Playing Dress Up – How to Decorate Your Home for the Holidays

There are so many options out there nowadays when it comes to how to decorate your home for the holidays and let’s face it, sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming.  What with our already hectic schedules wrapped around the now ever present holiday parties and events, as well as family fun times and obligations, sometimes the decorating part gets left behind or is quickly slapped into place without much thought.

But decorating for the holidays can be not only fun, it can be a ritual.  It’s a time to reflect on everything that the following year has brought into your life, past holiday celebrations, and what you wish for your holiday season this year.  Taking the time to decorate can inspire you, your family, and your seasonal guests with each well-placed piece of décor. 

You first need to think about the spaces in your home that need to be dressed up a bit and sprinkled with a touch of holiday magic.  These spaces are the rooms that most of your guests will frequent when visiting during the months ahead.  The front entranceway, the family room, living room, kitchen, and powder room should all be considered as blank canvases for your holiday style.

There’s nothing better than bringing fresh elements into the home throughout the holidays.  Arrangements that employ a mix of holiday greens bring that undeniably awesome fragrance of pine and cedar into each room.  Fresh flowers bring life to each corner they are placed and when paired with that perfect vase or have well thought accents added to the arrangement, can offer a sparkle and shine to your overall decorating aesthetic.

Centerpieces are a quick and beautiful way to bring the holiday season into your home.  Though the first place we think of placing a centerpiece is the dining room table, there are many other ways to utilize this traditional floral arrangement.

It might not be an obvious choice, but placing a centerpiece on a bedroom dresser or across the length of an upright piano, brings Christmas cheer to places that might usually be ignored when decorating for the season.  You might also want to place it on the mantle piece, a bar area, or the buffet table, as these places are often used when bringing guests into your home.

Wreaths can bring a fresh pop of color and freshness to those blank spaces on your wall, over the mantle, or on your front door.  There are wreaths available to fit anyone’s personal style, ranging from the traditional look to a festive whimsical style, be assured that there is a wreath that will seamlessly fit with the look you want for your home during the holidays. Pairing a wreath with fresh garland gives the overall décor a grand styling as you line the mantle with it, accent the staircase, or trim the top or outline of an entranceway.

Tabletop trees are an exceptional way to dress up a table, a powder room, a banquet space, or that room that sometimes gets ignored when you go to decorate for the holidays.  With their short, compact stature they are the perfect fit for smaller spaces and easy to dress up in any way to express your overall holiday style.

It might be a fun and festive idea to bring different arrangements into each room of the house, matching the energy of that room with the color and style of the individual arrangements.  You might also want to create a theme throughout the home, purchasing multiple quantities of the same arrangement to tie each room together.  The possibilities are endless!

Once you’ve chosen your fresh holiday arrangements for the home there are plenty of ways to accessorize and elevate the look of each piece to express your creativity and personal style.  Here are just a couple of ideas from the design team at FTD.com:

• Bring in elements from the outdoors, such as berries, pinecones, twigs, and foliage and add them to, or place them around the arrangement to give it a rustic, casual feel.

• Go to the local craft store and purchase berries or glittered elements to give the centerpiece that extra holiday sparkle or added bit of color and cheer.

• Keep your eye open for placemats and table runners that will add to the overall ambiance of the table setting, matching the feel and style of the centerpiece your have chosen.  There are a wide variety of materials in the marketplace, some showcasing an elegant, regal holiday sheen or sparkle, whereas others have the rustic appeal that might capture exactly what you are looking to bring to your holiday table.

• Candles always bring that perfect glow to any space during the holidays.  Whether or not your arrangement has a candle, you might want to bring that element into the overall design.  You can place pillar or votive candles on opposite sides of the centerpiece, bouquet, or wreath to give it that extra warmth and light.

• Mirrors are a great way to add that extra touch to your arrangement.  When placed underneath the arrangement, the mirror automatically reflects the light throughout the room and brings an additional beauty to your table or space.

• Ribbon is an excellent way to add color to the table or other surface where the arrangement may be placed.  Either adding it into the arrangement or placing strings of ribbon around it can bring texture, sparkle, or brilliant color to the piece, making it pop with a casual holiday elegance you will love.

Be bold in your choices and have fun this holiday season.  Remember decorating for the holidays doesn’t have to be a chore, but a great way to get in the mood for the festive season ahead.  We hope you take the time to stop by FTD.com to make your selections from all of the fresh bouquets, arrangements, wreaths, tabletop trees, and centerpieces we have designed just for you to make this Christmas season both merry and bright.  Finally, if you are looking for new stockings, Personal Creations has a great selection of Christmas stockings that the whole family can enjoy.