Twist on a Traditional Wreath
Instead of the traditional evergreen, try a homemade wreath of citrus fruits. Start with a circular piece of florist’s foam, and then use wooden florist’s picks to secure large items, such as oranges, first. Continue with smaller fruit―kumquats, clementines, and limes. Tie with a thick velvet ribbon.
Sparkly Ornament Display
Place vintage ornaments on a cake stand nested with leaves for a stunningly simple centerpiece.
Personalized Place Settings
Serving holiday dinner buffet style? Wrap each dish in a sheet of parchment paper and tie with a length of ribbon before stacking it. Guests will be rewarded with a pretty presentation (not to mention a little gift-opening practice).
Invite Greenery Inside
Lush greenery draped around the house, especially doorways, creates an inviting atmosphere and a woodsy aroma.
An Understated Mantel
For an elegant look, trim the mantel with a row of white votives and dramatic white amaryllises. Amaryllis bulbs can be repotted and forced to bloom again next winter.
Monochromatic Color Palette
Decorate a small, artificial white tree with objects that share a color scheme―say, candy canes, peppermints, and red bows―and place it on a side table or a coffee table.
Stylishly Suspend Ornaments
A grouping of old-fashioned ornaments hung from the ceiling makes a whimsical “chandelier.”
Front Door Flair
Let visitors jingle all the way into your home: Tie big silver bells to the front doorknob with festive ribbon.
Frosting on the Door
With a bit of spray paint, you can transform a wreath into something befitting a winter wonderland.
Embellish a Wreath
An even simpler way to make a pinecone wreath your own: Decorate it with colorful ornaments
Festive Flair for Stemware
Use leftover ribbon to tie around the stems of your Champagne flutes or wineglasses for an extra bit of festivity. Bonus: Choosing a different color for every glass will help guests keep track of their drinks.
Mix and Match Centerpiece
A five-second centerpiece: Mix clementines or oranges and peppermint balls in a single glass compote (or a grouping of three).
Wintery Mix
A window ledge allows for plenty of decorating opportunities. Pine boughs look charming in a large vase, while white starfish can create a feeling of snowy weather even if flakes aren’t falling from the sky.
Everything is Illuminated
Light up a room with twinkling topiaries (they look especially magical flanking a fireplace). Buy them ready-made, or insert five-foot-tall bamboo plant stakes around the perimeter of a potted evergreen, tie them at the top with florist wire, then twine white lights all around.
Showcase a Vintage Collection
Make a “curtain” of vintage ornaments: Cut a length of ribbon one foot longer than the length of the window; tie to a tension rod fitted in the frame. String on ornaments, knotting them in place about 5 inches apart. Repeat across the window, staggering the ornaments.
Creative Place Settings
Personalize your ornaments: Fill clear glass orbs (find them at craft stores) with glittery garland, pine needles, or special trinkets.
Update Outdoor Decor
An idea for a newel post (or your front door): Take several lengths of heavy-gauge wire, knot one end of each, and string through a clementine and a jingle bell (your hands may get a bit sticky). Twist all the wires into a cluster and secure with a large bow.
Wreath Filled with Wishes
Hang an unadorned twig wreath in a spot where guests can’t miss it. Set out red Magic Markers and small plain cards on a table next to it. Post a little sign asking visitors to scribble a greeting or a wish for the upcoming New Year, along with their names, and have them slip the notes into the wreath.
An Arrangement of Silver Bells
Add a little sparkling style to your dining room table by filling a snifter to the brim with an array of shiny silver bells.
Casting the Perfect Glow
To create soft, flickering light for a mantel or a table in a dark corner, group inexpensive frosted-glass vases of different sizes, add tealights, and enjoy the glow.
Colorful Banister Display
Show off eye-catching ornaments by threading them with different lengths of thin ribbon or string, then tying to a long, wide grosgrain ribbon wound along a banister.
Light the Way
Create a heavenly stairway by stringing a banister with fairy lights entwined with a length of feather trim. Either twirl the swag around the banister or attach it every few inches or so with ribbon or clear fishing line.
Decorative Photo Collage
Up on the mantel, collect your family’s holiday picture cards from previous years and clothespin them to a long, slim stick suspended between two vases. Put them in chronological order and, if you want, date the pins.
Light it Right
When coiled in bottomless hurricane lamps, strands of holiday lights make a glowing addition to a mantel or a sideboard. Run both the socket and plug ends of each strand out from underneath its cylinder, connect the cords to one another, and insert the last plug into a wall outlet.
Electrifying Wall Decor
For an electrifying wreath, wrap a wire wreath frame with a string of lights, making sure to leave enough slack to reach the plug; otherwise, use an extension cord.
Faux Fabulous
Plastic greenery tends to look, well, plastic. But place boughs of holly, evergreens, or mistletoe in clear glass jars or vases and they make for a glossy yet understated table decoration. Group various sizes and shapes together for a stronger statement.
Fresh Tree Trimmings
When it comes to the main event―the big tree―berries, fresh and dried fruits, and flowers offer up a completely organic way to decorate it without the fuss of hanging lights or delicate glass ornaments.
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