Mother Nature is showing the Capital Region the first taste of wintry weather, and Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Now is the perfect time to start thinking about getting the house ready for the holidays. I know I personally love to start decorating early because I like to enjoy the decorations over a longer period of time. Here are some easy tips to make your home look festive, warm and welcoming for family and friends!
One thing I have realized each year when I decorate – is that it doesn’t cost a lot of money to make your house festive. Use what you have and get creative.
For an easy centerpiece, decorate a serving tray with silver ornaments. Tuck in boughs of evergreen for a simple yet elegant centerpiece. Or, look for a glass vase that has been stowed away. Take it out and fill it with colored ornaments. This will brighten up your dining room table, coffee table, or a front hall table. If you have extra glass vases, use those and fill them with ever greens, pine cones, or holly.
Hang Christmas cards, embellished tags, and ornaments from a single evergreen branch tacked to the wall and this will be an easy and cheap decoration and allow you to enjoy looking at the cards. Another option is to use a blank door to hang the cards. I always like to use my pantry door or our door to the garage to hang cards. That way I can always see them as I am getting ready to leave my house.
To keep your house smelling “Christmasy”, bundle a bay leaf, thyme, rosemary and marjoram with twine, and then hang it on the back of dining room chairs. Bouquets can be made several days in advance, then refrigerated. Once they are dry, then you can use them for cooking. You can also use cinnamon sticks and bundle them together and hang them from your Christmas tree.
Do you have some old ice skates hanging around? Ice skates with red pompoms made an easy entry table arrangement, while a balsam jar filled with twigs adds an unexpected accent. A mix of faux and real evergreens brings holiday spirit throughout the area.
Decorate your banister by threading colorful ornaments with different lengths of ribbon. Tie them to a long ribbon and wind them along the banister.