by Elizabeth T. McArthur

Created on: July 27, 2010

The weather is cooler, the nights are longer and a certain holiday spirit is in the air. Time to decorate! Some people go all out with holiday decorations, embellishing the house from top to bottom, indoors and out. Others just want a few Christmas touches in their home, to give a feel for the season.

Whatever your decorating style, the following tips will make your decorations better than ever before.

1. Pick a color scheme.

There’s no need to go traditional with your colors. If you feel like using blue and white, embrace those festive colors, but remember that they can clash a bit with red and green. This goes for lights, as well. Deicide when you start decorating if you want your lights to be all white, so that they will be appropriate with almost any theme or color scheme, or if you want them to match your decor.

2. Pick a theme.

Picking a theme goes hand-in-hand with picking a color scheme. A theme can be anything from Santa and his reindeer to nature’s gifts, but sticking to it will help make your decor look planned and cohesive. If you’re working off of a Santa theme, it’s okay to throw in a few snowmen or Christmas trees, just make sure the majority of your decorations have a Jolly Ole Saint Nicholas or Rudolph tie-in. If you decide to go with a nature theme, let the snowbells, pinecones and wreathes speak for themselves.

3. Plan it out.

It’s not fun to get half your decorations up and realize you have three-fourths of the house left to go. Think about how much space you have and where you want to place your items. This also applies to Christmas tree ornaments. Try to space them evenly on the tree from the beginning, so that you don’t have to go back and redistribute at the end of the process.

4. Enjoy it!

There’s nothing quite like decorating for a major holiday to bring the family together. Bake some cookies and let everyone chip in with your Christmas decor this year. Let the kids take charge of the tree, or have them decorate gingerbread houses. If they’re full of energy, maybe it’s time to go decorate the outside of the house, wrapping up with snowball fight while Mom and Dad start some hot chocolate. Decorating is fun—enjoy it this year!

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