Fall and winter are the best times for letting your creativity go crazy for all those wonderful holidays celebrations. Fall’s earthy colors of orange, gold and brown transform homes into Halloween and Thanksgiving joys. From cute black kittens in pumpkins to acorns and multicolored leaves.
Winter ushers in magnificent decorations celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah then ties it all up with Father Time on New Year’s Eve.
Can you create wonderful, glorious designs and decorations without spending a ton of money? Yes you can and here are a few ideas to get you started:
Take Care Of The Basics First
First and foremost, take care of all the basics before starting the actual decorations. If you need to do some paint touch ups, move furniture around to make room for a Christmas tree or that large reindeer you have in your attic do that first. Store all your year-round throw pillows if you have holiday pillows you plan on using. If you do the basics first, you will save time and money. Once planned out, chances are you already have decorations from the year before that you have overlooked.
List What You Will Need For Individual Holidays
Kids and adults, alike, really enjoy Halloween! There are so many wonderful holiday decorations that will turn your living room and kitchen into a cute and spooky fun house! You more than likely have many decorations that have been in storage for the rest of the year and all it takes is unwrapping and un-boxing then let the activities begin.
If you are hosting a Thanksgiving dinner, start planning ahead of time for your decorating ideas. Tablecloths, table settings or fireplace mantle candles and garlands should be taken care of once the basics are completed.
For all holidays, whether you will have a large get-together or small gathering, make sure you have a list of everything you are going to need to make your party a success. If you have a very busy life, consider shopping online for wall or window treatments, carpet, or even furniture. It’s a good way to save money and time.
Develop A Plan Of Action
Make a shopping list of items you are going to need for each room you want to decorate. But, before you go on your shopping spree, plan out your furniture arrangement to make room for your Christmas tree and your parties. There are many wonderful articles and pictures online to give you some great decorating ideas. There are sites where you can upload your floor plan and start moving pieces of furniture around to get an idea how it will look. Using organization and planning ahead of time will save you time and not leave you racing around at the last minute.
Find Each Room’s Focal Point
This can be really important because decorating and utilizing a room’s focal point will allow you to ease up on the amount of decorating you need to do. If entering your living room, one wall is the first site any one sees, then this is the area to concentrate on. If it’s a rather plain wall, you might want to have your Christmas tree there. If you prefer your Christmas tree to be in front of a window, then how about placing a really nice large wreath on that wall! In many cases, the room’s focal point will be the fireplace, if you have one. You can do many wonderful things with Thanksgiving/Christmas garlands, candles, etc.
If you will be hosting dinners, the dining room’s focal point is the dining table! Using a really beautiful tablecloth and a wonderful centerpiece should do the trick.
Accessories Will Wrap It Up
Candles, springs of evergreen, floral arrangements, pillows and scents, can pull a room together with holiday aromas and colors. Add splashes of color by adding accessories in various corners or on a main door.
Store You Stuff For Next Year
The best thing about decorations, they can be stored for next year. Purchase some good plastic containers or bins to place your decorations in and protect them for next year. Containers with secure tops will keep dust and bugs from finding their way into your stuff. Either through a local store or online, it’s a good idea to get color coordinated bins and containers for each holiday. Next year you won’t find yourself going through every container to find that little bat cat centerpiece! Packing your items carefully will insure everything will be ready to roll next time around.
Decorating for the holidays is also great for your own psyche. When you return home from work or shopping it’s so nice to step inside and immediately feel the holiday embrace you.
