I love going to people’s houses during the season and seeing how everyone decorates their house, however, when it comes to decorating mine, it’s not my favorite task. Even worse is taking it down at the end of the season.
Because I still live at home my parents and sister help so it’s not too bad, but this year I wasn’t in the mood and my mother and father are getting older and don’t get into it like they used to. So this is how we decorated our house to be simple and still look homey and Christmassy.

First the Tree.
When decorating the tree I’ve seen people who go all out and decorate it with every color in the rainbow, including tinsel and garland, the works. But to keep it simple try going for a theme. I find when there is a theme or color scheme in mind it tends to work better and you usually don’t use as much stuff. Our tree this year is gold and burgundy, it’s nice, classy and not much to it. Then to top it off we get thick ribbon the nice one with the wire and hang them going down in curls, one gold, one burgundy, one gold etc….. It makes the tree look much fuller and it doesn’t take much to do it.
Wreaths.
Wreaths are great because you can make them or buy them already done and they add a nice Christmas feel without much work- just hang them and admire! We try and add a wreath to every room in the house – one in the kitchen, living room, dining room, family room, and a small one in the entrance. This makes it look really decorated and not much work. You can hang the wreaths in place of a photo that is already hanging so you save on the hassle of nails.
Fireplaces
If you have a fireplace that can be a great area to decorate and make the focal point of the house.So instead of doing too much throughout the house just focus on the fireplace. We usually do garland along the front with lights and bows. Then of course our stockings, a nice wreath over it and some candles and whatever else my mom has fitting the gold and burgundy theme. It looks great and makes the whole room look decorated without too much hassle.
Also candles and knickknacks are great since they can be stored year after year and just give a nice feeling throughout the house. I always like lighting a few candles to give a nice glow.
So all you really need to decorate is:
Tree
Wreath
And a few candles and knick knacks.
If you place little “Christmassy” items through the house you give it a nice feel of Christmas without going over board.
But with anything, ask for some help when decorating, especially with the tree which can be the most work.
Here are some tips for storing Christmas decorations properly and easily for use year after year.
Tree
Most artificial trees come with a box and instructions. Now most artificial trees are labeled with a color or letter to let you know which branch goes first and then works its way up. As in my family we always seem to lose the
instructions, so what I have done is write which goes first and the color and letter on the box itself.
Example:
First set (bottom) J Yellow
Second Set K Red
This way if the sheet of paper gets lost and in our house it will, the box has the directions on it.
Ornaments
Store your breakable ornaments in proper boxes that they now sell for these or use the original packaging, then store them gently in a tightly sealed plastic box.
If you use non-breakable (I find them best) store these in one bin. I like the plastic tight sealed bins and I found great ones at Wal-Mart.
Wreaths.
You can usually store two or three in one bin just place a cloth (white) in between them to keep them looking nice year after year.
Knick Knacks
Anything else can be stored gently in a plastic tight seal bin.
Lights
We all hate un-tangling the lights every year (mom’s job in our house,) but a great way to keep them from getting tangled is to wrap them neatly and tightly, with a strong string or now most hardware stores have great things for
storing lights -check it out.
I use the bins and then label them with tape only to keep little critters from getting into them, especially mice, which can make it unsanitary to handle them after. Having a chronic illness, it’s important to keep as sanitary as possible. These bins are great at keeping it all organized, clean and easily stored.
Keep Clean
Another tip is to wear gloves when putting up the tree, whether artificial or real, this helps keep sensitive skin clean and un-irritated. If you do not wear gloves, wash hands thoroughly right after handling the tree. You never know what’s been on the tree if it’s real, or chances are it can get dusty in the basement. Do not touch your face whatsoever, without first washing hands thoroughly in warm water and soap. This just helps those of us with low
immune systems stay healthy!
Just remember with decorating any house that less is more and just a few nice simple things can bring a nice warm holiday feel.
Happy decorating!
By: stefanie Leale ©2006 butyoudontlooksick.com