Decorating Your Home for the Holidays

Tis’ the season to be jolly! If you’re like us, then you love getting ready for the holiday season. We can’t believe we’re less than a month away from Hanukkah and Christmas. Which means it’s time to start decorating our home. We’re planning on starting this weekend, which means we say bye to our fall decor and hello to holiday cheer. Below, we’re providing some tips to get your home ready.

Have you started decorating yet? Let us know in the comments.

1. Pick Out a Tree

We’re team real trees! One of our favorite traditions is going to pick out a tree and brining it home. It makes the house smell amazing and looks great when we add the strings of multi-colored lights. Going to find the perfect tree is a fun family tradition.

2. Replace Blankets, Pillows and Towels

Put away the normal blankets, throw pillows and towels. It’s time to take out the seasonal decor. We have a cute Christmas blanket with puppies on it and we just bought some kitchen towels that depict Christmas in Paris. Bringing out the seasonal decor makes the house look cozy and full of Christmas excitement.

3. Hang Up Lights

Whether its indoors or outdoors, the holiday season feels festive with more lights. We like stringing lights around the bushes and then putting up reindeer and snowmen. Of course, we put lights on the tree inside. If you want even more lights, you can hang them over archways in the house or on the mantle.

4. Use Garland

We love hanging shiny garland all around the house. We have realistic green and colorful red, gold and silver. It’s a cheap and easy way to give the house some shine and excitement.

5. Place Scented Candles Around the House

We don’t want our house to just look good, we also want it to smell like the holiday season. Our favorites are pine and spiced apple. We love to light the candles, turn the lights off and watch Christmas movies. Bonus points if you have holiday-themed snacks and drinks.

6. Bring Out the Menorah

Ben celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah, which means taking out the menorah and lighting the candles each of the eight nights of the holiday. A beautiful menorah in a lively color brightens up the house, especially when you’re having guests over to celebrate. We’ve seen amazing ones come in gold, silver and blue.

7. Find the Perfect Tablecloth

The dining room or kitchen table looks even better with a seasonal tablecloth. We’re searching for one that can last through the winter season as well, so we’d like to get one this year that is white and silver and covered in snowflakes. Get something that matches the vibe of your house and decorating style.

8. Set Up a Northern Lights Projector

If you don’t live way up north and don’t have the time to travel, get a northern lights projector. Not only do they make a great gift, but they’re also inexpensive and creative. If you turn the lights off and turn on the projector, beautiful multi-colored lights display on the ceiling.

9. Get Out the Ornaments

Ornaments make your tree unique. Whether you prefer classic ornaments or ones that reflect your personally, the house isn’t complete until the tree is decorated. Some of our favorite ones come from our travels. We also have some from our favorite sports teams!

10. Start Baking

It’s the holiday baking season, which means cookies galore and gingerbread houses. Not only do the cookies look good, they also taste amazing. Our absolute favorite cookie is the peanut butter blossom. Make your favorite treat this season and don’t forget to decorate.

11. Hang Stockings

Hanging our stockings over the mantle makes us so excited. We love opening our stockings Christmas morning to see what candy Santa brought. We even have special stocking holders in gold and silver that match each person’s personality.

12. Use an Advent Calendar

We hang up a cloth calendar every year to count down the days to Christmas. But advent calendars have become fancy through the years and include treats, nail polish and other small gifts. Whatever you use, count down the days until Christmas is here.

13. Put a Wreath on the Front Door

Getting a pine wreath and hanging it on the door is a nice way to decorate outside. Some places, like animal rescues, sell wreaths. So not only can you hang something pretty, you can also donate to a good cause.

14. Bring Out the Hot Chocolate (with Cute Mugs!)

We both have a special mug for hot chocolate. Christy’s has reindeer and Ben’s is shaped like a snowman. Hot chocolate is one of the best holiday drinks and can be customized for any taste. There’s salted caramel, peppermint or Bailey’s Irish Cream.

15. Place Mistletoe Over an Archway

Looking for a Christmas kiss from a special someone? No pressure or anything. Mistletoe looks nice and can be sweet for a consensual holiday romance moment.

16. Make Paper Snowflakes

If you have kids, this is a fun winter activity that gives them a chance to be creative. Every one looks different and you can even find special sparkly paper. It’s perfect for those who don’t get snow.

17. Find a Seasonal Center Piece

Whether it’s real pine or just something holiday related, get something that matches your home vibe. Any excuse for the home to smell like pine works for us!

18. Play Holiday Movies in the Background

We’re already drafting our blog post with our favorite Christmas movies. Starting the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas Day, we watch as many seasonal movies as possible. We love to have them on in the background too, when cooking, baking or decorating.