Christmas Decor Ideas

Each year we look forward to Christmas as a joyous time of peace and reflection and nothing seems to trigger the magical feelings of the holiday season quite like holiday decorations because let's face it, Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without the festive adornments.

Holiday decorations create a warm, welcoming environment. Traditionally, decorating for Christmas is done with wreaths, trees, Christmas lights and bows as these capture and stimulate the Christmas Spirit.

Your front door is the first thing that guests see when they arrive at your home and it should always have decoration on it. Whether it be a large red bow tied around it or a wreath, make sure your front door shines light on the Christmas season.

Most people and families of the world consider the Christmas tree as the holiday centerpiece of the living room during the Christmas season. Attractive Christmas decorations go a long way to making the entire living room vibrant and full of the festive Christmas spirit.

Choosing a color scheme will make all of your decorating decisions easier. Select a color scheme based on things you already have, on a favorite holiday decoration, on appropriate colors for your theme, or based on the colors in your home.  Though red, green, gold, and silver are the favourite choices for Christmas colors, almost any hue can create a beautifully decorated home for the holidays.  When choosing color combinations, remember that most colors of equal depth and intensity will harmonize with each other.

Here are some more colors and combinations for Christmas decorations all around your house ~
Red and Green
Red and White
Green and White
All White
Any Color and Gold
Any Color and White
Any Color and Silver
White, Blue, and Silver
Ivory and Brushed Gold
Sage Green, Ivory, and Pewter
Bright Purple, Blue, and Green
Icy Blue, Lilac, and Silver
Autumn Tones of Beige, Brown, Golden Yellow, and Rust
Forest Green, Burgundy, and Gold
Primary Toy Colors Such as Red, Yellow, and Blue

There are lots of other ways to decorate your home ~

*  Make simple bows from Christmas print ribbon and pin them to your curtains

*  Wrap indoor Christmas lights around a railing or banister

*  Add color to a room with vases of red and white flowers or, float the flowers in large crystal or glass bowls

*  String a ribbon from one end of a wall to another and clip Christmas cards to the ribbon

*  Decorate your house with candles, attach them to the inside of clear jars with a few drops of wax

Decorate Everything With Bows. Ribbon can be a unifying element in holiday decorating. Use the same ribbon everywhere, or buy it in contrasting colors (for example, a gold ribbon with red stripes, and a red ribbon with gold stripes) to use in various rooms. Purchase varying widths of the same ribbon so you can use narrower around candlesticks and wider on wreaths and garlands. Tie generous ribbons to candlesticks, picks in plants, wreaths, garlands, basket handles, drapery tie-backs, stair railings, and doorknobs. Bows look festive and the ribbons you choose should tie together with the rest of your decorating.

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat - Add consistency throughout your holiday decor by repeating colors, themes, and decorating elements.

Set the atmosphere with Christmas music playing softly in the background.

When it comes to Christmas lunch, the table, above all else, must absolutely be perfect.  The tablecloth, mats, napkins and table runners should be carefully selected. They add to the appeal of the Christmas table.

To dress up your chairs, tie Christmas bows around the chair so that the bow is on the back of the chair.

A great idea is to use a wreath as the base of a centerpiece for your Christmas table.  Find a large tray or platter, or cut a piece of heavy plastic to place under the wreath. This will make it much easier to move the wreath centerpiece to change the tablecloth or rearrange the place settings.

Alternatively, purchase a large glass plate. Paint the underside of the plate with gold craft paint. Dry. Place the plate on a table and fill with several white or off-white pillar candles of varying sizes.

Another option is to place Christmas balls in a glass bowl and use that as your centerpiece.  Collect lots of one color or use a rainbow of colors for the easiest, simplest Christmas centerpiece ever.

Hurricane lanterns placed in a row down the center of the table can take the place of a traditional centerpiece.

Stemware filled with beads or any small festive objects can be used as well.

Bells can be purchased in packages or they can be purchased already strung on wire. If they are on wire, they can be wrapped around the base of the hurricane lanterns, or you can attach them to ribbon and wrap the ribbon around the lanterns.

Long strands of ribbon and beads can flow around the decorations.

Use two napkins of different colors for each place setting. Place one napkin on top of the other. You can roll them separately or roll them together, but the important thing is to tie them together. Tie them with a beautiful wired ribbon. Because wired ribbon can be shaped, it is easy to make the perfect size napkin holder. With your napkins inside your ribbon napkin holder, artfully arrange them and place them in the center of each plate.

Crackers on the table are great fun but why not go for a more individual treat by surprising each guest with a small personal gift. Pop the present in a box, fill with shredded tissue paper, tie with a ribbon and place at each setting. Your guests will be thrilled!

For some inspiring decor ideas click through onto the following links ~

http://interiordec.about.com/od/christmasdecor/ig/Fast-and-Easy-Christmas-Decor/Candlesticks.htm
http://interiordec.about.com/od/christmasdecor/ig/Fast-and-Easy-Christmas-Decor/Greenery.htm
http://interiordec.about.com/od/christmasdecor/ig/Fast-and-Easy-Christmas-Decor/Glitter.htm
http://interiordec.about.com/od/christmasdecor/ig/Fast-and-Easy-Christmas-Decor/Bowls.htm
http://interiordec.about.com/od/christmasdecor/ig/Fast-and-Easy-Christmas-Decor/Big-Bows-.htm
http://interiordec.about.com/od/christmasdecor/ig/Holiday-Front-Door-Decor-/
http://interiordec.about.com/cs/tabletoparticles3/l/blcmaspr002d.htm
http://interiordec.about.com/cs/tabletopdecor/l/blcmaspr002c.htm
http://interiordec.about.com/cs/tabletoparticles3/l/blcmaspr002.htm

http://interiordec.about.com/cs/holidaydecorating/l/blcmaspr001.htm

The spirit of the Christmas holidays remains much the same for everyone - peace on earth, goodwill toward men, a time for re-connecting with our family and heritage, spiritual reflections, and of course, the enjoyment of feasting and celebrating.

All that's left is for you to gather your nearest and dearest round and get ready to glow with goodwill. Have a wonderful Festive Season