There is something extra special in the air when it comes to Christmas. It’s a time to relax and kick back with those you love. It’s also a time to enjoy the beauty and essence of Christmas decor. The excitement of seeing an explosion of red, blue, green, silver, gold and white everywhere. You know what time it is! It’s a joyous time, especially to be creative. 

If you never decorated for Christmas or you’re looking for new ideas, you’re at the right place. Here to guide you every step of the way. As an interior decorator, Christmas is an absolute favorite to express creativity. My motto, go all out. Christmas is a time to be thankful for life. So why not express your appreciation through decor! I don’t know about you, but an instant smile comes across my face upon seeing Christmas lights. 

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Pick A Theme

To help you, I want you to do some self-reflection on what Christmas means to you. What are your favorite things? From the colors, decor, food, presents, music, movies, and sports. From here, jot everything down. Now, you can exercise some creativity and build a theme. You can pick a few things (or all of them) and create a plan. For instance, a favorite scene in a movie. You love the winter theme because it makes you feel happy and relaxed. Then roll with a winter theme. Perhaps grab accent pieces that are white, gray, silver or blue. This will help set a winter atmosphere. 

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Assess Christmas Decoration Inventory

It’s all up to you. The key is to have a theme and a plan. Assess, what is your current stock of Christmas decorations. Preferably, they’re all organized together. Then ask the question, do you want different decorations? If so, what kind of decorations? This should all tie to your theme. 

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What Is Your Budget

You also have to account for your budget. How much are you willing to spend? Are you planning  a massive overhaul or just minor adjustments? This is a question you have to ask. If your taste has changed and you’re tired of your old decorations, consider donating them. You can also consider selling them as well. This will give you more space for your new decor. You don’t want clutter. 

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Stores That Should Be On Your Watchlist

So before you put the pedal to the metal, I want to make sure these stores are on your list. Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Ikea, Michael’s, Jo-Ann Fabrics, Marshalls, Goodwill, WalMart, Target, Walgreens, CVS, AliExpress and Dollar Tree. Keep tabs also on any local thrift shops. Especially after Christmas. You want to keep your eye out for after Christmas sales. These stores generally extend deep discounts on Christmas decor (to prepare space for the upcoming season’s inventory).

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Amazing Deals After Christmas

You can score some amazing deals on ornaments, bulbs, Christmas characters, stocking stuffers, lights, and decor. Snacks and party essentials are also things to have on the radar. The key is timing. With items for holidays, you want to scout for items throughout the year. You never know if you will run into a discount by surprise. If you see an item at a discount, get it! Why pay full price, get it while it’s hot! Primarily after the holiday is over, discount galore! 

 So, keep on top of fliers, emails, ads, and deals from these stores. Keep tabs on their social media, reach out personally to see if you can get a deal. You never know.  Also, from the merchants you frequent. Set aside some time to look over deals every week. If a store has rewards cards, make sure you have one activated. See if the points or rewards add up to a special discount. You can use them for decorations. Also, you can ask a store employee (beforehand) if they have any special promotions. Also, you can inquire about their policies about discounts with defective items. With a little polishing, you can turn this item around. In a future article, I will give some creative ideas for defective items.  

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Online Shopping

If you are doing any online shopping, read the fine print. Make sure the promotion is for online and not just for in-store. Make a bee-line to the clearance and discount sections of these sites. Make sure you go to these sections first. I don’t want you to miss out on getting an amazing deal. Often, these sections are loaded with goodies. You never know if you can get the same item at a discount price. Don’t forget about a store rewards card. Save all the coins that you can. Also, check with both the online and in-store policies for returns. 

So, once you have decided on a theme, budget, stores and decorations you will use, you can organize a plan. 

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Make An Organize Plan For Your Decorations

1. Decide a theme
2. Decide your budget. The overall cost. Estimate energy usage for decor requiring electricity. Try to get battery operated decor if possible. These are good options for string lights. Invest in rechargeable and you will have a low bill.
3. Decide what areas you would like to decorate. Both indoors and outdoors. 
4. What supporting items do you need for your decorations. Located below is a list supplies.
5. What specific decorations are you using. Have a list of them so you don’t miss any of them. Located below is a list decoration you should have stashed.
6. Estimate how long it will take to put them up.
7. Action plan to take them down. How will you organize them? I recommend organizing everything according to item and color, them label them. For instance, place all your tinsel in one bag then, your red color bulbs in a separate bag. Everything should be separate. Label them. If you have string lights, gather them around with string ties. You want to avoid tangles. The same applies with your garland. Then place them all in one place. It will save you a lot of time for the next time you use them.
8. Then reflect on your overall strategy? What areas need improvement for next time?

So now that we got the plan out the way, let’s get into some ideas. These ideas will bring life and energy to your Christmas.

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Creative Ideas For Your Bulbs, Lights and Ornaments 

With your decorations, you don’t have to follow tradition. There are many creative ways you can use them. You can hang ornaments, bulbs, lights and garland in these areas.

• Banister
• Door Posts
• Tables
• Tv stand
• Entertainment center
• Drawer
• Dining room table
• Book shelf 
• Top of refrigerator 
• Between plants and other decor pieces
• Around pictures
• On light fixtures

Note: I am very cautious of paint peeling. I use painter’s tape for decorations. It’s strong and durable enough to keep the decorations up. I also use invisible tape for decorations I don’t want any visible signs of tape. Primarily if I am hanging decor on a string. It gives your decor a nice polish look. As always, check to make sure your tape is paint/ wall “friendly” before use.

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Creative Places To Put Your Decorations

If you have any vases or glass bowls, you can throw your bulbs in them. Try to alternate different color bulbs for a pop (see illustration below). Show them off as nice center pieces. Before you do, lay a little some snow stuffing on the bottom. Don’t have any stuffing, stretch out some cotton balls for a snow effect. You can also put some multicolored candy canes in them. Also, you can place string lights around them to give them a pop of light! Can’t leave out the garland, it gives an amazing Christmas effect. 

If you have plain bulbs, you can jazz them up with some festive stickers. Can also grab a glue gun and add some gems, pearls or beads. You can also customize your bulbs with photos. If you’re up to it, set aside some as family memorabilia!  Check with Staples, Walgreens, Walmart or print shops for services. You can even customize them with artwork using photoshop and Canva. Make sure your pieces are correct size and resolution “print friendly”

You can also custom make your own bulbs. Check AliExpress, Michaels or Walmart for plain bulbs. You can hand or spray paint them. You’re in for a treat with spray paint because you guess it, variety! Check out the metallics sections. Metallics will make your bulbs shine with little effort. If you want something more subtle, opt for the gloss or flat. Then once their dry, can add some accent pieces. Gems, pearls, and decorative stickers. The choice is up to you.

Head over to Home Depot, Lowes or Walmart. You can get a variety of Christmas decorations for a bargain! I got some nifty rotating Christmas projectors (by surprise) for a wonderful price. Head there before and after Christmas. Also check online throughout the year for clearances! 

Just a tip, if you don’t have any tall cylinder-shaped glass vases, go out and grab a few. You can get some at your Dollar Tree. They make excellent show pieces. You want to aim for items with height and width. They stand out more. You only need a few. You don’t have an over busy atmosphere.  Sprinkle a few smaller decor pieces around them. Gives a balanced perspective.

 You can also grab some boxes and wrap some festive contact or wrapping paper around. Place your ornaments in them and you’re good to go! See below for more info on wrapping with contact and wrapping paper.  

Tip: Try not to place your decorations around heat. Especially when using adhesive. Heat generally loosens the adhesive. Let’s prevent your decorations from falling down.

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Decorations For Tables and Flat Surfaces

You can also stretch out snow stuffing on the center of your tables or other flat surfaces. Place bulbs sporadically around them. If you have a few bows, holly’s or lights, put them on there. You can form a circle, Christmas tree or a long rectangle. Changing up the scenery can bring life to your Christmas. Exercise your creativity! 

 If you have small ornaments, place different ones around your table. You can organize them in the center or sporadically, it’s up to your taste!  Can also hang them up around the house in different areas. Don’t just rely on tree, place your ornaments everywhere for extra flavor.

If you have a bookcase, it’s a perfect place for decor. Add some snow stuffing, different ornaments, lights and bulbs and you’re in for a showstopper. The same applies to your file cabinets. From my viewpoint, a bookcase is more than a place you put books on. Show it off as a decor piece. Can really bring out your room. Even place mini candles, bows and curly ribbon on your bookcase. Elicit some cheerfulness in your room. 

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Decoration ideas for your Ceilings

A really cool idea and personal favorite is faux string icicles. I don’t know what it is about them, but they sure bring out your room. They can have your theme looking like a million bucks.

To make them, check out AliExpress, WalMart, Michaels and Jo-Ann Fabrics. Grab some arts and craft gems, beads and thick string. If you have any old jewelry, can even use them. Just deconstruct them. Can spray or hand paint them with a customize color.

For string color, opt for silver or white. Your best bet is to check out AliExpress for the best variety and to save money. You can get a 500 or 1000 pack of gems for a pretty penny. Try to look for clear, white, silver, pale blue and pearl colors.

From there, grab a glue gun or thin tip adhesive. Make sure you have contractor gloves on to protect from the heat. You can use a toothpick to spread adhesive as well. E6000 industrial strength adhesive is a wonderful choice. You can cut the string into icicles either using the same or different lengths. From there, glue the material of your choice onto the string on a downward path. Let them air dry overnight. See illustration below for an idea of what the icicles should look like.

You can hang your icicles in the center of your living room or room of your preference. If you can, place them around your Christmas tree. You even place them on your tree or different places. Gives off a serene effect. Can form a circle or set them horizontally across. Grab some transparent double-sided tape and paste them onto your ceiling. Forewarn, make sure the tape is safe for your walls and ceilings. I don’t want you to have any unnecessary peelings or holes. Can ask your local home improvement retailer.

You can also get different shape Christmas ornaments to hang from your ceilings. Try to get long diamond shape in preferably white, silver or pearl color. Talk about ambiance. Can check around different dollar or home decor stores. You never know what you will find! It depends on your area.

As an added bonus, you can glue gems in (a circular pattern) around your vase or other glassware. Try to opt for flat back gems and opt for more than 3 rows. You will give your glass ware a chic and defined look that you can show off all year! 

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Grab the Kitchen Towels and Table Mats

Just like your ornaments, you can add some spice to your decor. Head over to the Dollar Tree for this one. They have a variety of seasonal towels and mats that can be perfect for decor pieces. You can paste them onto canvas. You can sew them together and make customize pillows. If you have old pillows, you can stitch over them. You can also get some pillow stuffing as well. You can tape festive mats onto your kitchen cabinets. Nobody will know they’re mats. You can even put them onto boxes and turn into decor pieces. You even use them as wall art. Talk about cool sayings! Please check every aisle in Dollar Tree, they have so many amazing steals! I can’t leave out the wall art and large stickers you can find. You’re not going to leave empty handed. A creatives best friend!

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Christmas Project Ideas

Before you start, what you will need for these projects:

• Empty boxes, cans, or plastic containers
• Glass jar, cups, bowls and vases
• Double sided tape
• Wall stickers
• Stickers
• E6000 industrial strength adhesive (use a toothpick to help spread)
• Picture hooks
• Spray on adhesive
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• Ruler
• Glitter
• Thin or curly art sticks
• Construction paper, contact paper or wrapping paper of your choice
• Spray or art paint
• Paint brushes
• Gloves

Tip: For contact paper, wall stickers, check Target or Dollar Tree. Online, AliExpress or Amazon for more variety. As you have to account for shipping, I would recommend looking months ahead of time.

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Custom Decor Ideas

If you want to save a few dollars, grab items you’re not using. Empty boxes, cans, plastic containers or glass. You can use them as customized pieces. Here is where your creativity can begin! Creativity that can be applicable in all areas of your life. Your job, school, and social activities. Great benefits indeed!

To start, these projects mostly focus on items you can wrap contact, wrapping or construction paper around. You can even include stickers, wall art, glitter or gems. Tip: With wrapping and construction paper, you will need adhesive. Preferably spray on adhesive. It’s quicker and will leave a smooth finish!

• Pringle or tall cans and make them into North Poles 
• Cans and make them into decor pieces or mini candy dishes 
• Mini boxes and transform them into decor pieces 
• Cut up boxes into canvas where you can paste your artwork on (double sided tape or picture hooks)
• Paste wall stickers onto boxes and transform them into decor pieces 
• Paste stickers onto jars, cans and transform them into decor pieces 
• Spray paint or paint cans with (colors of your choice) and transform them into decor pieces 
• Grab some festive stencils and spray paint them onto glass
• Hand or spray paint thin art sticks white. You can even find the one that have curls on the end. Add adhesive and silver/gold/pearl glitter on top. Bunch them together in a tall vase for a chic decor piece.
• Transform a tall trash can, basket or hamper into a festive gift basket. You can also place decor in them.

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Where You Can Place Your Customized Christmas Decor

You can set these pieces on tables, desks, drawers, refrigerator or on your walls.

Tip: If you plan on taking down your artwork and don’t want holes, fill them in. Grab some wall filler and a putty knife. Make note of the color of your wall. Get some touch up paint and your wall will look like new.  Plus budget friendly. Contact Home Depot, Lowes or Wal-Mart if you need assistance with figuring out your wall color. 

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Christmas Projects For Kids

You can even get your kids involved. How to do it? Ask them what Christmas means to them. Have them draw or paint it. You can even have them create art of their favorite movies, cartoons, shows or heroes in a Christmas setting. Have an Iron Man or Captain America fan, have them create a cool art piece. Iron Man and Captain America in a Santa hat or suit, you got a hit! Grab some stickers, wall art or coloring books. They can act as aids.

What you should have planned before you start your projects

Once you have your theme and idea for your art pieces, you want to decide how they will be displayed. Will it be in picture frames, on canvas, on boxes, in photo albums or in a portfolio?

Then you want to decide what type and quality of paper you will need. Also, the sizing and shapes of their art pieces. You want to make sure their artwork will fit perfectly on your displays. Have the exact size and shape drawn out before they start their artwork. You will reduce paper waste and cutting into their artwork. You can map out squares, ovals, triangles or Christmas theme shapes for their art pieces. To help out with all the shapes, you can grab some stencils and go to town!

Before you start, what you will need for your projects:

• Empty cardboard boxes
• Canvas
• Picture frames/hooks
• Photo album/portfolio
• Construction or plain paper
• Contact paper or wrapping paper
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Crayons
• Double side tape
• Glue stick
• Magic markers
• Paint
• Paint brushes
• Colored pencils
• Sharpies
• Stickers
• Wallart
• Stencils
• Coloring books

Tip: With double sided tape, check to make sure it’s safe for your wall paint. You can ask Home Depot or Lowe’s for recommendations.  

If you’re planning on pasting art pieces onto boxes

If you plan on using boxes, make sure the entire background is covered first. You don’t want any cardboard showing. If you’re using a white or pre-colored box, then skip this step. Having your background covered will bring out your art pieces.

To start, cover your box with a white background or color of your choice. Either by paper, paint or spray paint. The key is to make sure no parts of the box are showing. Then from there, paste their art pieces on them. Then set them around your house!

You can even cut up your boxes and make them into a mini canvas. Just like the boxes, you can cover the box with a background color of your choice. Grab either glue stick or spray on adhesive and paste them on. With your adhesive, you want to make sure it is flat and spread evenly (prevent any bumps). Then hang them on the wall with double sided tape. You can even use picture hooks.

If you’re planning on using photo album or portfolio

You can also include their artwork in a photo album or portfolio! Try to get a plain album or portfolio so they can decorate. You can also have them pick out festive ones of their choice. If up to it, have them dress up in Christmas outfits and take family pics. Take pictures of them surrounded by your decor or even helping you with the decor. To add personality, have them create humorous poses and funny faces.

Heck, you can even document your entire Christmas by taking pics. Try to take pictures of key events throughout the day. Setting up decor, cooking, watching the big game, opening presents, or greeting guests are just a few ideas.

Can line the photos up in a collage surrounded by bows, string, stickers and ribbons. You can add festive backgrounds to your pics with Photoshop or Canva. Use the remove background feature and you are good to go!

You can even upload (by taking pics or scanning) your pictures to your computer. Can create a slideshow to show on your devices.

To really up the game, have it in your mind to take pics every year. An album and portfolio are really cool decorative piece. Adding personal touches to your family legacy, what more can you ask for.

You will be all set!  A personalized touch that can be a talking piece for your guests. Inspiring your kids to be artists is a welcome reward. 

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Glow in the dark Paint

You can even pick up some neon/fluorescent paint to add some sparkle to the night. Art that glows in the dark would be a special treat for your kids. They can make glow in the dark stars, trees, angels, Christmas sayings and more. Can also grab a few glow in the dark wall art stickers and regular stickers. In combination with string lights and candles, you will have quite a spectacle.

You can even check out to see if you can grab some special LED lights. Can set an amazing ambiance in your room. If your kids are opening the goodies at night, this can create an extra special atmosphere. You can also set some rotating Christmas projectors. Seeing some of your favorite festive decor on your walls or ceilings is quite a spectacle.

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Play-Doh is King

A timeless classic, you can never go wrong with Play-Doh. You can make a number of decor pieces. Use stencils or even some festive cookie cutters. You will keep your kids occupied. Enjoy!

The ideas don’t just stop here. Check out the next section for more ideas that include technology.

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Use Your Tech For A Christmas Theme Slideshow

If you have a tablet, notebook, laptop, or tv you can do a Christmas theme slideshow. You can create slides on Google Docs or PowerPoint. I would highly recommend Canva, Shutterstock and Adobe photoshop/illustrator/ Express/InDesign to create the slides. With Shutterstock, you want to go over to the creative flow section (where you can create graphics). With Canva and Shutterstock, you can get a free account. Adobe is a subscription base but does offer free trials.

Stay on top of Black Friday and special deals throughout the year. If you’re looking for the easiest programs to use, go with Canva, Shutterstock and Express. Especially if you’re not familiar with graphic design programs. Also, get creative with Microsoft Paint, Word and Powerpoint. To help you out, check out the list of programs today.

Top Sites To Create Graphics

Create Photo Editor and Graphic Design Maker | Shutterstock

Adobe Express

Canva: Visual Suite for Everyone

Christmas Background and Elements

So, this is your time to be creative. First, take a look at the backgrounds to paint a scene! You can type in Winter scene, Christmas theme, holiday theme, and more. Then pick out some of your favorite Christmas characters. Head over to the elements section for an amazing list to choose from! Try to pick out some funny or happy illustrations, to add a spice of humor to your atmosphere. You can also make your slides emotional and festive. You can mix up different types of emotional themes, it is all up to you. Add some text that is personal to you. Can create personal sentiments, encouraging words, or humorous sayings. Think meme or sarcastic talk. Then create an art piece around it all. Here is an example.

Then match your elements, background and text to create a nice art piece! If you want to go the extra mile, print them out. Can put them in a nice frame as decor pieces. Pick up some frames from the Dollar Tree. If you want to up your game, you can hand or spray paint them with the color of your choice!

Don’t forget to up the anty by adding animations! Add some movement and spark to your creations. You can even create gifs or short videos. Can piece together different graphics into a short story video. Check out the one I did for Halloween this year.

Overall, you want your presentations to tell a story. Have them show a part of your personality. Add a personal touch. 

You can even have your artwork customize onto decorations of your choice. Make sure the colors you choose are “printer friendly.” You don’t want issues with resolutions. You want all your decorations to be high standards. Check with your neighborhood printing services for details.

Colors and Shapes Matter

You can’t leave out colors and shapes! Pick out shapes to bring structure to your designs.  Squares and circles are my personal favorites. I try to pick out shapes that are reminiscent of decorations. For example, circles for bulbs and squares for gifts (boxes). You can use shapes to bring out color contrast. Also, to draw attention to your text. 

What are Christmas Designs Without Color and Gradients 

You should also have in mind festive colors. Red, blue, green, silver, gold and white, the starting line up! To help, below is an example of colors you can save and use. You can always include some of your favorite colors if you’re a rebel, lol. Who said black, pink, purple, yellow, brown or orange can’t work? You can always mix and match. It’s all about your personal taste. The key is to have a design that pops to the eye.

 Don’t forget to use the eye dropper tool. You can get the exact match of colors from elements you’re using. You can use this color in your text or shapes to keep consistency. Also, if you come across a color you really like, use eye dropper tool. It will pick it up. It’s important to save the color code.

Sometimes, the programs you use automatically save them for you. On Canva, the colors you used are located on the side bar. With photoshop, you click save to swatches to save the color. If not, open an Excel doc or Google sheet and create a list. That way you have a go to list when you create designs.

Christmas Colors Samples

With colors, try to alternate dark with light colors and vice versa. For example, if you use a light background, try dark text colors. To really turn things up, give gradients a try. I would recommend using white as a contrast, with whatever color you choose. It gives a nice winter effect.  Gradients also can give your shape a 3-D illusion! You can turn a circle into a sphere in a matter of seconds! Drawing more attention to your art! Not bad.  To give you an idea of gradients in action, check out the illustration below.

Gradients In Action

Fonts to Adore This Christmas

How dare I leave out fonts! It depends on the program you use; you want to try Christmas/holiday theme fonts. To help, here is a list of fonts for each program.

To really give your fonts some extra flavor, you can alternate colors. Add shadows and lights to give them depth. Embossing your text is a great way to bring joy to your words. It enhances every curve of the word. When it comes to design, you want to make sure it’s unique. There are many creative techniques you can use. Give them a whirl. They all make a statement about you. I believe design is an extension of your personality. Let your art talk! To help, follow these detail steps to emboss your text. In a future article, will give some tips on creative ways to enhance your text.

You can also make letters different sizes. Also, you can place different patterns on to your letters. Having a candy cane jot out from your text, talk about eye catching. With patterns, you want to set a thick and bold text so it will stand out. You can use a few of the colors in the Christmas color sample.

Let’s not leave out direction! Who says your text should be horizontal. You have it flowing in all types of direction. Wavy, diagonal, you name it. The skies the limit. Also, you can have it move with animation. Use photoshop, Canva and Shutterstock for creations. Check out the sample below.

You can also make cool Christmas cards with your artwork. Adding a personal touch with your recipients will be a highlight!

Need Help, Access Tutorials And Help Sections

 If you need a little inspiration, take a look at some of the templates in Canva, Adobe and Shutterstock. Just type in Christmas themes and your set to go. You can always customize them. There are also tutorials that can help you out. You can access them on each of these program’s websites or YouTube channels. Can also access the help section for instructions. Best of luck, I know you will create amazing artwork!

Conclusion

So whew, what a list! The ideas presented are meant to put a big smile on your face. Not only yours but your loved ones as well. Decorating for Christmas is a true joy. Especially with a little music howling along in the background. Music can really put a little pep in your step. So make sure it is involved in your decorating. Remember, your decorations are an extension of you and your personality. It’s your voice without you realizing it. Decor is art and each piece speaks volumes. Let your decor shine through this Christmas!

As a faithful decorator, I am always coming up with new ideas. This list is just a tip of the iceberg. There will be a series of more Christmas decor ideas articles in the future. Stay tuned. Let your decor rock!

What are your Christmas decoration plans? What excites you the most about decorating? Any decorating tips you would like to share? Let me know in the comments below.