My taste tends to be pretty eclectic, but I think that means that everyone who walks in our house can find a little something they like! The same holds true for my holiday decorations. Here are a few of my tips that I apply to holiday decorating and a look at what I’ve got going this year.

1. Put things away.

   As we all know, I can be a bit of a hoarder, but it makes things a lot less cluttered if you put away some things to make room for the holiday décor. I have a few drawers set aside for rotating décor, but you could always use your holiday boxes to store your everyday décor during December. I already have enough pillows on our couches that I don’t need to try to squeeze in the Christmas ones too.

2. Spread it out.

   I like to make sure my decorations are spread throughout my house instead of focused in one room or area. It can be simple like a Christmas platter against the backsplash in the kitchen or more complicated like a holiday themed table setting. Candles or trinket trays in small spaces like bathrooms are easy and cheap. I also put a small, fake tree in our bedroom without anything hung on it. The lights act as a nod to Christmas without adding too much mental clutter to our bedroom. 

3. Hang it up.

   Kitchen cabinets, windows, bed frames, doors, mirrors. All great places to hang things on or around. Lights, garland, ornaments, ribbon are all good contenders. I tend to keep it simple with a matching set of ornaments hung in the window and a minimal garland, but a heavy handed approach can be really amazing in a larger space

4. Repurpose WHAT YOU CAN.

   I often rotate my décor by season so I have a variety of pillows, art prints, and decorative trinkets that I can pull from to supplement my holiday décor. Just because it doesn’t have a Santa on it, doesn’t mean it won’t work for the holidays. I pull out things like black and white plaid pillows, red throw blankets, and some of my velvet ribbon to add to the festivity. This also helps mix things up so they don’t look exactly the same year after year.

5. SWAP the ‘normal’ stuff.

   I think most people only think of adding traditional Christmas decor to what they’ve already got going on, but it’s just as easy to swap things you keep out all the time for something more festive. Things like your table setting are obvious, but what about any prints you have hung? My mom and I tend to grab postcards when we travel because they make for cute, tiny frames, and it’s easy to swap things like that out for a festive alternative. I like to save pretty cards that we’ve received to put in frames during the holidays. Other easy swaps are aprons, grocery/tote bags, hand towels, dish cloths, and bar ware.