decorating. Wake up early, drink that peppermint mocha as fuel, turn on the Christmas music or Christmas movie, and jump into the jolly groove of finding that Christmas spirit in decorating your house. Aim for that over the top Who-ville level of decoration and Christmas joy, December is a magical month because of the holidays, and who doesn’t want to give into their inner child full of Christmas cheer?
5. Involve Your Family/Friends
Decorating the house for the holidays can be a festive activity in itself! Grab your family or friends and have them help you decorate. It won’t even feel like work when you’re surrounded by the ones you love. Prepare some holiday themed snacks and drinks to keep your group fueled! Enjoy this time and get to rockin’ around the Christmas tree! Don’t forget about your pets either, decorate a stocking for your furry friends, and maybe find some cute Christmas toys to include them in this holiday cheer. And when it’s all done, your entire family can sit down to watch a class Christmas movie. What will it be, Home Alone or Polar Express? Or maybe, How the Grinch Stole Christmas?
