As I gaze over the snow filled streets, glazing my surroundings in a thick white sheet while I am snug by the fireplace – it brings me comfort and joy over the season. The holidays are fast approaching and for some, their festivities take a back seat until they see that first snow. This is the time to spruce up your home in a simple, affordable way to bring the winter season in!
Choosing your Colour Scheme
Though many of us are ‘dreaming of a White Christmas’, we need to make sure our home colour scheme welcomes in all of these accents of colour. It is so important that you initially plan what colour scheme you want to follow before you take your sleigh and load it up with decorations! This goes for designing any space. Some common colours are the classic red and green reminding children of Santa’s arrival or white and blues. Or even break classic traditions by mixing white with your choice of colour. This is where you put on your creative elf hat and see what colours work in your home and what pre-existing colours are present from years past that you would like to vocalize. An important point to keep in mind is that these colours should not compete with your space, they should complement the room. If you are on a budget, but still want to add a pop of holiday cheer to your space, think about DIY pre existing furniture like repainting a bookshelf or a coffee table with cozy holiday tones. This can add interest to a space in quite a subtle way.
Getting Your Children Involved
Santa’s little helpers must be eager to participate in the fun but there is a worry for some parents that their child’s creativity may have an effect on how the shared space looks. For example, a child’s ornament taste may be more playful and not with the theme of the tree. Don’t feel a sense of guilt over your expectations for your home, you have your set ‘holiday list’ and checking’ it twice!’ Give your children the creative freedom to express their holiday cheer in their rooms or even their playroom! They can be their own designers in choosing their colour schemes and décor. As for those ornaments that don’t fall in line with your theme, invest in a mini tree for your child to decorate, there are even customizable ornaments you could add. Your children will surely be on the nice list with all the help they are giving!
Creating Cozy
When decorating a space for the holiday season, I often picture the idea of layers. Building up these layers, not just in clothing, but also in a home setting with cozy throw pillows and blankets will create a sanctuary to retreat to after facing the cold. Finding chunky textures, velvets or patterns coinciding with your theme’s can create the idea of warmth. You can use some of Rudolph’s magic to create light and heat in a space by using candles. By choosing scents such as sugar cookies, hot chocolate, pine trees or even spiced apples there is a welcoming ambience created for visitors. Don’t let just your couch get all the holiday cheer, think about layering other spaces in your home too! A bed is a great space to play around with layering pillows, and blankets so your heating bill will not skyrocket! Creating cozy is also creating convenience, a reason why you never have to leave the comfort of your couch and binge those Christmas classics!
Inviting Nature In
Before the snow blocks you in, take this opportunity to go on a nature walk to collect anything from pine cones to tree branches that can remind you of your community. Creating centerpieces by arranging lights, cinnamon, found pine cones and nuts or using paint to colour a uniquely shaped branch to act as a sculpture. With the holidays coming, and our bank statements seeming to skyrocket, often we feel that décor has to be at expensive taste. This cannot be farther from the truth, as Santa claims the holidays are for spreading holiday cheer for all of those to hear. Its about appreciating, which is something that our natural environment does not receive enough of! However, if your bundled up layers cannot withstand the temperatures, then even taking a trip to your local farmers market or florist can inspire endless ideas. Mixing nature with colours and found decor can create beautiful centerpieces and fragrance in a home!
The Power of Light
With nights getting darker more quickly, our home lacks the brightness it once held making it difficult for Santa to successfully manoeuvre through the space. When it comes to purchasing your tree make sure that there are built in lights, or if they need to be purchased separately. The placement for lights often gets labelled to the tree where we see our holiday wishes become a reality, but that doesn’t mean that light cannot act as an accessory in other settings. Working lighting into holiday wreaths, garlands or even drapery or a fireplace can create an inviting space filled with winter glow!
Saving Money with Holiday DIYing
Now with the abundance of presents most of us have on our list, it leaves us little room to make those updates from our decade old, outdated decor. Looking around your home, one thing that can be easily adjusted to create a whole new ambience in the space is by curating art! I am not telling you to be your own Picasso, but by googling holiday prints and printing them to fit frames in your home or even using wrapping paper, you can easily change out pictures that have been collecting dust for years! Even by scheduling earlier your classic holiday photo shoots with your family to be able to place these prints in your own home! As Ms. Claus has a talent for baking, use your talent as a highlight in your home. If you have a creative side to you, try making paper snowflakes, which can add a delicate touch to any space.
With the holiday season fast approaching, I hope these tips can help prepare your home to be holiday ready! But just remember, this season is for holding gratitude and spending time with those you love… in a space you love! Feel free to check out our holiday amazon wish list for even more inspiration sourcing everything you need to welcome this holiday season, just a click away!