For many people, holiday decorating at home brings back memories of plastic or homemade Santas, snowmen, red, green and gold, with twinkle lights abound. These traditional home Christmas decorations are great when you have young kids in the home, but as people age and the holidays become less of a free for all, taking holiday decorating to a new level is the goal and homeowners strive to put a sense of elegance and grace into their homes in the depths of winter. The following Christmas decorating tips will help you upgrade your home holiday decorations and set the perfect tone for holiday entertaining.
Use Live Plants for Holiday Decorations
For those people who live in the northern climes, the middle of winter can be very bleak and depressing, add to that some holiday stress and you’ve got a dreary outlook. By incorporating live plants into your home during the holiday season you’ll brighten the room and your mood.
Instead of cutting a tree or putting up a fake one, look for a small live tree that will give you that evergreen look and smell but you won’t have to watch it die and constantly drip needles.
Or replace the tree entirely with a topiary. A large potted plant can be capped by a wood topiary and strung with a few lights as homage to the traditional Christmas tree, but an understated and simple version.
Bring other seasonal live plants into the home such as Christmas cactus, Poinsettias, Amaryllis, Paperwhites, Cyclamens, and Azaleas. These brilliantly colored beauties will cheer any room. Arrange flowers in small clusters or groups of three for the best aesthetic impact.
Christmas Lights can be Natural
Christmas decorations have gone from simple candles clipped to evergreens (a huge fire hazard) to light bulbs capped by Spongebob Squarepants and howling coyotes and twinkling LED clusters. Now, some of these lights have their place, but if you’re going for elegance then you want to steer clear of the characters and go for simple sophistication instead. Most local craft stores and many department stores carry inexpensive frosted votives or vases, purchase a bunch of these in various sizes with matching candles and bring the elegance of lit candles back to your holiday decorating scheme.
If you want to add a little more decoration, go for something simple like using thin wire to tie single dried cranberries or small mistletoe branches around the vase exterior. You can also scatter some chestnuts, pinecones, or acorns around their base.
Display only Treasured Keepsake Ornaments
Simplicity is often the key to elegance or grace when decorating so hone down your huge box of family decorations to just a few heirlooms. Instead of filling your tree with ornaments or setting knickknacks up on every available surface, put the most precious of these trinkets in a place of importance where they can take center stage. Consider placing them under glass or adding a spotlight to give them the respect they deserve and don’t forget to know the story of these treasures as your guests are sure to ask.
Use Christmas Presents to Decorate
When you pare down your home decorations and if you opt out of a traditional tree you’re going to have the problem of where to put the holiday gifts. Don’t just pile them together, but artfully place them around the home so they become tasteful decorative displays.
And obviously, if you’re going to use your presents as decorative focal points, it’s important to do a very good job of wrapping and select paper carefully with much thought. Ribbons are a very nice touch, but adding a sprig of holly or mistletoe can give each give a little more elegance. Or for the personal touch, take those holiday ornaments you’re not going to use and attach them as gifts to your loved ones. Imagine how delighted your daughter or son would be seeing an ornament they made years ago attached to their present. It will become an instant treasure in their home.
Use as many of these holiday decorating ideas as you want to create a modern upscale holiday decorating scheme in your home. You may even become inspired to come up with some ideas of your own that will take your holiday decorating at home to a whole new level.
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