Tag Archive for: easy holiday decorating

October is the time to start your Holiday Organizing

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holiday organizing

 

Santas have been in Hobby Lobby since July. Orange and black fall decoration organizing bins just arrived at retailers.  Should we celebrate Halloween first before jumping into the holiday spirit?  As surprising as it seems, the best time to start your holiday organizing is now.  There are some basic elements to the holidays that make it easy to organize now and enjoy the season.

 

Organizing Your holiday lists

Year after year we follow many of the same holiday traditions.  Why not start your lists now?  Some easy to start lists are gift giving and holiday card lists.  These lists are typically the same each year, however starting early gives you the opportunity to review, add and delete from these lists. An early start affords you time to break these lists into smaller chunks.  Gift giving can be more manageable and even tweaked to become a gift of experiences.  Holiday card lists include dates for picture taking, stamp purchases, addressing cards and then mailing.   Getting an early start is one way to be sure you are ready when the holiday rush starts.

 

Organizing your holiday experiences

The holidays are jammed with get- togethers.  Focus on what’s most important to your family by talking about your holiday experiences. Reflect back and focus forward on what will be the highlights of this year’s holiday season.  Get online early to purchase tickets for events, purchase airline tickets, and set calendar dates for what’s most important to your family. Simplifying your holiday experiences will make every experience more meaningful.

 

Organizing your holiday decorations

Decorating for the holiday season can be overwhelming. It can be downright Grinch – like when families clash over Christmas trees and outdoor light displays. Start early with your holiday decorating. Take it room by room, inside and outside, or create family teams to tackle different spaces in your home.  Take out your decorations early to see what you are ready to part with and ready to display.  Giving yourself the gift of time to decorate can be one of the most fun parts of the season.

 

You may still feel a little bewildered at this early start to holiday organizing. But year after year my clients reflect back that they wished they had started earlier on their holiday organizing.  You can start organizing with your Pandora Christmas music playing in the background and your wassail simmering on the stove.  October is the best time to start  your holiday organizing.

 

Check out my pinterest Happy Holidays tips!

Elegant Holiday Decorating Made Easy

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Thank you to Leslie Sarmiento for this guest post on making your home merry and bright! 

 Holiday decorating is an American tradition. No matter what kind of year you’ve had, the holidays always seem to conjure up images and memories of a magical time. Holiday decorating allows you to capture some of that magic and bring it home.

With the huge selection of holiday décor to choose from, deciding which items to buy can be overwhelming. With all the sparkle, glitter, bells, and music, all beautiful and magical, reminding us of a warm holiday moment or two. The biggest mistake most people make with their decorations is thinking all holiday accessories coordinate and work well together. Not true! As the selection for decorations grow larger each year, holiday décor now goes way beyond Santa, the angels, and Christmas trees.

So how do you know which items will work well for you?

As with any decorating project, before you go out and make your selections, you need to do some careful planning. Ask yourself these questions:

 ~ What decorations do you already have, and which ones do you want to use again this year? (There is no rule that says you have to bring out every single holiday item you own).

~ Do you want to decorate around a specific theme? Examples would be winter themes, Santa’s toyshop, nature themes, or gingerbread houses.

~ What color palette do you want to use this year? Do you want to stay with the traditional red, green, gold and white? Or maybe pair your favorite color with gold or silver for a trendy metallic look. For contemporary designs, combine jewel tones, such as turquoise, purple, magenta and apple green. Red, white and blue can make a big statement, too.

So now that you’ve made your overall design decisions, you are ready to shop. You need to prioritize your budget so that you spend most of your money on basic accessories like holiday linens, table runners, and throw pillows, and spend less on novelty items such as your fireplace mantle or a new centerpiece for your table.

 Don’t feel like you have to fill up every nook and cranny. Decorating with elegance means less is always more, even during the holidays.

From my house to yours, have a colorful holiday season!

Leslie Sarmiento, author, speaker, interior decorator

Website: www.LeslieSarmiento.com