15 Ways to Spruce Up Your Home for Christmas
The Christmas holidays are just around the corner and it is high time that you prepare for it, especially if you haven’t started yet. Of course, this will have to go beyond simply having a Christmas tree. However, this does not mean that you go over the top, too. Here are several tips that will help you spruce up your home for the season without going overboard:
- Do some holiday cleaning.
This is bit just like spring cleaning but done with more joy. You don’t have to rearrange your clothes or empty your closets though. All you need to do is make sure your floors and carpets have the clean, fresh look that is perfect for the holidays. Oh, and you also have to prepare your kitchen for all that Christmas cooking. If you do not have the time to do all these cleaning, then there are cleaning services that could do it for you.
2. Update your furniture a bit.
There is no need to buy new furniture to make your home look great for the season. Sometimes, it is just enough to update your old furniture and make them look like new. This can be done by painting the metal and wooden pieces in your home. You can also purposely wear out your wooden furniture, so they’d have that rustic or vintage appeal. Your chairs can get that seasonal look if you’d cover them up with silver, red, or blue fabrics. You can add cushions with golden or silver details or with holiday or winter ornaments for that extra holiday oomph.
3. Paint bits and pieces in your home with warm and cozy colours
Since you may not have time to paint your walls before the holidays come, then refreshing a side table or a bookshelf using an invitingly rich color will have to do. This pop of color will add a cozy warmth to any room.
4. Replace your usual blankets and throw pillows.
Your lightweight linen and cotton pillows won’t do for the holidays. Try replacing these with chunky or cozy textured pillows like velvets and knits or with such patterns as plaid. These will add nice pops of color to your home and won’t require too much effort. You can even use a knit blanket on the bottom of your tree instead of a tree skirt to add more warmth to your living room.
- Stack up on the beddings.
This won’t just add some seasonal touch to your bedroom, but also decrease your heating bills. Replace your cotton sheets with flannel and add a blanket between your duvet or comforter and your top sheet. Then, add a layer or two of throws right on the edge of your bed. You can just leave them there or grab them on chilly evenings when you’d have to go out.
6. Place some candles.
Placing some candles is one of the classic ways to add a joyous and seasonal touch to your home. You can mass together white unscented pillar candles of different lengths on a tray or on a large plate and use the entire thing as a centrepiece for your dining table. For the rest of the rooms in your house, you can use scented candles for some cozy, Christmas ambiance. Choose candles that will remind everyone of the season like spice and apple, sandalwood and tobacco, or pumpkin.
7. Use some seasonal art.
You can get the really simple and affordable ones that use seasonal subject matter or colors. You can even use wood signs for a cozier and more rustic feel. If you don’t feel like going this way, then you can just update family photos so guests and relatives can see what you have been up to in months leading up to the holidays.
8. Make your home smell of Christmas.
Aside from using scented candles for this, you can also make your own holiday potpourri to give your house that extra holiday feel. You can simmer your own concoction on the stove or use a mixture of citrus, cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla. You can also combine warm spices, citrus, cranberries, and rosemary. You can even skip the cranberries and use diced applies instead. Aside from vanilla, you can also use bit of cardamom pods or freshly grated nutmeg.
9. Set up a bar cart or a hot cocoa bar.
The holiday season is the perfect time to set up your own fully loaded bar cart. You can even add all ingredients for hot chocolate ingredients to it, before decorating it with festive items. This way, you are always ready for any cocktail or holiday party that may happen when guests come around. They will be able to help themselves to whatever drink they prefer.
10. Bring nature inside your home.
Christmas is the perfect season for decking your home with some natural elements like flowers, plants, and even fruits. Aside from the classic poinsettia, you can use orange
lilies, orchids, green hydrangeas, and maidenhair ferns. You can fill a wooden bowl with apples or a silver tray with pomegranates. A crock pot filled with berries, evergreen clippings, and birch logs can also be a great décor.
- Go simple with burlap and some cut wood.
There is also another way for you to go natural this season. If you have a fireplace, you can use a seagrass basket to store your firewood. This is not just a great and seasonal way to decorate but will also keep things tidy in your home. If your fireplace does not work, then you can fill this up with split logs and use this as your seasonal décor.
- Light up your entryways and doors
Christmas lights are the perfect add-ons to your home to make it look cozier this season. This year, instead of just putting lights on your tree, why not drape every entryway and door of your home with them. You can use garlands to go with your twinkling lights to make things look extra special.
13. Change your lamp shades.
Another way to warm up your home is to use more dramatic lighting. You can do this by changing the shades of your lamps. This can change the look of your home at a fraction of the cost of a new lamp. You can use linen of a heavier grade than you normally use. As it resembles tweed, it is chunkier and heavier, thus giving off a soft and beautiful glow once illuminated.
- Use gold and silver together.
Do not be scared to mix different kinds of metals like silver and gold. Although it is a classic way to use only a single type of metal in your entire home, now you can actually use gold and silver together. You can use gold frames for your photos and place a silver bowl nearby. This will provide a touch of timeless elegance to your home.
- Decorate the outdoors.
This is usually the part that makes everyone excited. Although it will be best if you will not make things too sparkly. You want your house to welcome guests, not blind them. You can place green garlands on your porch and your door and just add a couple of rows of white, yellow, or other neutral coloured light bulbs. If you need to place a blow-up Snowman or Santa on your lawn, then you have to stick with only one.
There are still a lot of things you can do to make your house beautiful for the holidays. The tips mentioned above are a great start though.