Festive Tips for Christmas Decorations You’ll Actually Love

Last Updated on November 25, 2022 by Katherine

Christmas is a busy time of year, and it’s probably the busiest time for most people for the whole year! In addition to numerous parties and social engagements, most people are also feverishly baking cookies and other goodies for the people in their lives. I’m going to cover Christmas baking a little bit later, but I wanted to address decorating your abode for the holidays. If you’re looking for Christmas tree decorations, be sure to check out my earlier post about those here.

Nothing gets me in the holiday spirit by throwing up decorations around the house. I’m sure you’re like me, and you have your favorites, but every once in a while, it’s nice to twist things up a little. So whether you’re just starting out and need some pointers to start creating your perfect holiday home or are looking to switch up your usual Christmas decorations, this post is for you!

Before You Shop:

I recommend jotting down a few ideas about what you want. Ask yourself questions like:

• Where do I want garland?
• Where should I put my tree?
• Do I want a wreath on the door?
• Do I want outdoor decorations of any kind?
  • What do I want in the way of lights?
  • Do I want those blow-up decorations?
  • Do I want any other outdoor decorations like trees?
• And so on.

It may help to write out all your ideas and brainstorm that way!

Another tip I have is to decide on whether you want a theme for your decorations. There are many options there, like a traditional red and green Christmas, all the way to the surprisingly popular Peacock Christmas. I love the blue and silver style and tend to do up decorations in that style. If you’re stuck, I recommend browsing Pinterest. You’ll find so much inspiration there!

Shopping For Your New Christmas Decorations:

I have a few stand-by stores that are my favorites. These will vary vastly for you, depending on where you are and what’s available to you. Setting up new decorations does not need to be pricey, and sometimes you can take their standard fare and jazz it up a little on your own to get exactly what you want!

• Amazon (obviously a great online retailer to start with!)
• Michaels
• Walmart
• Dollar Stores
• Canadian Tire
• Other Hardware Stores

Alright, now that you have a rough idea of where you’re going to shop, let’s look over some ideas that I came up with and others that caught my eye on Pinterest.

Start With A Wreath

I find a wreath is the easiest thing to find and customize. All you need is a fake evergreen leaf (I got mine at Canadian Tire for around $20) and some sparkly picks in the colors you want. I went for a blue and silver theme, but the beauty of this idea is you can pick any color scheme you like.

Grab a hot glue gun and glue everything onto your wreath. If you want to make it sparkly or snowy, you can buy spray paints that will add a bit of glitter or frost to the wreath. Another option is to add a festive Christmas ribbon. I liked mine in its simpler form, so I kept it with just the picks and some glass balls I found as well.

I love doing wreaths because there isn’t a right or wrong way to do them. It’s entirely up to you, and there’s plenty of options. You don’t have to do an evergreen wreath as a base; you can do one of those tinsel wreaths, poinsettias, and so on. Your wreath, your rules!

Pinecone Ideas

Pinecones are a great way to get a lot of decorations for cheap if you have easy access to them (which I do, we have a reasonably large fir tree in our yard that always throws these puppies onto the ground).

Most important to remember, though, is you need to prep your pinecones after you’ve gathered them up. You can check out the simplest prepping method at A Modern Homestead.

Once you’ve prepped your cones for indoor use, here are some ideas on how to use them!

Give them a Scent!

A Cultivated Nest has an informative article on how to do this yourself. I love the idea of scented pinecones because they can help make your house smell delicious. Cinnamon is a great Christmas scent, but you should not feel limited by that if you aren’t keen on it!

Frosty Cones

Epsom salts are the perfect texture for snow. Simply spray your pinecones with a sealer or an adhesive and sprinkle the salts on! You can then add a ribbon garland to them or make ornaments out of them. The possibilities are quite endless!

Pinecone Topiary

Topiaries are an excellent idea for front porch decorations. Somewhat Simple has used pinecones to create a pretty topiary that can sit outside all winter for you.

Ornament Balls Aren’t Just For the Tree!

If you’re anything like most people I know and me, you have a ton of ornament balls lying around. They’re pretty much the quintessential piece you use to decorate the tree, and they are insanely popular.

I, however, have found some ideas for these things that don’t involve hanging them on your tree. I like this idea because you can tie in your tree by using the same decorations throughout!

Light Fixtures

If you have a lovely chandelier or other hanging light fixture, it’s a perfect place to hang these ornaments. I would recommend picking a fixture that’s either higher up or over a table to avoid running into the decorations!

Makeshift Garland

If you want something for your railing, but can’t find garland you like, I would look at your ornament sets. All you need for this is the ribbon that you’ll use to attach to the ball and then wrap around the banister! You can experiment with different lengths and styles of ribbon as well to get the effect you want!

Final Thoughts

No matter what you choose for your Christmas decorations, they have to speak to you. I prefer to choose pieces that are “traditional” and make them so they can be updated as needed. For example, the Christmas balls on the railing, you can easily change the look with a different ribbon color to attach them!

I hope you’ve found this post inspiring, and if you did, please share it on your favorite social network and pin it to Pinterest!

Also, if you are inspired to go out there and start creating your own Christmas decorations and want an extra bit of help when you sign up for my mailing list (it’s spam-free and you can opt-out whenever you wish) you receive a FREE copy of my printable crafting checklist! Just drop your email down below to access your download!

That’s all for this week, next week I’m going to do a food post to give you some idea on what to make for any guests you may have come over for the holiday season! Until then, stay crafty my friends!