When it comes to decorating my home for the holidays there is one acronym that always pops in my mind K.I.S.S.—Keep It Simple Stupid. I’m sure you have heard it used in other contexts, but it is appropriately applied to home decorating, especially during the holiday season.
Remember: The simpler you keep it, the stronger the message. It may seem like a cop out… a way to get out of stringing dozens of feet worth of lights around your property, hanging garland from the rafters, or framing your living room with hundreds of mini votive candles, but decorating experts agree, you can fill your entire home with the Christmas spirit by simply concentrating on your tree, mantelpiece and wreath. As long as you tie them together visually by keeping the accessories the same you don’t need much more. For example, if you have a red ribbon on your wreath, you can add the same one on your tree and mantel to create a uniformed look.
The key to K.I.S.S. is to stick with a theme. For example, instead of having a rainbow of colors displayed on table runners, wreaths, candles and wall decorations, try to do all white and gold, or all snowmen, or all penguins. If you stick with a centralized decorating theme it keeps you from getting sidetracked (and in my case overspending on any and every decoration out there).
If you live in an apartment or a home with limited space–skip the towering tree. Use a small tabletop tree, and place baskets of presents around the skirted table that holds your miniature Spruce. You could also offset your smaller tree with a mantel decorated with swags of greenery and some pinecones.
While you may be tempted to extend your holiday theme into the dining room, with the number of guests (invited and uninvited) stopping by it’s a good idea to keep your table free for food. You could hang some greenery on your chandelier, but otherwise let your holiday dishes be the centerpieces for that room.
Speaking of holiday food, here’s another simple decorating tip: cook your decorations. Bake sugar cookies (use a straw to poke a hole before baking) and hang them on the tree or around the house. Another simple decorating idea: Hang a thin faux garland on a bare wall or over a room entry, and clip Christmas cards along it as they arrive. Or simply put a pretty basket (I use a pinecone basket I got from Target years ago) with a red bow on your coffee table and fill it with incoming holiday greetings.
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