Decorating your Home for Christmas: Ideas You Should Try out This Year

Ah, Christmas. There is no time quite like it, is there?

There is a lot to look forward to on the happiest holiday on the Christian calendar. The family get-togethers for many of us. The philanthropy as we reach out to the less fortunate. The gifts. The feasting. The delicious seasonal beverages. Age-old traditions, you name it.

But Christmas would not be Christmas without the festive decorations, the one thing that truly announces the arrival of the holiday.

While the traditional red and green will always be a festive favorite, there is never a shortage of ideas to go around each year.

The aim of this post is to share a few ideas that are sure to give your home a different dimension this Christmas holiday and have the whole family feelinmg erry and bright.

And we will split them into four concepts.

1. Opt for a Natural Look

Christmas and winter have long been interwoven together as it is during the winter solstice that the occasion was originally celebrated.

People have used natural elements to decorate their homes for winter since as far back as the ancient Roman times. The use of evergreens in particular served as a reminder of the warmer days ahead.

In keeping up with this historic tradition, here are some of the natural elements that are a talking point in 2017.

• Evergreens

Evergreen boughs are one of the oldest Christmas traditions, predating Christianity in places like Europe. An evergreen bough is a welcome sight when all the trees and shrubs have lost their luster, adding not just color to your home, but also a nice natural fragrance.

And there are many ways to use evergreen branches.

You can place them in a vase or simply arrange them on a table or mantle. You can also make a Christmas wreath out of them and hang it outside of your front door to serve as a warm natural welcome.

If you want a splash of color to cap off the look, feel free to use rose hips, dried roses or holly leaves and berries. For added aroma, consider adding dried rosemary.

The beauty of evergreen is that you can rarely get it wrong.

• Rosemary Christmas Tree

It may sound quirky, but a rosemary plant pruned into the shape of a Christmas tree is a great natural way to keep a small “tree” (if we can call it that) in your home while adding a festive atmosphere – provided, of course, you keep it near a source of light in a well-drained pot.

This especially works out great for anyone with a small room or apartment or those who don’t fancy the flamboyance of a big tree. The added perk is that the scent from a rosemary Christmas tree is just…saintly.

You will need to prune the tree to maintain its shape, and after the holidays, you can opt to keep it or replant outdoors if you like.

• Fabulously Festive Flowers

As with evergreens, flowers never get old, regardless of season. No matter the time of year, there never is a bad time for a fresh bouquet.

Whether it is poinsettias, amaryllis or paperwhites, you have multiple options to make your pick from.

2. Go Rustic

There is nothing that breathes a warm and inviting holiday feel into your home than adding a rustic touch to your Christmas decoration. Doesn’t matter whether you have a home in the big city or live in a charming cabin in the woods – it just transforms your home into a holiday retreat.

That’s our opinion, of course, as there are those who don’t take to this look much.

Recently, though, the trend has been shifting towards a rustic and organic approach to Christmas home decoration. And the cool thing about it is that it is pretty easy to incorporate by just adding a few natural accents.

For instance, a mixture of seasonal fruits and greens, pine cones and mixed nuts makes for great fillings for a hurricane or glass bowl.

Motifs of cute little woodland creatures such as squirrel, owls, foxes, feathered birds, deer and bear are also a nice way to create a rustic-style Christmas. You can use these decorations to add some adorable personality to your tree or mantelpiece, and the kids are especially going to appreciate them.

A little deviation from natural is to use soft layers of texture such as faux fur and couple it with fresh winter whites and some merry metallic touches here and there to pull off an enchanting holiday look that is effortless at the same time.

3. Keep it Simple

Over the top is not a trend that will be making it to many homes this year as many opt for the less is more approach.

Christmas season is a busy period characterized by shopping, holiday dinners and parties, as well as contending with the extra traffic. The last thing anyone wants is to get back to a home that is visually busy.

Keeping it simple can work your emotional health a treat, and here are a few ways you can keep your holiday décor quiet this year.

• Burlap

Burlap has always been a good decorating tool and is primed to be one of the hottest Christmas decorating trends this season.

It makes for a good foundation for contrast thanks to its neutral color and course texture, offering an opposing texture when you are incorporating other elements like garland, fabrics and candles.

Its neutral color also allows other colors to pop, making it a perfect candidate for everything including backdrops, ribbon, garland, stocking and bows.

• Candles

Candles may be a Christmas decoration staple, but they are actually one of the go-to elements for anyone looking to keep things simple.

They don’t need to be fancy. White-tapered candles will work great either on their own, for your mantle display or as the centerpiece for your garland. But feel free to use differently-colored candles, ideally of varying height, to build a candle bouquet.

You can also place them on the table and around the house to create that inviting, warm feel. But don’t forget lit candles are a potential hazard so don’t leave them unattended.

• White String Lights

Nothing screams festive more than some statement lights. This season, allow your lights to take centerstage.

However, you don’t need to constrain yourself to the traditional colored lights. These can be fun, but they can be distracting as well. Instead, opt for white string lights which do a good job of enhancing or highlighting existing displays without getting in the way.

Festive lights are also no longer limited to the windows and Christmas tree. Use them creatively around the house to create holiday ambience.

4. The Color Issue

Red and green have monopolized Christmas since way back when, but this year’s Christmas decorating trends are deviating from those two classics.

Blue and white is an emerging alternative, and you can use it anywhere from the decking hall to the tree. Other Christmas colors that are gradually picking up are silver and gold, although they are probably best not used together.

As well, the increasing everyday use of bronze, copper and rose gold in our interiors presents you with a range of options this festive season. And not just for the Christmas tree. Given hosting and entertaining are one with the holidays, you can use these gleaming metallic accents even on tableware and appliances to add a glimmer of profligacy and luxury.

This is especially recommended for anyone who fancies a sophisticated festive atmosphere.

Last Word

Decorating for Christmas is a fun culture that always puts everyone in the holiday spirit.

However, ho-hum festive decorations can be tiring. If you are guilty of putting up your decorations the same way and in the same places, try mixing things up a bit this season by trying out these decorations.

There is nothing like throwing out the cliché.

Happy Christmas Decorating!