How to touch every room in the house

Entry/Foyer

Start in the entry, it’s your “wow”! The entry is the first impression in every home. How you decorate that room depends on your entry design. A lot of entries have great staircases so the garland is a must. If you have a foyer table, take everything off of it and put a tree on it or a huge pot of greens and drippy ornaments. You never get a second chance to make a first impression- so GO FOR IT!!

Dining Room

Most parties and gatherings are centered around food, so the dining room is an obvious choice for holiday décor. If you put décor on the table, make sure that the height is over their heads or below the chin. People want to see each other when they are visiting around the table. The sky is the limit on high décor, great ideas for low are:

• Cylinders with cranberries, water and a floating candle (stupidly simple, but very elegant).
• A thin twine or ribbon with ornaments tied and randomly laid on the table.
• Individual small arrangements at each place setting- (I love doing this year round).
• A wood platter or lazy Susan covered in candles.
• A spray of fresh greens with clove covered oranges, pears, pomegranates, etc.

Great Room

Traditionally this is where we all put our tree, but you can step outside your tree comfort zone- there are no tree police! If you have room, stick your tree in the kitchen, which is where everyone is anyway! If you have a fireplace, do a great mantle, and if nothing else adorn a wreath around a lamp (we will be walking you through that in a later blog). I always swap out my sofa pillows at Christmas too.

Additionally, put some presents in this area. Not every present has to go under a tree. Layer them on console tables, fireplace hearths, etc.

Kitchen

If the tree doesn’t fit, try this;

• If your cabinets aren’t to the ceiling put a lit garland there- I love that!
• Hang wreaths in front of your backsplashes
• Fill the countertops with winter pics of your family, like sledding or ice skating.
• Throw a bowl of nuts out, some crackers and a side bowl for shells. Put some greenery and lights or ornaments around it and they’ll never leave.
• Decorate your lighting or chandelier.

Master Bedroom

I have old needlepoint stockings that I had when I was a kid. I can’t part with them, so I do a separate mantle garland on my master bedroom fireplace, and it feels so good to see those up for a short time every year. Other ideas:

Cap off your headboard with a garland. On those nights when you can’t sleep because you are laying there thinking about all the things you have to do, it will be something pretty to look at.

Put a slim tree in the corner and do cute pics of you or you and your partner. This is a fun place to get mushy.

Change out your pillows for the season.

Layer a dresser with a garland and artificial candles (We have the best ones. They look real and we just got a new shipment. Hurry in, they go fast.)

Kid’s rooms

Tune in tomorrow- I am doing a whole blog on this.

Basement

We usually do a guys’ tree down there. That sounds so corny and cliché, but the truth is I don’t want that stuff upstairs so I make him think it’s a special tree! It is usually trimmed with sports stuff, fishing stuff, golf things- get it …guys’ tree. But, don’t let this turn into the leftovers. This can be really casual and fun when done well.

Bathrooms

Put a separate tiny table in a bathroom and load it up with guest items like mints, a candle, holiday hand towels, a centerpiece of fresh greens, or a cute holiday item like a crystal music box. This makes them think you thought of everything. You can finish it off by painting a message on the mirror.

Outside

This is endless. Lights, trees, luminaries, urns with greens, garlands on patios, wreaths, etc. That is nothing new- but these ideas are, read on to get your mind going:

• Giant lit orbs in the middle of the yard.
• Sled or ski’s tied up in ribbon and leaning on a tree or stationary door
• Fill your outdoor pots with greens, but circle the base of the greens with lights.
• Put artificial trees in pots and do a grouping for a guest entrances.
• Put tree branches painted in fun colors- think bright yellow or turquoise or purple and fill the rest of the base with ornaments.

You can touch any spot you see- it only comes once a year- use any place for a celebration.