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New Ways to Decorate for the Holidays

The holidays can be either the most joyful time of year or the most frantic – oftentimes, a little bit of both. Part of the holiday stress for many people is simply having too much to do: prepping, planning, shopping, baking, cooking, and decorating. Stressing out over the holidays is no way to enjoy them. Here are some ideas for making your home beautiful in a relaxed, comfortable way, so you can enjoy decorating for the holiday season without doing a ton of work.

Embrace Rustic Casual Decorations

A lot of the appeal of rustic country-style decorating is that it doesn’t need to be perfect. Little imperfect touches make this decorating style feel homey and real. Bring the outdoors in with greenery, including wreaths, garland, or a real Christmas tree. If you are more comfortable setting up an artificial tree, using fresh greenery in other decorations still brings that lovely pine scent inside in a way that is easier to take care of and clean up after the holidays. Employ cute country decorations made from materials like burlap, jars full of pinecones, and stockings in traditional patterns. Add woodland animal ornaments to your tree or tuck a couple on your mantel for a whimsical touch.

New Ways to Decorate for the Holidays

Go For Funky, Eclectic Fun

The best way to decorate for the holidays or any time of year is to go with whatever reflects your personality best. If you enjoy fun and unusual ornaments or decorations, skip the traditional holiday ideas and let your inner child out to play. Feel free to experiment with bright colors, even if they aren’t part of the typical red and green holiday color palette. If you enjoy kitschy ornaments and decorations, build your own collection of the most unique items you can find. It can be fun to gather an assortment of decorations based around a theme that isn’t obvious at first, and then challenge holiday visitors to figure out the connection. Funky or unusual animal artwork can give a hip edge and a new twist to a classic winter-cabin Christmas vibe. It’s your holiday, feel free to go wild!

Ornaments Everywhere

You don’t have to limit ornaments to your tree. Find new ways to use shiny baubles or to display cherished ornaments around your home. You can pile traditional Christmas tree balls in a bowl or vase to use as a centerpiece or to decorate a mantel, or you can hang them from ribbon and group them to make a faux-chandelier. Try draping garland across a wall or mantel and then hang tree decorations from it. You can scatter ornaments throughout your house for a little bit of whimsy in unexpected places. Combinations of ornaments and jingle bells can pair nicely for holiday cheer.

Think Beyond the Holidays

To remove some of the stress of holiday decorating, create a decorating scheme you can update with small changes all season long. Anchor your decorating with some key pieces that are holiday-neutral, such as a basic winter theme. Then add touches for each holiday, transitioning your home slowly through the holiday season. Some fall decorations, like pumpkins and harvest symbols, can stretch all the way to Thanksgiving. After Thanksgiving, start adding some fresh greenery and red bows or berries to start moving toward Christmas. After the holidays, you can change it up again with more neutral winter decorations for January and beyond.

It’s fun to have family decorating traditions for the holidays, but it can also bring a breath of fresh air to change things up once in a while. Use some of these ideas to freshen up your holiday decorating with minimal stress and maximum fun.

About the Author

Jennifer Prugh Visosky grew up in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Even as a little girl, Jen had an eye for interior design. Having been blessed with parents who were their rules on what she could with her room, Jennifer changed it weekly. After many years of interior design and real estate development, Jen has founded Grace Home Design, where she focuses on naturally dramatic and strong-willed interior design projects.

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