The holiday season marks time for decorating the houses with beautiful coronations and attractive lights. Check out the top ideas for decorating your home this year on Christmas.

Christmas Decorations 2011

Celebrated annually on December 25 throughout the world, Christmas is a festival of religious and spiritual importance and a holiday of happiness. Christmas is a time of the year when everyone is joyous and elated. This is not only evident from the elated mood and spirit of the people, but also from the vibrant and effervescent environ. As soon as the festival approaches, people engage themselves with the task of dressing up the whole house in the spirit of Christmas. The decorations are not just centered on the Christmas tree, but all across the house, including the interior and exterior. Christmas decorations are a tradition in many of the countries. No matter whether you put up in a small apartment or a huge mansion, decorating the house on Christmas is an absolute must and an experience to remember, as all the family members unite together during this festive occasion to make the house look grandiose and flamboyant. The whole experience of decoration is enhanced by the happiness garnered by working as a team and spending some quality family time. As the festive season is drawing near, we present you with some easy tips for decorating your house in the most festive style.
 
Christmas Decorating Ideas For 2011
 
Christmas Tree
The Christmas tree is synonymous with the festival. It makes the most appealing and alluring decoration of the occasion. However, while everyone firmly places their Christmas tree inside their homes, you can try something different this time by placing it outdoors. Use all kinds of Christmas decorations and ornaments to beautify the tree, such as angels, lights shaped like stars, bead garlands, and candy canes. Beware of thugs and muggers however. For a more creative and fascinating view, you can experiment with your own designs and home creations. To stick to the traditional way of adorning the Christmas tree at home, play with colors and ornaments to have the most beautiful and eye-catching tree ever created.
 
Get lots of white lights and ornaments to festoon the tree to its best. Alternatively, you can even pick up a theme to decorate the tree, such as Santa Claus theme or the traditional theme. Do not leave the Christmas tree decorated in one corner of the home. Enhance the entire area with Christmas candles, use holly to decorate the entrance of your home, and illuminate the pathways and sidewalks with outdoor Christmas lights. And you will have a welcoming home, which would invite the guests with true festivity and charisma.
 
Interiors
While the streets and shop doors are abuzz with Christmas decorations and the favorite Christmas tree, you cannot give the interiors of your home amiss. To start off with, get hold of some crystal or glass bowls and crystal ornaments in different colors, particularly gold and silver, if possible. Fill up the bowls with ornaments in assorted shapes. These can perfect your centre table decorations and even serve as a simple yet elegant centerpiece. Another option that though might sound old, are the exotic and aromatic votives. Candles when placed strategically enhance the entire décor perfectly. Pick up different colored and sized candles and candle holders, and let your imagination run wild by infusing them into your interior décors.
 
With Christmas being the winter festival, snowfall is a must. If you’re lucky to live in a place that experiences snowfall during Christmas, you can skip the following lines and plan differently with the windows, but if your residence is far-off from snowfall, give your windows a frosty wintry look. Infuse the festive fervor by adding fake snow at the bottom of the windows as well as in the corners. When all is done, it’s time to ring the bells and celebrate the fiesta with a bang. But hey, what do you plan to feast on? Cakes, cookies, meat loaves and wine? While everything seems to be complete, how do you wish to serve the cake? Bland and plain, right on the table! True to the decorations, let the cake look absolutely amazing, placed firmly in a beautiful cake plate and surrounded with candles, ferns, or any kind of greenery, be it real or artificial.
 
Exteriors
While the Christmas tree and interiors are done, what marks the most important part of decorations is the outdoors. Your guests are likely to be enthralled by the outdoors first only to leave them wondering what’s in store for them in the interiors. As such, you just cannot miss out bedecking the exteriors. Use oak leaves, pine cones, twin garlands, acorns, and berries to embellish the trees and bushes in your garden and pathway. Complete the theme with a Christmas wreath on the entrance of your home. And when it’s Christmas, how can you leave the Rudolph behind? Have a huge Rudolph figurine in your garden and highlight his nose with red mini lights. Besides, you can even create a nativity scene in your lawn with figurines of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the three wise men. Sure to steal the cake away as your guests pass across this elegant decoration!
 
Christmas Decorating Ideas For 2010
 
Christmas Tree
You will need a lot of things to decorate the Christmas tree and make it the iconic decoration of the Christmas season that it deserves to be. However, you first need to select a proper Christmas tree. Choose a shape, size and texture that suits the space it is supposed to occupy. A large tree would work well for your living room, but in case you are planning to make a centerpiece out of it, getting a small 2 feet one would serve as the best bet. In case you are going for the large one, make sure that you have the measurements of the ceiling. Choose a tree that is at least one foot shorter than the ceiling height. Also, it's best to measure the opening of your tree stand and make sure the base of your chosen tree fits into it perfectly.
 
Once this is done, decide on the type of ornaments and decorations you wish to put on the tree. While some families go for single-themed trees, others go for assorted ornaments. Whatever be the theme, it’s completely customizable. Once all things are planned out, begin by putting the tree on the stand and arranging lights on it. Apart from the string lights on the outside, try putting some lights around the inner branches and around the trunk of the tree. This will give it a more glowing look. Finally, hang your chosen ornaments in your own personalized style on the tree. You can also add some tinsels as per your taste.
 
Interiors
To completely immerse in the festive mood, you have to drown the interiors in the festive flavor. Start by lighting up the whole house. Hang lights on windows, doorways and ceilings of all rooms. It will be fun to watch the house always lit up with the festive spirit. Then, change the whole persona of the interiors by utilizing Christmas clings on windows, sliding doors, and mirrors and arranging Christmas goodies on bookshelves, coffee tables, or any surface you find.
 
Make your home a Christmas theme park by adding Xmas based flower arrangements with poinsettias and evergreens and using Christmas-themed tablecloths and placemats, during the season. If you got time, try creating a Christmas town display with ceramic houses, buffalo snow and twinkle lights. Hang stockings on the mantel or on a wall and fill it with gifts. Hang wreaths on doors; if possible. Place scented Christmas candles throughout the house. For foodies, you can use Christmas-themed dishes and keep cookie jars on your coffee tables or counters.
 
Exteriors
On the outside you can experiment a little, but not too much. The exterior of the house will be what your neighbors and other people are able to see and you can choose what you wish to project. A common practice is hanging wreaths outside the doors and on garage doors. You can be a bit more creative and string your whole yard with lights running through trees and bushes. You can decorate the trees outside with ribbon and lights. In fact, you can let the kids enjoy doing this. Generally, you can replace the normal lights on the outside of the house with decorative and colorful red and green lights. Some people even change the doormats to Christmas themed ones. But as everything else, these are just ideas and the final result will be completely dependent on your imagination and interests.

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