The Best Festive Decorations

It’s hard to get into the holiday spirit until you begin decorating your home. Once you gather your old and new decorations together, you can play your favorite holiday album, heat up some hot cocoa and start transforming your living space. If you happen to be in the market for a few festive decorations, you’ll want to keep the following information in mind as you shop.

Begin outdoors first. You can go big with a host of blow-up lawn ornaments and lights that blink to the sound of a popular holiday carol, or you can keep things small with a cute front door wreath and a string of white lights. A 13-foot strand with 40 LED lights with a low brightness that is very welcoming is a great choice. This type of lights often comes with a choice between steady mode and flash mode. You can place them along your porch railing, over your patio door or around a tree in the front yard.

As you move indoors, don’t forget to choose decorations that appeal to the senses. In addition to brightly colored ornaments and soft pillows with your favorite holiday characters on the front, you’ll want to burn a few candles that feature different winter and holiday scents. There are candles that smell like cinnamon and sugar cookies, as well as candles that remind you of a winter in the mountains. Look for a candle that combines the fragrances of Siberian fir needles, cedarwood and sandalwood. A candle that is vegan-friendly and quality made is a good choice. Don’t forget to consider the burning time before making a final decision.

When it comes to the sense of taste, you’ll want to get your dining room table ready for that delicious holiday ham and those crunchy gingerbread cookies. You’ll need a tablecloth that features a festive holiday design. The tablecloth should be durable, so that you can reuse it for many years to come. You’ll also want to pay attention to the shape and size of the cloth to ensure it will accommodate your table without being too short or too long.

Consider picking up a few child-friendly decorations if you have children or grandchildren in the house. A felt Christmas tree set with a convenient hanging loop allows you to place the decoration within the child’s reach. A set like this typically comes with 26 different felt ornaments for your little one to use to decorate their own tree.

Perhaps you’d like to gift a festive decoration to a friend or family member who is just starting out. If that’s the case, look for products that come in their own stylish packaging.

• Look for a customer satisfaction guarantee when making an online purchase. This reduces your risk in the event that the festive decoration doesn’t arrive or work as described.
• If you have any felt decorations for yourself or your children, they can be ironed to remove any wrinkles.
• Decorations that light up or play music may require batteries. Often times these batteries are not included in the purchase price.
• Keep in mind that strands of light, whether wrapped around a holiday tree or hung along a door frame, are not designed to light up a room. You’ll still need your house lights to see properly.
• Check the product care label for any decorative tablecloths or linens to determine whether or not they are machine washable. Some may have special instructions, such as tumble dry on low heat. You don’t want to risk shrinking them, as they would no longer fit your table.
• You should never burn holiday-scented candles unless you remain in the same room as the candle. Always extinguish any lit candles before you leave the room.
• Festive decorations that utilize glitter or have a tendency to shed can be coated with a light layer of hair spray.
• Always consider the size and shape of the festive decoration if you have children or pets in the home. Some may pose a choking hazard.
• When planning which decorations to buy for the holidays, consider the color scheme of the room your decorating, or come up with a theme that might tie all of the decorations together.
• If you enjoy making crafts, you can put together a few decorations of your own. You could make a homemade wreath for your front door, crochet a few ornaments for the holiday tree, create a snowman family out of Styrofoam for your fireplace mantel or make your own holiday scented candle using melted wax and a few essential oils.
• The cost of festive decorations varies greatly depending upon the product. A set of string lights or a felt Christmas tree will most likely cost less than a candle or a tablecloth.