Phase 1: The Prep

Taking sometime to think through your Christmas decorating before just diving in will allow you to make sure you not only don’t forget something, but that it’s cohesive with your existing decor and your vibes.

Here are the steps I go through to prep…

Choose a Christmas Color scheme

I wrote a whole post dedicated to helping you choose a Christmas color scheme, but this is one of those steps I would for sure take a few moments to consider.

Knowing your Christmas color scheme will make all the rest of the decisions you make that much easier because if it doesn’t fit your scheme, then you know to pass on it this year.

List the Areas you Want to Decorate

You may already know which areas you like to decorate, but it never hurts to write it down.

Especially if you are just starting out or are decorating for the first time in a new home.

This list also helps me decide what I still need to purchase and where it will need to go.

You can use my list of room hierarchy to help prioritize your rooms and stay focused.

• Main Rooms
  • Living Room
  • Front Entry
  • Dining Room (if hosting)
• Secondary Rooms
  • Kitchen
  • Bathrooms
  • Bedrooms
• Other Important Areas
  • Front Yard
  • Front Porch
  • Basement (if you plan to spend time down there)

Review the Stash

If you’ve decorated your home before, chances are you have a plethora of Christmas decor waiting to show its joyousness.

I like to take a look at my stash and make sure I still like the quality of the items I put up last year and sort through what doesn’t fit my color scheme or vibe this year.

My secret to all the random Christmas decor you have at the end of your decorating that you don’t end up putting out is to put it all in a dark trash bag in your storage area.

Then next year after you decorate, if you can’t remember what’s in it or didn’t use it again, donate it.

This step helps with the prep for next year’s decorating, too!

Make a Master Decorating Plan

Next week I’m going to share with you part two of the Christmas home decorating tips and share with you how I plan out my Christmas home decor.

I have a system I go through each year to make sure I purchase with focus and don’t just create more work and clutter for myself.

Stay tuned for more on that next week, but in the meantime you can snag my 6-week Countdown to Christmas checklist to get ahead start!

Phase 2: Getting Started

Once you’ve made a solid plan, it’s time to get to work!

Here are the steps I take to get all the Christmas decorations ready for their shining moment…

Put Away Fall Decorations

First things first, I like to gather all my Fall-specific home decor.

Things like pumpkins, Fall leaves, and anything else that isn’t a cross-over item.

I have a ton of seasonal cross-over items that are basically items I can keep up as I transition season to season.

For instance, the green and blue books you see on the back table and the green and blue blanket on the chair stay from Fall into Winter as a cross-over item.

Set Up and Decorate the Tree(s)

How many Christmas trees do you have?

We use to have one main tree in our front room that we decorate as a family each year – no theme, just pure old-school ornaments and lights.

As the years have gone by, I have added in theme trees to our repertoire.

Now?

We have seven different trees lol.

We have the tree I just mentioned in our front room, two trees in our main living room, one in our bedroom, one in the bonus room, one in our basement, and this year I added one to the guest bedroom.

Each has it’s own unique color and theme that fit my overall Christmas color scheme.

I love having multi trees because it lets us transition room to room and still feel all the Christmas vibes.

In the next couple weeks, I’ll be sharing my Christmas tree decorating tips, too!

Create Holiday vignettes

Holiday vignettes are the bread and butter of the whole Christmas home decorating bonanza.

I like to make a list of these as well when I go through the list of areas I want to decorate in the prep section above.

Areas like…

• End tables
• Coffee tables
• Console tables
• Fireplace mantel
• Entryway table
• Kitchen counter corners

are a few of the vignettes I focus on each year.

My suggestion is to make a list of these areas and then once you get all your Christmas decor out, write a list of what you need to complete each vignette.

Complete DIY Projects

Once you get all your decor out, you’ll find there are areas that need a little more.

At this point, you’ll be able to decide if you’d rather make something DIY-style, like me snowy white DIY Christmas wood sign, or go on the hunt to shop for it.

I don’t always do DIYs around Christmas, but I have done a few over the years, including a DIY Christmas Eve box.

Decorate the Exterior Front Entry

Phase 3: The Details

Once you get all your Christmas decor out, it’s time to assess the scene.

Before calling it done, there are few things left to make sure your Christmas decorations are in tip-top shape.

Here’s what I like to do to assess what lasting details I need…

• Decide what needs final touches for your vignettes
• Create your tablescapes by updating the table linens
• Purchase any remaining decorations you need, such as lights that have gone out or items for your vignettes
• Consider purchasing fresh wreaths and/or garland (do this within 2 weeks of Christmas for maximum freshness)
• Decide on your gift wrapping theme and purchase your gift wrap
• Setup a hot cocoa bar
• And, always take an after photo once it’s the way you like it and save it to a folder on your phone so you don’t forget what you did when you go to decorate next year.

That’s it for part one of my How to Decorate your Home for Christmas series!

Next week, I’ll be sharing part two where I take you through how I go about creating a master plan for my Christmas decorating adventure.

Until next time, happy prepping!