Easy Christmas Decorating Ideas

Christmas is a time that stimulates all the senses. The scent of pine boughs and spices, sparkling lights, bountiful feasts and festive music contribute to the celebrations of the season. Christmas decorating enhances these sensations, adding to the atmosphere of joy and wonder. If you are looking for easy ways decorate your house for the holidays, here are some ideas that play to all the senses. 

Welcoming Entryways

The holiday season is a time of entertaining and sharing with family and friends. Welcome your guests with a festive entryway. A wreath and string lights on the front door create a warm entrance to your home. If you have a foyer, continue the theme. Evergreen boughs arranged on an entry table, over a hallway mirror or entwined around a table lamp stimulate the holiday spirit. If you want to embellish the arrangement, intersperse greeting cards, glass ornaments, votive candles or small, colorful bows throughout the boughs. 

Spruce Up the Living Area

Although red and green are traditional Christmas colors, you can pick your own palette to personalize your holiday decorations. Decorators are favoring deep blues and aquamarine for 2019 festivities to add depth to the season's colors. Dusky aquamarine evokes the feeling of a clear, starry night, with hues fading into midnight blue. Select tree ornaments, wreaths and ribbon that accentuate the shades you like.

Make use of the natural elements of the season. Tie sprigs of bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, eucalyptus and cinnamon sticks together with a colorful ribbon. Hang them in doorways, in the kitchen or anywhere you want a hint of seasonal fragrance. After the herbs dry, use them for cooking. If you have attractive glassware, put it to good use. Fill champagne glasses or snifters with small ornaments, pinecones or small evergreen sprigs.

Let your children contribute to holiday decorating. Create an advent calendar using envelopes mounted on a bulletin board, one for each day. Fill each one with a whimsical decoration or treat, such as paper snowflakes, candy canes or small ornaments. Another fun craft idea is to tie small white or silver gift bows on strings and suspend several runners from a horizontal bar. Hang this in front of a window to give the illusion of falling snow. 

Arrange string lights, candles, sprigs of evergreen, citrus fruit, apples, nuts or anything else that you fancy on a mantel. Instead of white candles, use red, green or those in your own color theme. If a mirror sits above the mantel, the reflecting lights will give a sense of depth and soft illumination. A clear bowl of potpourri or scented oil adds to the senses.

Dining Décor

Food, drink and feasts are an important part of Christmas celebrations. Exhibit the bounty of nature in dining room décor to complement the food. If you prefer simple décor, use table runners that pick up the colors of your holiday decorative theme. Embellish each place setting with a matching napkin and a simple decorative ornament, such as a juniper sprig, a pinecone in a small bowl or a cinnamon stick. Arrange winter flowers in wicker baskets as floral arrangements along the runner. Brass candlesticks round out the look.

For a more formal look, layer colors and textures on the tabletop. Classic checks, simple white or sparkling sheer organza add cheer as tablecloths. For a dramatic look, silver flatware adds contrast on a dark tablecloth. Formal china place settings add elegance. To create a more casual look, tie napkins with ribbons in your holiday colors.

Festive tablecloths also contribute to the atmosphere. For a country look, drape a plaid blanket in festive colors over the table. Traditional motifs, such as holly and cranberries, poinsettias or bows, in seasonal colors of red, white and green set the background for a Christmas spread.

Seasonal Accessories

Use accessories to advantage to enhance your Christmas decor. Changing pillow covers seasonally is a simple, inexpensive way to change the look of a room. Scatter pillows in festive, colorful covers throughout the living area to complement other decorations. Drape plaid throws over chairs to add color and warmth. Seasonal scatter rugs also add warmth and color.

Fill wicker baskets or clear glass bowls with clove-studded fruit for color and fragrance. Garlands of popcorn or cranberries are fun to make. String paper bells along a banister to continue decorations to upper stories. Alternatively, entwine evergreen boughs in stair rails and suspend small ornaments, greeting cards or paper snowflakes in the greenery. Strings of small lights on a stairway wall softly illuminate the way upstairs.

Don't forget guest bedrooms and bathrooms. Linens in the bathroom and guestrooms can also reflect the Christmas spirit. Floating candles, sprigs of fragrant greens or sparkling bowls of spices and potpourri add a custom touch.

Simple, inexpensive decorations can transform your house into an inviting, merry living space for the holidays. Go with what appeals to you so that your décor reflects your personality and taste. Whether your décor is modern or traditional, use the season's bounty to bring nature in, stimulate all the senses and make the Christmas season enjoyable and memorable.

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