It’s hard to believe, but another year has passed and the Christmas season is upon us. Here are some decorating tips and tricks from the ladies of Chatham Home.

Overall Tips

The important thing to remember is… have fun! There is no wrong way to decorate for the holidays and yes it is impossible to go overboard. Unless you physically can’t move in your home, then you might have gone too far. The easy way to decorate is to pick a color or a theme. Are you traditional and like reds and greens or do you prefer a more wintery look with shades of blue and white. Even non-traditional schemes can be festive, perhaps teal, navy and emerald green? The important thing is once you settle on a color at least stick with it for one area of your home. You can change room by room but for the well-polished look, keep the same color theme within the same room. The second easy way to decorate is to choose a theme. Maybe you’re really into Santas? Or Snowmen? Or reindeer? You don’t have to wait until the perfect Santa, Snowman or Reindeer comes along you can start a collection and add to it every year. Group various heights of your preferred item on a mantel or buffet. The larger your collection the more impressive the display. If you use the theme method you don’t have to stick with the same coloring, you can mix it up!

The Mantel

Let’s start with a main focal point of the Christmas season… the mantel. Whether you’re dealing with a functioning fireplace or a faux one, the mantel is a great place to begin your holiday decorating. As the story goes, “The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.” An almost child-like wonder revolves around the fireplace at Christmastime. Here at Chatham Home, we like to use a variety of brightly colored evergreen trees to create a cheery winter scene on our faux mantle at the front of the store. This can work for anyone but our minimalist/modern folks out there especially like this approach. You can also pick out just the green trees if you want this look to work in a more traditional decorated room.

A Holiday Tablescape

Sometimes the holidays are all about the food. Gathering the family around the table for a holiday dinner is one of our favorite parts of the Christmas season. Putting together a decorative tablescape can really add to the whole experience, and can be fun as well! Try a table runner with a bit of sparkle, in either a neutral or bold color. Top it decorative items that compliment or contrast the color of the runner. Candles are must, either real or faux, they will add an intimate glow that can’t be achieved with electric lighting. Make sure you vary the height of whatever items you choose to add variety and interest to the table.

One of our favorite things to do is sit a Christmas cracker at each seat. These “crack” open when you pull both ends and can be a fun way to end a meal. We have quite a few different kinds, ranging from simple ones that hold a paper crown and a small toy, to musical ones that the whole family can play a part in!

The Christmas Tree

Of course, the Christmas tree is oftentimes the most important part of decorating. We are fans of both real trees and faux trees, as long as they are filled with lights and ornaments! The color or theme tip can really come in handy here or you can really go all out and just buy whatever ornaments appeal to you. Come check out our ornament table at Chatham Home, and pick a new favorite to add to your collection or to give as a gift.

And if you’re waiting awhile before putting gifts under the tree (or you’re a last minute shopper like we tend to be), you can fill the space under your tree with light-up presents! We love the way these fill that void until the real presents show up. Plus they look good mixed in with your wrapped ones.

Little Touches

Once the larger surfaces are decorated we like to add a little bit of holiday all over the house. This can be the most fun and least stressful part of holiday decorating. Scented candles are great to place throughout your home, but especially look nice in a guest bathroom which often gets overlooked while decorating. A trio of something can fill out a small table or coffee table and don’t forget a candy bowl with holiday themed chocolates!

Start counting down the days (with or without a countdown calendar), because the holidays are almost here!