Holiday Decor: 5 Easy Ways to Step It Up This Year

I currently have my warmest blanket on me, a cup of hot cocoa beside me, and Christmas music playing. The greatest time of the year is here! This time of year, we are enlisting our husbands to go into the garages, crawl spaces, and anywhere else we stuffed holiday decor from the year before.

We drag it all out to display in our home for a glorious month or so.

Maybe you’re like me. You specifically note on your calendar when you will declare it is Christmas time, and specifically which day the decor will be put out. Maybe you are on the opposite end of the spectrum and wondering how to get into the decor game a little bit more.

5 Easy Ways to Step Up Your Holiday Decor

Hopefully, these five tried-and-true ideas can bring a little more layered warmth to your home during the holidays, and give you some extra motivation to “deck the halls.”

1. Hang some mini-wreaths over cabinets and in front of windows:

• It is as easy as selecting a roll of flat ribbon that you love, getting some mini-wreaths from your favorite craft store, and attaching them behind the cabinet door. Draping them over the top, and letting them hang about halfway down the door. Then simply fluff the wreath up until it looks full and lively to give it some volume. You now have a more festive kitchen in a matter of minutes!
• You can achieve the same concept in front of some prominent windows with larger wreaths as well. When you do windows though, you may want to consider getting suction cup wreath holders to keep them in place for a more seamless look when using larger wreaths.

2. Add layered lighting inside:

• This time of year gets dark early in the day, so I welcome any chance to add warmth to our holiday decor with extra lighting. And I’m not just talking about the outside of your home or your Christmas tree. Adding a string of warm white lights on top of cabinets, in alcoves, or bay windows gives the feeling of coziness and warmth that we all crave this time of year. It somewhat makes up for the fact that it feels like midnight at 6 o’clock every night. If you love it, think about leaving it up through January. We all know that’s the longest, most dreadful month of the year. Okay, that may only be my opinion here… but, I digress.
• Another way to add a small, layered lighting effect is to add battery-operated old fashioned candles in your windows. You can find them on Amazon, and I’ve even seen them at the local dollar store. I got mine the day after Christmas years ago. I just gave them a once over with black spray paint to make them a little more modern for my look. These are fun to have at your kitchen window, or at the front of the house. You can see them from the outside, and enjoy them while you’re inside your home. The best part is, they turn on when the sun goes down. Just suction them to the windows and leave them be!

3. Place photos of last year’s holidays around your home:

• This one is a little less obvious when you think of holiday decor. I would argue that it’s one of the most fun to implement though. There is nothing like adding some personal touch to your own space. We all have photos that only live in our devices. Last year, I challenged my self to start to change that, and I have printed 25-40 photos every other month. Capturing seasons, and holidays amongst the everyday moments. Printing them out and placing them in various spots that I see every day has been one of the most commented on decor moves I have made in my space.
• I love finding a company that will print on thicker card stock for better quality long term. Then you can either find some individual photo holders, hang them up with clips on a line, or a million other ways that may delight you! You can either print out some photos from the year before or some you have already snapped this year. Photos from years before are bound to make you reminisce, and add a sweet touch of remembering past holiday seasons.

4. Hang smaller festive signs on your backsplash:

• I love utilizing the cute mini signs that I find in the Target dollar spot each year. It quickly became a favorite of mine, and I do it for each season now—instead of just during the holidays. Buy a pack of velcro 3M strips to be able to change out signs for different seasons. Leave the velcro on the back of the signs to use again the following year. It is super simple, but really makes a great little impact, and isn’t limited to the backsplash. Bonus! Because you use velcro to attach them, taking them down is easy if you are preparing a more messy meal. This would be great in a powder bathroom, or anywhere you want to add a little more festive cheer.

5. Don’t overlook your tree:

• Thinking that a tree just needs lights and some ornaments to outfit it sometimes leaves it feeling a little empty and bare. So, if you feel like something is still missing while you’re trimming the tree, try this:
  • Add depth to your tree with garland. Try wrapping burlap, wool balls, ribbon, or so many more ideas that will fit your style, around your tree. Then add your ornaments to fill in the spaces that the garland isn’t wrapped around. This will add texture, and depth to your tree, that will compliment your other decorations.
  • Another fun idea to try is mixing up the type of lights you use on the tree. For example, the last several years I have used old-fashioned type cafe lights on my tree. Round cafe lights add another element of different shape and dimension to the tree and set it apart. Making it as special as the handpicked ornaments you decked your tree with. *For fire safety, make sure the lights do not get hot when putting them on your tree.*

Take it Slow

Whew! I feel like that was a ton of information I just threw at you. You certainly don’t need to try all of these ideas at once. I have built them into our holiday decor over time and figured out what worked best in my own space. They are now some of our favorite things to set up each year around this time.

So, get to decking those halls, and maybe try a new idea this year! I would also love to see your easy holiday decor favorites from your home.