Santa Claus is coming to town, but is your home ready for a visit from jolly old St. Nick?

It’s difficult to get into the holiday spirit when your home is drearier than cheery, but accenting ordinary spaces with festive accents can really brighten things up.

Read on to learn how you can turn up the holiday cheer with a few simple do-it-yourself additions.


Put a Bow on It

Bows aren’t just for wrapping presents. They’re also an easy way to decorate your home for the holidays.

Add a bow to the wreath on your front door and use smaller ones to jazz up lamp posts, candlesticks, vases and other accessories.

Consider using burlap ribbon mixed with red and green buffalo check for a trendy farmhouse chic bow, or use shiny curling ribbon for an extra festive look.

Wrap garland and a ribbon around a lamp post for instant Christmas curb appeal.

Mix up your ribbon colors and widths to add visual interest!


Deck the Windows

There are more ways to decorate your windows for the holidays than just a can of fake snow. (Although spraying some on your windows for a frozen look adds to the winter feel!)

If you have white blinds, weave a red ribbon in between each slat to create fun candy cane stripes. If you prefer your windows bare, use a curtain rod to hang glass or plastic ornaments from ribbons.

You can also hang strands of Christmas lights around your windows to make your home look cheerful both inside and out.

Outside, border your windows with Christmas lights. Inside, spray fake snow on window panes for a frozen look.

Adorn Your Chairs

Your dining room will be the star of your holiday parties, so why not make it look merry?

With just some fabric and a hot glue gun, you can make adorable dining chair covers. Use red fabric, white faux fur and a white pompom to create Santa’s hat chair covers, or make a more formal cover with red or green satin and a silver bow.

If you don’t want to make anything, you can always choose the tried-and-true route: holiday cushions for your living room chairs!

The easiest way to enhance your holiday decor? Throw pillows!

Light It Up

You already know candles make festive decorations, but don’t neglect your home’s other light sources.

For instance, hang ornaments from chandeliers or tall floor lamps and replace your ceiling fan pulls with miniature ornaments.

Or give an ordinary pair of sconces some holiday appeal by draping them with garland, red and green streamers or a ‘Merry Christmas’ sign that hangs from one fixture to the next.

Your light fixtures’ arms are also decorating opportunities.

Stay safe, and don’t decorate the fixture anywhere near the light bulb; you want a white Christmas, not a house fire!

You don’t have to spend a fortune to dress your home for the holidays. All of these ideas are easy and inexpensive to make happen, and this article will probably more ideas.

Make a trip to your local dollar or craft store and let your imagination run wild — and share your favorite Christmas décor tips in the comments!

Lizzie Weakley is a freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio.

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