Christmas Home Decor

The holiday season gives you the opportunity to spread cheer with Christmas home decor. While your Christmas tree will undoubtedly be the star of the show, there are many other areas of your home that could benefit from some Christmas decorating.

Your foyer deserves some attention, as it is the first room your guests see when they arrive at your home. Even the tiniest foyer has room for a pencil-style Christmas tree or a wreath. If your foyer features an open staircase, the railing can be dressed with live or artificial evergreen boughs or a series of wreaths. 3M sells garland wrap tape that allows you to hang garlands or lights to railings without marring the woodwork.

Take down some of your artwork, and replace the pictures with holiday wall hangings, wreaths, plates, and holiday or winter-themed pictures. Festive table runners can be placed on coffee tables, sofa tables and mantles.

Christmas pillows and a holiday-themed afghan can bring a holiday feel to your living room or family room. The season also calls for candles in holiday colors set on end tables and coffee tables. Cinnamon- or pine-scented candles will add to the holiday atmosphere of the room. Ceiling fans and chandeliers can be decorated with swags of lightweight garland, beads and ribbons.

Add a little more holiday glitz to your rooms by embellishing your window coverings with twinkle lights. For windows without curtains or drapes, you may wrap lights in tulle or another transparent fabric and swag the lights and fabric across the window. The swag can be held up by thin wire hung from small nails above the window frame.

Your kitchen and dining room also deserve some attention during the holiday season. Christmas plates may be hung on the wall or set on easels for display. A holiday centerpiece for your dining table can be quickly fashioned from items you already own. For instance, a clear vase may be filled with large Christmas light bulbs or ornaments. A large pillar calendar encircled by a wreath or an evergreen garland makes a classic focal point for your table.

Don't forget about your home's bathrooms. Christmas guest towels and soaps are inexpensive and readily available. A table-top artificial evergreen tree covered with tiny Christmas ornaments brings a seasonal feeling to even this most utilitarian of rooms.

And last, but certainly not least is your Christmas tree. You may prefer a traditional tree with lights, garland and a variety of colorful Christmas ornaments, including those your little sweethearts made in elementary school.

If you're feeling more adventurous, you may want to try a theme tree. Your theme may be Christmas ornaments and lights that are all the same color, a variety of bird and bird nest ornaments, artificial butterflies, natural ornaments such as seashells, acorns, pinecones and dried flowers, or even feathers tucked into the branches. It is simple to convert the objects of your choice into ornaments using wire or cord and a glue gun.

And, with all these great decorating possibilities, why stop at one Christmas tree? Perhaps you'd like a traditional tree in the living room and a theme tree in another room. A tree covered with golf balls and golf tee ornaments may be appropriate for your husband's man cave. A small tree adorned with holiday cookie cutters or child-sized flatware and teacups would be a festive addition to your kitchen or dining area.

A little imagination and some effort will bring a lot of holiday spirit to your home.