Christmas Decorating Ideas   by Vincent Staton

in Shopping    (submitted 2010-11-29)

For almost everyone, Christmas decorating ideas are usually limited to decorating the tree and the living room and making the dining-room table look lovely. But, what if you are throwing a Christmas party or have invited friends or family to stay for Christmas? Then, expanding your decorations to incorporate the rest of your home is definitely worth the extra effort.

The hall is where we welcome guests, and the place where people have a tendency to gather together during big parties, which makes it the apparent area for additional decorative displays. You don`t have to put together anything specially lush or elaborate - just several simple touches to make the right mood. Arrange fat church candles of varying heights in a large shallow dish on foyer table and surround the candles with plants and berries to make a warm and welcoming impression. A nice touch is to hang a huge bunch of mistletoe near the front door and decorate pictures and mirrors with swags of foliage.

Small plates of wrapped candies, fruits, and seasonal nuts not only look stunning but are useful to have on hand for spur-of-the-moment gatherings. Likewise, pots of strongly perfumed winter flower bulbs, for instance hyacinths and cyclamen, added to landings, windowsills, and also in the bathroom, will give your private home an air of being all dressed up for visitors.

The kitchen can often be overlooked in relation to Christmas decorating ideas, and yet, when there is a party in your home, this room appears to be attracting your guests like a magnet. However, kitchen decorations must be kept to a minimum as a result of its more functional role. You can simply hang colored baubles over the hooks on a dresser, which will look pretty and add to the sense of the event.

But if your kitchen is a part of the open-plan space, then you definately can expand your living-room decorations into the kitchen area by stringing several twinkling lights across the shelves or put a huge bud vase of sculptural twigs hung with glossy red berries.

A different way to spruce up the spare room is to apply decorations just like those on the Christmas tree to produce a small garland for the mantelpiece, to tie to the handle of the closet, or hang above the mirror.

Spruce up dressing table and bedside tables, put aromatically scented candles surrounded by circlets of evergreen foliage on them. Handmade organza Christmas stockings filled up with spicy potpourri will be an incredible alternative to mauve pillows and little dishes of traditional potpourri.

About the Author

Among Christmas decorating ideasfor your bedroom, adorning the mantelpiece, in case you have one, would be the apparent choice. All that you need is a few fragranced candles that you'll mix with selected Christmas decorationsto remind you first thing in the morning that Christmas is on its way.