*It is important for me to note that as a Christian, my specific holiday experience and traditions stem from those centered around Christmas. I will give my best advice based on my own experience. I do believe that some of these decor principles may be applicable to other holidays, although I do not have expertise in those areas.*
The season of warm hearts, cozy homes and loving gatherings is upon us. I can already smell the warm apple cider and scent of pine. Grab your cup of coca and settle in. It is taking just about everything in me not to be blasting Christmas music already. The only reason I hesitate is because I got burnt out on it by about December 23rd last year. If you know me, this is hard to do. Remember, the holidays are supposed to be joyful.
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While it is easy to get stressed about getting the perfect gifts or Thanksgiving seating charts, I want you to approach the holiday season with a sense of calm and, yes, imperfection. My job as a designer is to give you ideas and inspiration for an “ideal” world. None of us live in that world. Your job as the reader is to decide what works for your family, budget, lifestyle and adapt. Believe it or not, a well thought out plan is what keeps Christmas decorating light and fun. My hope is you find 1-2 takeaways here that will help to enliven the holiday cheer and peace in your home.
Here is the Christmas decorating process that I have found works best for me:
Decide your holiday season timeline
If you have folks coming in for Thanksgiving, do you want to have your house Christmas-ready or would you rather keep Thanksgiving decor the focus and maybe plan a little decorating party post-turkey? For myself, we are going away for Thanksgiving so I plan to at least get started before we leave. There is nothing more relaxing than coming home from a Thanksgiving trip with the house warm, sparkly and joyfully prepared for Christmas. I am also a big stickler on at least a clean house before going out of town anywhere. When you walk in after a trip, no matter how short, you will be grateful to yourself.
Scope out ideas
Before even pulling out what you already have, make yourself a Pinterest board and pin with reckless abandon Christmas decor you love. After about 20-30 pins force yourself to not go down the rabbit hole and take stock of what you are loving. Do you trend towards colorful or more neutral? Do you love a maximalist style with decor everywhere or do you prefer a few carefully chosen and streamlined pieces? Just as your home decor taste evolve, so too, will your Christmas decor preferences.
Audit your holiday decor
Take out all your holiday decor and decide on a “command center” somewhere out of the way like a guest room or basement. This is important because you do not want to feel pressure while you take time to formulate a plan. Unbox and unwrap all of your Christmas items. Look for anything broken and discard it or mend it if it is an heirloom. Group your items by inside and outside and then by general color scheme. I typically break mine into colorful, blue and white, and green, gold, and red. Although this year, I am considering a red and blue classic theme to go with my living room decor. This is a good time to make some decisions on what color schemes work with you currently have in the rooms you plan to decorate.
Make a list
Now that you’ve taken stock, decide what rooms you would like to decorate and the types of items might fit best there spatially. Do you need to rearrange furniture a bit to fit your tree? Will you take down some decor to make way for a more cohesive holiday look? I am of the mind that 2-3 very thoughtfully decorated rooms pack way more punch than a small little something in every room you have. Go back to your command center room and start sorting the items you want in each room and make a list of any deficits.
Related Post: What Forgoing Christmas Cards Taught Me About Life
Let’s go shopping!
Your local craft or gift store, Target, Marshalls, HomeGoods, Walmart, Tuesday Morning, and Amazon are all your friend here. You will surely find exactly what you are looking for. Don’t forget to set a reasonable budget and be on the lookout for sales. I love the idea of buying a few high quality items I love each year so my collection slowly builds.
Style
Take cues from your Pinterest inspiration and copy vignettes and tree styles. Vignettes typically look best in groups of 3 items: one tall, one medium, and one small. Trees tend to look best in a cohesive color scheme and filled in with ribbons and garland. Study what works in the Pinterest “perfect” room and why. Then, apply it to your unique space. Everyone’s home has a different personality as well as challenges so enjoy the process and do not be too hard on yourself. “Perfect” looks different to everyone and a Pinterest “fail” does not exist in my world.
Take down holiday decor and packing
You’ve done a ton of work this year so don’t forget to cross finish line at the end of the season. Carefully store your items grouped by the room they worked well in and label them as such. I like the large stackable plastic containers with lids for this. Take a few pictures and print them out for the box so you can remember what you did when you open the box next year.
Trend alert. Here is what I am loving this year:
Maximalist style-While minimalism has is place, the holidays tend to be more about an abundance of love and joy. This abundance can be reflected in your home decor. This doesn’t not mean to throw up decorations. It just means you don’t have to shy away from color and pattern. You still want to edit.
Moody Scenes-Imagine yourself curling up by the window in an oversized chair under a large fuzzy blanket, sipping a cup of coffee in a wood-lined study with snow falling outside. Now let’s try to emulate that kind of winter coziness. Think rich, dark emerald trees, classic blue, gold or black. The dark colors mixed with splashed of twinkle flights and metallics will create something truly magical.
Sugar Plum Fairy-Delicious pastels, sweet colors and white are queen when it comes to this whimsical style. Sprinkle it around your kids’ room or office and be sure to throw in some texture with mixed metallics and soft white pieces.
Citrus & Cinnamon-Stemming from the Great Depression when a fresh orange on Christmas was a major luxury, adding citrus to your home decor adds a layer of appreciation and symbolism for what you have and helps to remind us to be grateful. I love using citrus mixed with cinnamon as garland or on wreaths in the kitchen.
I sincerely hope you are not starting to feel overwhelmed A part of achieving a more peaceful life is investing your energy into what you enjoy. If auditing and planning for your Christmas decorations isn’t your idea of a holly jolly time, hire it out. Let me be your elf, help to take this off your shoulders, and provide you with the festive and happy home you imagine for the holidays. As a professional, my job is to help you feel happy and peaceful at home. This is my passion and what gets me jumping out of bed in the morning — especially at Christmas time.
JENNIFER ROSE
Bachelor of Science, Industrial Design, Virginia Tech
HSR Certified Home Stager & Stylist
I help clients curate beautiful, functional, and aspirational spaces in their homes. I love giving them the confidence and peace of mind to relax or entertain at the drop of a hat. I can’t get enough. I eat, sleep and breathe home design. At night, you’ll often find me with a glass of bubbly in hand perusing and studying homes on Zillow and Realtor or binging design shows on Netflix. I’m fascinated by the real estate market and the psychology behind what makes someone fall in love with home.
I grew up not only designing and rearranging my own room but also my friends’ rooms. I remember late-night sleepovers pushing furniture around their rooms and raiding their attics for fun art. Looking back, I can only imagine what their parents thought. My creative aspirations led me to Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture & Design where I was awarded my Bachelor’s of Science in Industrial Design with a minor in Art History. After school, I worked in graphic design and, being the child of 2 strong entrepreneurs, opened my own firm where I was on track to becoming one of the top graphic designers for the wedding industry in Hampton Roads, VA. It was then that I met my husband who took me into the exciting world of military moves. I put my professional design career on hold to raise my 3 beautiful daughters while flexing my creative muscles completely remodeling and redesigning our own 5 homes. I am so happy being back in my element and absolutely love helping my clients love their spaces.
When not designing, you’ll find me swimming, crafting or dreaming up my next home.
