I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving with friends, family, good food, and shopping. I am definitely guilty of eating too much green bean casserole and pumpkin pie all weekend! Who’s with me? We also did a lot of shopping and I found some amazing deals on Christmas decor. I have my favorite deals listed at the end of this post.
I typically shop for Christmas decor before the season “officially” starts, after it’s over, and also on Black Friday/Cyber Monday. I’ve noticed that most stores rolled the sales into one big sale this year. I decorate more for Christmas than I do for any other holiday or change of season because it is my favorite holiday. I also love the decorations, they automatically put me in a good mood so I want to see the decorations as much as possible. Here are some tips to help you deck your halls.
1. You can never have too many trees. No, really, you can’t have too many Christmas trees. I would recommend using multiple trees to decorate. Let’s be honest, decorating for Christmas is a lot of hard work and it’s time consuming. Trees give you a lot of bang for your buck. They make a big statement without having to set out a lot of other decorations if you don’t want to. This year, I am using three larger trees in our main living spaces, plus two small trees in the entry, and one on the front porch.
All of these trees were purchased during Black Friday/Cyber Monday over the years on Amazon, at Home Depot, and Michaels Crafts.
I move my lamps off of the buffet in our entry hall and use these gold trees as lamps instead.
This year I opted for a lit tree on our porch for additional flare.
2. Don’t be afraid to use artificial trees. Personally, I find artificial trees are much easier to work with than real trees. Real trees are beautiful and smell amazing, but they can be a hassle to pick out and string lights on. Artificial trees can be purchased pre-lit and are much easier to decorate. If you miss the pine smell, you can use a diffuser or candle to emulate the pine smell given off by a real tree.
3. Purchase items that look good in groups. I find that placing items in groups of three or more makes a bigger visual impact. When I’m shopping, I find decor that works best together or I know will work well with items I already have at home. Here are a few examples of items that make a bigger visual impact together in a group versus separately.
4. Break the rules, decorate rooms other than the living room. A lot of people feel like they can only decorate their living room because that’s typically where their tree is. You don’t have to stick to just one area of your home when decorating for Christmas or any holiday. I love to disperse decorations throughout the house. One room that is often forgotten is the dining room. Get creative with your buffet.
I used garland that match the garland on our mantle, plus added in a few Christmas trees…remember, you can never have too many :).
5. Add to your collection as you go. Keep in mind that not everything has to be perfect. We have lived in our house for a year and a half and each year I spend a certain amount on more Christmas decor. I would love to add garland on our stair rail and candles in the windows next year. Both will be costly, so I am hunting for them after the season. If I don’t find what I’m looking for I’ll purchase pre-season instead.
6. Look for decor year round. This is something I sometimes struggle with. It’s hard to put yourself in the mindset of the holiday once it is over, but if you can, you can save a lot of money. This summer at an estate sale I found some great Christmas decor that I knew would go well with my current decor.
I purchased these three nutcrackers and the reindeer for just $12.
I hope you enjoy decorating your home and preparing for the holiday season. Coming soon, a post about entertaining during the holidays. I’ll be sharing my holiday table settings, the remainder of my dining room decor, and some recipes as Christmas draws closer.
Here are my favorite Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals from this weekend.
Blanket- $27 at Nordstrom
Small trees- $4.99 each at Tuesday Morning
Large tree- $8 at Tuesday Morning
Santa Salad Plates Set of 4- $35 at Pottery Barn