How to decorate for christmas

By Catalogs Editorial Staff

How will you decorate your home for the holidays this year?

How to decorate for christmas often translates into how not to over do it. Many people go overboard with tinsel, rotating Santas, neon elves and even reindeer whose noses glisten with primary, secondary and tertiary colors. In the case of holiday decorations, a good rule of thumb is to remember that remember that less is usually more. That being said, ask yourself, what can you do this holiday season to make your home cheery, bright and in seasonal good taste?

One thing that helps in learning how to decorate for Christmas is establishing a theme for the decorations. Themes help to keep Christmas decorations in check both by focusing on the subject and by helping the look to flow from room to room or tree to table. The theme can be anything; music, love, winter fun, Santa?s workshop, etc. Gather up the theme-related items that are special to you, add a red bow or ornament hook, and get decorating!

What are some popular themes used for holiday decorating?

This year, plan your holiday party around a theme. You may want to go general but far out; like fruit or candy, for example, and see where that takes you. Both broad themes can lead to unique and beautiful centerpieces, door decorations and holiday floral arrangements. Consider also the following themes to help you learn how to decorate for Christmas.

1- Santas

While certainly done a million times before, Charles Dickens once said, ?there are no new ideas, only treatments of old ones.? In keeping with this, use your noggin and come up with different ways to present the jovial old guy in that red suit. You can set him in a warmer clime or maybe traveling down something other than the proverbial chimney. If you seek, you shall find, but if you do get stuck, you can always resort to Santa faces, red and white hats, sleighs, reindeer, cutouts of “Ho, Ho, Ho,” and ornaments of Santa figures.

2- Penguins
Perhaps there is no other creature save the Polar Bear more symbolic of winter than the jovial, waddling penguin. Find little figures that you can dress up with top hats and such. Line them up as they travel to some posh winter affair. Have fun with them and they will not fail you.

3- Ice Skating
This holiday theme symbolizes winter fun to the nth degree. There are many ways to go, as ice-skating has been around for a long time. Feature Victorian ice-skates and ephemera on your holiday tree, if that period draws you. Collect miniature sweaters, skates, snowflakes and scarves. If you prefer to display real ice skates, just make sure they are carefully secured to the strong branches of the tree.

4- Chocolate
Where is it written that learning how to decorate for Christmas can?t include a chocolate theme? Why not? Check out some craft or kitchen stores for small, tin chocolate molds and hang them from the holiday tree all tied with either gold or brown ribbons. Place them near ornaments of brown, gold or silver. If that doesn?t grab you, how about removing the wrappers from some bite-sized candy bars, re-wrapping them around some styrofoam and tying them onto the tree? (Just don?t start sampling them before you hang or you will quickly run out of hanging material!).

Christmas d?cor is and always will be what you make it. Ideas about how to decorate for Christmas should come from the heart and be as meaningful as the season is to each and every professional and./or amateur home decorator.

Happy holidays to all!