The holidays are supposed to be festive and fun, right? So why stress about them? I know, you haven’t bought the first present yet or if you did, you haven’t wrapped any of them yet. You want the house to look nice and different this year from last year. You need to bake, cook, clean, … oh so many things. I can’t help with all of them but maybe I can relieve some decorating stress with a few ideas:
- Candles – Do you use those nice thick white stick candles? If so, try something different with some left-over ribbon. Wrap some colorful ribbon around their bases and use colored stick pins or a decorative pin to hold it in place.
- Tree Decorating – This year leave some of the ornaments off the tree. You can use them as napkin / place holders for your dinner party. Use different color ornaments or different styles to vary the place settings and add color and variety. You can often find some very inexpensive ornaments at the local discount store. Use them in groups to decorate a mantel or side table.
- Include the family – You don’t have to take it all on yourself.
- Ask the kids to help you decorate a glass jar with multi-colored glitter – then put some candy in the jar. (M & M, Skittles, Jelly Bellies …)
- hot glue snowflakes they make with you to an old bottle or hang on the fireplace.
- help you on a scavenger hunt to gather pinecones that you all use to create that one-of-a-kind table centerpiece.
- Use multi-color dry erase markers to write holiday wishes and decorative ‘drawings’ on an inexpensive white board you’ll display.
- If they’re a little older have them pick out the background music that you’ll be playing.
Decorating doesn’t have to be stressful or expensive. You can use household items that you just never thought about in a different way. Like that glass cake stand you seldom use, if ever. That can become your holiday centerpiece when it’s filled with those pinecones and acorns you and the kids gathered. Or those used toilet paper rolls that can be used as napkin holders. Wrap some decorative ribbon around them, then roll your cloth napkins and place one inside of each one. And of course, my favorite idea of all, using your photo ornaments in areas other than just on the tree. Hang them from the top of the doorways, put them on wrapped presents… so many places and choices. And it’s not to late to get your photo ornaments. Call us to book a holiday ornament session before December 10 and you’ll have them in plenty of time to decorate!
Did any of these ideas help? Let me know in the comments below and if you have more ideas, then let us know!