Simple Holiday Decorating: My Top Tips
The Tubs
Few things make a lady’s heart happier than when it is finally time for “the tubs.”
Do you have “tubs”? Or maybe you call them “bins”? I bet you do.
I have a few plastic storage bins labeled “Fall Decor” (and more than a few for Christmas decorations). Every year when the day comes to pull out the tubs, my heart does a little happy dance inside my chest.
I’m always oddly surprised when I pop off the plastic lid and peer at the contents inside.
A year has passed since I last considered the contents, and today it feels like I’m unwrapping a gift.
“Oh! I totally forgot about that!” I think as I pull my holiday decorations from their dormant state.
Although I’ve been decluttering and minimizing many areas of my life over the past few years, holiday decor is one area that I haven’t spent much time on.
Partly because it spends most of the year in hiding, but also because I know in my heart I know I will never be a minimalist when it comes to holiday decorating. I love it too much.
That being said, I HAVE been making an effort to be more intentional with my purchasing in terms of bringing new decor into our home.
My goals for holiday decorating include:
- Choosing fewer knick knacks and trinkets and opting to invest in more quality pieces that will last for years to come.
- Creating a decorating process that is quick and impactful, not a long, drawn-out event (because I don’t have time for that anymore).
- Making my home feel decorated but NOT cluttered; it’s a fine line!
After spending some time reflecting on how to accomplish this, I have come up with a plan that makes these goals easier to achieve.
Today, I want to share those guidelines with you.
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3 Easy strategies for Stress-Free holiday decorating
HOliday Decorating Tip 1 | Add accent colors
This is fairly straightforward if your home is already decorated in the neutral tones that seem to be dominating home decor. But even if you live with more color, it is easily accomplished!
My house is mostly whites and tans with black. That is my base.
I choose an ACCENT color for each season that I layer on top of that palette to give it a fresh feel.
Currently, the seasonal colors I rotate include:
Spring/Summer: Brighter Whites, Blues
Fall: Sage Green, Creamy Whites, Rust
Holiday: Sage Green, Creamy Whites, Bright Red (I just swap out the rust from Fall…otherwise, I keep things the same). You can see the red accents I added to our neutrals in the bar cart photo above.
There are many gorgeous seasonal palette ideas out there. Use current home decor magazines or Pinterest for inspiration.
Holiday Decorating Tip 2 | Pick Focus Areas
Covering every available surface is a quick way to make your home feel cluttered.
If you’re a holiday decorating maximalist and that feels good to you… do what makes you happy!
But, if you’re like me and want to keep things feeling clean and simple, try to focus on a few key areas.
Our house is a pretty open floor plan, so I focus on
- The Living Room/Kitchen Area
- Porch/Patio
- Master Bedroom.
That’s pretty much it.
(I also let the kids add a few festive items to their rooms if they want.)
If you are looking for more guidance, there are a few small projects you can focus on that pack a big punch.
- Holiday Bar Cart – This can be a traditional cocktail set-up, but it can be so much more! Check out my tutorial for this fun holiday decorating project.
- Christmas Coffee Bar/Cocoa Station – My kids start asking me to bring this out the day after Halloween and friends have reported that their kids can’t stop talking about this one. It seems simple, but it’s a big memory maker. Which is the point of it all, right? Here’s the how-to.
- Mantle – If you are lucky enough to have a mantle, this is one of the key surfaces to decorate. You can go minimal or really do it up big… totally up to you!
- Entry Table – Set the tone for guests as they enter your home by adding some thoughtful, festive touches to your entry table.
- Shelves– This can include shelves on built-ins, open shelves in the kitchen, or even the shelves of a bookcase or china hutch (as shown in the image above). Simply tucking a holiday accent or two into your existing decor is usually all it takes to give the surface a fun holiday update.
Holiday Decorating Tip 3| Choose low clutter solutions
The more you own, the more you have to store. That’s why I am working hard to choose decor that is as compact as possible to reduce the decorating related clutter.
Choose a Theme
One way I have done this is to collect seasonal items in a theme. I select objects that are different variations on that theme.
On the shelf pictured below, I added a single Christmas tree carving, and you can see that same motif repeated on my pillows, in my artwork, and in my collection of trees that dot the house in the Winter.
When the eye recognizes a theme, it perceives each individual element as part of the greater collection. The result? You can make a bigger impact with less stuff.
Limit Purchases
Another way to manage clutter is by limiting what you buy.
Try to limit yourself by resisting the temptation to purchase new decor items until AFTER you have already decorated the house with the items you have.
This cuts down on impulse buying because taking everything out reminds us how much we already have! If you do have a bare spot that you want to fill, shopping will be much easier because you’ll know exactly what you need.
Easy, Minimal Holiday Decorating
Ready to get started? Whether you are new to decorating your home for the holidays or you want to try a different, more minimal approach… here are my basic suggestions for where to start.
If you do nothing besides these three things, your house will still feel festive and fun for the holidays.
Basic Holiday Decorating In 3 Steps:
1. | Swap out pillow covers + blankets
This will have the most impact on the sofa and chairs in your living room, but you might also consider including placing pillows on patio furniture, benches or window seats, and bedroom furniture.
TIP: To keep clutter to a minimum, consider using zippered pillow COVERS on high quality down inserts. Covers are easier to store and swap out.
2. | Add a seasonal touch to one area per room.
In the Fall I add pumpkins to my usual table centerpiece, the bookcase in the hallway, and on the front porch entry.
During Christmas time I go even further by adding a few decorative elements to my home office, the basement, the primary bedroom and the kids’ rooms.
It doesn’t have to be a lot- a simple nod to the season is all it takes to make things feel festive. Some good areas to accent include:
- Coffee Table
- Kitchen Counter or Island
- Entry Table
- Bookshelves + Built- Ins
- Buffet, Media or Console Tables
- Bar Carts
3. | Swap out front door wreath or welcome mat
This is probably one of the easiest ways to set a welcoming tone when people arrive at your home. And it only takes a few minutes!
I attach the wreath to my door using command products like this one.
A few weeks ago I asked my friends on Instagram what they wanted help with this holiday season, and several people replied “Holiday Decorating.”
My #1 advice (if you haven’t figured it out by now) is to keep it simple!
Less to set out + less to maintain + less to store at season’s end = more time to enjoy the holiday at hand.
If you try any of these ideas in your own home, I’d love to hear about it! You can tag me on IG (@suzettegebhardt_creative) or send me a photo. I hope you’re having fun with this… because that’s the whole point! Thanks for stopping by.
xoxo,
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