When Christmas arrives, we all do a couple of things.
Firstly, we’ll head to the garage, loft or local garden centre and retrieve (or buy) the tree.
Then, we grab the Christmas decorations. You know – the tired bits of plastic, string and tinsel that really have seen better days.
Surely there’s a better way to do this? Surely, when it comes to one of the most exciting, vibrant times of the year, we can make our homes look a bit better and do so in a unique way?
Good news – you can, and you don’t even need to be particularly artistic! Welcome to our handy guide to decorating your entire home for Christmas. Don’t touch that tree just yet! Not sure how many days before Christmas, here’s Christmas countdown timer for you that you can personalise.
USE GIFTS AS DECORATIONS
Once you start to receive presents from people, rather than simply bunging them under the tree, use them as decorations.
Gift boxes and smaller wrapped presents look fab when hung from a window ledge or draped up the stairs off the bannister. Plus, you receive a reminder of the exciting stuff that’s to come when the big day arrives!
PLACE A FEW LIGHT-UP SIGNS
Even at Christmas, days can be long and arduous, but what better way to remind yourself of the joys this seasons brings than by investing in a few light-up signs.
They’re relatively cheap, usually powered by batteries (and can, therefore, be placed anywhere) and enable you to spell out words, sayings or messages of your choosing. Adding a few lit-up festive words around the house should put a smile on everyone’s face.
GET CREATIVE WITH ‘MERRY CHRISTMAS’ A BANNER
We’ve all seen (and probably owned) those decorations that shout “Merry Christmas!” on gaudy, gold-coloured paper. They’re not nice.
Instead, get creative with your ‘Merry Christmas’ signs by creating your own. For example, this traditional phrase looks fab when strewn across a window, made from cute cut-outs and trinkets found at hobby stores.
GO TRADITIONAL WITH THE STOCKINGS
Chances are, you may not have hung a stocking for a long time. And, if that’s in the belief that it’s a bit old-fashioned in this fast-paced digital age, think again!
Traditional stockings hung from the fireplace are one of the most endearing signs that Christmas is on the way. So, don’t be shy – get some personalised Christmas stockings, add name tags to them, and put them on show for everyone to see.
DECORATE WITH OLD CHRISTMAS MEMORIES
Take a look back through your photo albums and pick out a few favourites from Christmases past.
These photos will make fantastic decorations. You can hang them from the same fireplace as your stockings, drape them over the bannister, or wedge them carefully into the branches of the tree. There’s nothing quite like spotting those old memories when Christmas comes around again.
GO SMALL WITH THE TREE
Who says you need a massive tree to fill the living room? Let’s be honest – it can be a bit of a drag to put up, decorate – and then take down when the festivities have ended.
Instead, buy a few smaller, miniature Christmas trees and place them strategically around the house. They’re not particularly expensive, and most come pre-dressed (some even have built-in lights, powered by batteries).
CREATE AN ORNAMENT TREE
Don’t fancy big or little trees? No problem! No one says you need a traditional tree at all!
Ornament trees are a great alternative. All you need is a clear wall, a bunch of Christmas baubles, a few other decorations and the ability to ‘paint’ a tree out of them on the wall. Sure – you might damage the paintwork, but the new year is made for redecorating!
ADD JOY – WITH A WREATH
The word ‘joy’ is used a lot at Christmas, but rather than opting for your bog-standard ‘joy’ ornaments, why not create your own?
Grab an old bit of wood, clean it, paint it white and use red paint to add the letters ‘J’ and ‘Y’ to it. In the space where the ‘O’ should go, add a wreath. Hey, presto! Your own Joy sign!
ASK THE KIDS TO CREATE A DISPLAY
If you have children, there’s a great way to keep them busy on weekends and help you with the house Christmas decoration.
Ask them to create their own little display of Santa’s journey. You can buy Santa figurines pretty cheaply online, and let their imagination run wild with what to use for the rest of the display (old cereal boxes, paint – you get the idea).
DISPLAY YOUR CHRISTMAS CARDS
Most people simply find a spare surface in the living or dining room and place all their Christmas cards there. But that’s not very creative or interesting, really, is it?
You can do an awful lot with the Christmas cards you receive by turning them into beautiful decorations for your home. Hang them from curtain rails or create a collage on a chalkboard that’s dressed with lights. Don’t just place them on the table!
BRING NATURE INDOORS
Whether you go fake or natural with this one is entirely up to you, but twigs, berries, leaves and other outdoor elements can all be brought into your home to really up the Christmas ante.
You can create attractive table centrepieces, or wrap them with tinsel and drape them up the bannister. Bringing the outdoors indoors is a great way to add to the festive spirit in your home.
DISPLAY YOUR FAVOURITE TUNES
Another great one for the family, this. We all have our favourite Christmas tunes, so why not ask everyone to use light-up signs or painted pieces of wood to display their favourite lyrics?
Place them around the house (above the fireplace, on the dinner table, by the front door – anywhere), and you’ll create a brilliant Christmas spirit that’ll have you inadvertently humming festive tunes all day.
DON’T BE AFRAID TO ADD MISTLETOE
A bit corny? Embarrassing, even? Nah!
Kissing under the mistletoe might sound like something that belongs in a Christmas song, but you can have a bit of fun with your home by hanging it somewhere your eagle-eyed guest will notice.
ADD CANDLE-LIT CENTREPIECES TO TABLES
You may already have candles throughout your home, but at Christmas, you can go candle mad.
Add centrepieces to each of your tables by gathering a bunch of differently-sized and shaped candles. Keep them lit (safely, of course – and only when you’re there!), and it’ll be like you’ve instantly hit the ‘Christmas switch’.
ADD BELLS – EVERYWHERE
While the presence of jangling things on door handles can get a bit weary throughout the year, this trend is actually perfectly suited to Christmas.
Add little Christmassy bells to door handles and on the ends of tablecloths. Apart from the festive jangling, the presence of these little decorations will immediately add some much-needed Christmas spirit to your home.
NUTS, NUTS, NUTS!
Even if you’re not particularly fond of nuts, you can’t argue against the fact they are incredibly festive.
Add big jars or bowls of nuts to your dining and coffee tables. In fact – put them anywhere; you can’t go overboard with this Christmas decoration.
GO FOR AN INDOOR WREATH
Most people hang wreaths from their doors, and while this might be one of the most traditional ways to decorate your house for Christmas, it’s a bit… well, obvious.
Try putting your wreath indoors, instead. It might look a bit odd at first, but you’ll soon learn to love it. Hanging it from a curtain rail or attaching it to a window are two great examples of how you can bring this outdoor decoration inside.
DANGLE TREATS
We all love a treat at Christmas, and while this decorating tip might be hard to resist (literally), it’s a fab way to add festive cheer to your home.
Grab a few candy canes and other festive snacks, attach a string to them and hang them around the home. Just make sure they’re high enough to prevent any four-legged family members from taking a bite!
GO WILD WITH GLITTER
If there’s one time of the year where you can make an attractive mess of your house, it’s at Christmas.
To really add to the festive spirit, purchase some glitter and sprinkle it around the home. Clearly, you’ll want to avoid too much of a cleaning nightmare, so try and keep it too obvious surfaces, but by doing so, you’ll add that all-important sparkle to your home.
SWITCH UP THE COFFEE TABLE
If your coffee table is currently occupied by old magazines, phone chargers and remote controls, Christmas represents the perfect opportunity to give it a spring clean and add some festive spirit to your living room.
Create a simple display with a bunch of candles, candy canes and faux festive foliage. And, while you’re at it, why not drape a few battery-powered lights around the edge?
REPURPOSE THOSE OLD WINE BOTTLES
Recycling isn’t very festive (that can wait until the new year), so instead of chucking out your used wine bottles, use them to create some unique Christmas centrepieces.
Wrap the bottles with bows and insert thin candles into them for a brilliant Christmas decoration you probably won’t see anywhere else.
CHALLENGE THE FAMILY TO THE FESTIVE MESSAGE GAME
If you’ve got a chalkboard in the house, place it somewhere where it’s always on display (in the kitchen, for example), and challenge the family to occasionally add their own festive messages to it.
Sure, some of the more cheeky members of the family might use this to their own advantage, but it’s all part of the festive fun!
ADD ORNAMENTS TO THE BANNISTER
We’ve mentioned the bannister a fair amount in this blog post, but for good reason; it’s still one of the most convenient places to decorate at Christmas.
There’s so much you can do with it, too! For example, why not grab all of your festive ornaments, wrap them in tinsel and drape them around the bannister?
DECORATE THE PLANTS
Your Christmas tree doesn’t have to be the only piece of greenery in your home that benefits from some festive decoration.
Why not add baubles, tinsel and lights to your other household plants? They needn’t miss out on the festivities, and it’s a great way to spread Christmas cheer throughout the home.
COUNTDOWN THE DAYS
Advent calendars are the classic way to begin the countdown to the big day, but if you buy some blocks with numbers of them, you can create a little table centrepiece that acts as a constant reminder of the fun that’s to come.
REMAKE THE BED
Festive quilts aren’t particularly expensive and are a lovely way to make your bedroom feel all Christmassy.
Remake your bed for the festive period and you’ll be reminded of this wonderful time of the year at both the end and start of the day.
KEEP THE TABLE FESTIVELY-SET
Most dining tables are only set when you’re expecting visitors for dinner, but at Christmas, there’s nothing wrong with keeping the festive plates, knives and forks constantly on display.
Add a few crackers, festive napkins and party poppers, and you’ll start the Christmas celebrations way before the big day itself (even if you’ve got to wait for that awesome dinner!).
CREATE YOUR OWN ADVENT CALENDAR
Rather than resorting to one of the shop-bought, boxed advent calendars, you can create your own and use it as a unique Christmas decoration.
Buy a few craft bags, add numbers to them and pop in a chocolate treat. The whole family can then take their turns to countdown the days in the best way possible.
DRESS UP THE SOFA
Strip your cushions of their normal covers and encase them in festive, Christmas-inspired covers instead. You spend an awful lot of time sitting on that sofa, so why not make it feel as festive as possible?
Enjoy decorating your home at this time of year! It doesn’t matter how messy you get, or how unusual some of the decors might look at first – this is pretty much the only time you can go a little bit bonkers with your interior design.
REMEMBER SANTA’S PLATE
You can use Santa’s plate to decorate a table too! Once Christmas Eve arrives the children can then Santa’s favourite treats.
This infographic summarises our Christmas decorations tips.
