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05 Feb 2023

Entertaining & Holidays

Decorating for Christmas

Christmas decor

Santa doorknob (Photo: Traditional Home)Gathering family and friends together is one of the greatest joys of the holiday season.

You want guests to feel welcome and comfortable in your home, and Christmas offers a perfect opportunity to spruce it up (pun intended).

Start with the tree and bask in its glow. Decorate the mantel. Adorn the staircase with garland and ribbon. Deck the halls with boughs of holly. Hang mistletoe. Bring out the Christmas bears and Santas. Light candles, the more the merrier. Dress your holiday table in gold or silver and glassware in vibrant jewel tones. Add a welcoming wreath on the front door for that classic Yuletide touch.

The possibilities for Christmas décor are endless. It’s all a matter of taste and personal preference. The whole point is to spread peace, joy, love . . . and celebrate the season.

Decorating for a festive holiday

Christmas wreath (Photo: Traditional Home)

Colorful red berries pop in this classic arborvitae wreath. (Photo: Traditional Home)

Door decorated for holidays (Photo: Country Living)

Understated elegance . . . a simple pine cone arrangement on the door replaces a traditional wreath. A thick swag of garland, with over-sized pine cones, frames the entry. (Photo: Country Living)

Entry decorated for Christmas (Photo: Traditional Home)
Christmas cookies for the guests. (Photo: Traditional Home)

[left and above] A door, with its red-ribboned boxwood wreath, opens to a festive entry. Garland wraps around the mirror. Atop the hall console, red amaryllis and a white reindeer greet guests. On the floor, in a large silver bowl, are Christmas cookie party favors.
(Photos: Traditional Home)

Garland on staircase (Photo: Better Homes and Gardens)

Bouquets of seasonal greens, branches, and berries, tied with ribbon and green balls, adorn this staircase.
(Photo: Better Homes and Gardens)

Tree decorated with silhouette ornaments and tartan plaid hoops. (Photo: Holly Mathis Interiors)

Tree is decorated with easy-to-make silhouette ornaments and tartan plaid hoops by Holly Mathis Interiors.

Simple wreath, hung with red velvet. (Photo: Traditional Home)

[above] A simple wreath, hung with red velvet ribbon, graces a kitchen shelf while [right] shiny red bulbs decorate a potted plant. (Photos: Traditional Home)

Red bulbs decorate potted plant (Photo: Traditional Home)
A delightfully primitive Christmas tree.

Primitive bears climb a small tree; stockings, in three sizes, hang from the mantel. A string of lights adorns fireplace logs for a delightful country Christmas.

Christmas tree on kitchen counter.

[above] Tree on the counter and decorations on the shelves give this kitchen festive flare.

[left] Store-bought toss pillows are upgraded with simple appliqués. (Photo: Country Living)

Appliqued Christmas pillows. (Photo: Country Living)
Small, simple, live tree. (Photo: Pottery Barn)

A small, simple, live table-top tree. (Photo: Pottery Barn)

Christmas tree and garland in the dining room. (Photo: Style at Home)

Christmas tree and garland make this dining room look (and smell) fresh and inviting. Sprays at the back of each chair are a nice touch. (Photo: Style at Home / Michael Graydon)

A festive buffet table. (Photo: Traditional Home)

A festive buffet table

Create risers for your favorite holiday dishes. Here’s how: Using string, attach boxwood sprigs to 2 or 3 layers high of green Styrofoam rings. Add ribbon, if desired. Top with tangerines or key limes using floral picks. Set your serving plate in the center.

Another great idea: Put cheese spreads (or dips) in a small dish. Set the small dish on a larger plate and surround with fresh cranberries.

Note: If amaryllis are bought closed, they’ll bloom and last for almost a month.

(Photo: Traditional Home)

Party favors, wrapped as gifts, decorate the holiday table.

Party favors, wrapped as gifts in tartan plaid with red ribbon, help decorate the holiday table.

Wreath decorated with family photos. (Photo: Benjamin Moore)
Wreath and garland in bedroom window. (Photo: Traditional Home)

[above] Decorating a wreath with family photos is a lovely idea for the guest bedroom.
(Photo: Benjamin Moore)

[left] Welcoming wreath and garland in this bedroom adds holiday spirit and a fresh scent.
(Photo: Traditional Home)

Subtle seasonal look in the bedroom. (Photo: Traditional Home)

Simple wreaths on the fireplace are strung together with curled ribbon. Two trees grace the mantel for a subtle seasonal look. (Photo: Traditional Home).

Don’t forget to feed the birds

Don't forget to feed the birds.Make Bird Seed Ornaments

  1. Lay a greased, bird-shaped metal cookie cutter on two layers of aluminum foil. Tightly wrap the foil around the cookie cutter.
  2. In a pot over medium heat, melt 1 cup coconut oil. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped nuts (any variety will do) and 1/4 cup birdseed. Let cool to a thick, but pourable, consistency.
  3. Place one end of an 8-inch long twine into the cutter, so that most of the twine sticks out from the very top of the wing. Then, slowly pour the seed mixture into the cutter until it almost reaches the top. Let harden at room temperature; then freeze for an hour.
  4. Pop the shape out of the cutter and hang outside.

Source: Country Living. Written by Jourdan Crouch. Photo: Aimee Herring.

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Patricia and TomHi there! Tom and I are two empty nesters who decided to downsize and simplify our lives—lose the clutter and drama, travel a little, laugh a lot, sit back, and enjoy the simple pleasures life has to offer. Read more

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