Robin's Reflections on Personal Growth

Decorating your house during Christmas can very well be one of the most enjoyable activities that you do during the holiday season. However, some people become overwhelmed and confused on where to start their decorating. Here is a good list of ideas to use to get you started decorating your home during the Christmas season.

1. Buy a nativity scene set and display it in a prominent location in your living room for everyone to see. You need not buy the traditional ones. You can actually make one yourself or you could even buy a Little People nativity set by Fisher Price, which would be a bigger hit with the kids and would make your home look a bit more like Santa’s workshop.

2. Create a charming display of small to large holiday teddy bears. You could also buy plain teddy bears and add some holiday flair to their outfits yourself. Try placing small candy canes in their hands or wrapping small gifts to place on their laps.

3. Hang one Christmas stocking for every member of your family. This idea is great for the whole family, young and old, since each person can put little presents in the stocking that everyone can open on Christmas morning. You do not have to have store bought stockings either. Regular socks decorated at home by the family make a wonderful alternative.

4. You can spread Christmas cheer to every room of the house, even the bathroom. If you are on a budget, try buying a simple plastic shower curtain with no color and attach ornaments and other decorations on it using a glue gun. You could use ribbons, glitter, lace and other embellishments to decorate it. You could also ask your family to help out, turning it into a family bonding activity.

5. Fill a tall and slim drinking glass with candy canes and then tie a red ribbon around it. This adds an excellent festive touch to a shelf or side table.

6. Place a pile of Christmas books on the side table for your guests. You can use magazines, children’s books or coffee table classics to bring in the holiday spirit.

7. Arrange some outdoor Christmas lights on the plants in your garden. This is a great idea, which both family and neighbors alike can appreciate.

8. Buy some Poinsettia plants to place on your porch or to line the walkway leading to your front door. You can also tie a gold ribbon around each pot to make it even more festive. Use Poinsettia plants indoors as well. Place them in your living room and even in your bedroom to spread holiday cheer all around the house. However, just to be safe, keep them away from children and pets.

9. You can also make a pillar of pretend gifts and place it in the corner of your living room. Wrap various sized boxes with colorful Christmas wrappers and arrange them into a pile. You can glue them together so they do not topple over.

10. Hang mistletoe all around your house. You can either use fresh or artificial mistletoe. This is not only a classic Christmas decoration idea but also makes a great conversation starter when you host parties. Who gets the first kiss?

11. Make garlands of strung popcorn, cereals, beads and cranberries to hang around the house. If you make sure your garlands are bird-safe, you can even hang them outside to supplement the local birds’ fare.

12. Try making a Christmas collage of pictures that you can display on your wall. You could use Christmas pictures from last year or several years ago or pictures of family gatherings. Assemble the pictures on a board and then decorate the border with ribbon, glitter and other ornaments.

These are just some of the unique ideas that you can come up with to decorate your home. Remember that decor and ornaments do not have to cost a fortune to be beautiful. With a bit of creativity and resourcefulness, you can come up with decorations to make your house look festive during the holidays.