Being festive and getting your home dressed up for the holiday season doesn’t have to be an expensive endeavor. There are many small touches that can be added to any room that will remind you of the season and bring joy to your family. And I promise you, you won’t break the bank doing it! Here are just a few very simple and affordable ideas for decorating every room in your home.

Living / Family Room

1. Of course, put your tree here, if you have one. You can get a great topper and tree skirt to dress up even the simplest or smallest size tree; it’s all a matter of what YOU like!
2. Change your table runners, doilies, pillows and throws to a holiday theme. Use red, green, blue, silver, purple or whatever your favorite color is. You can find these things at those dollar and discounts stores. Easy and fun, low price.
3. Hang up stockings, tie red and green bows to your lamps, ceiling fan, doorknobs or wherever you think a bow needs to be!
4. Use garland and swags, with or without lights and add some tinsel, spray snow or ornaments to complete the look!
5. Burn scented candles in Holiday scents like Christmas Cookie, Hollyberry or Pine trees. Decorate your jars or votives with glass beads, paints, floral rings or a little glitter. Very easy.

Dining Room

1. Fill a shallow big basket with different size candles to make a great table centerpiece. Mix and match jars, pillars and votives together. Add a few holiday flowers like poinsettia or holly. You could also use Christmas bulbs with fake snow for a festive look, tie a bow on top or in front and you have a great, simple affordable centerpiece.
2. Add a tablecloth, table runner or holiday theme placemats for a fun new look.
3. Cover your chairs! Let the kids loose with fabric paint on white pillowcases and slip them over your chair backs. Of course, you can use stencils, other fabric, whatever you like. This is a fun family activity or to do with friends.
4. Candle, candles and more candles! You can never use too many candles in any room in your home!
5. Use your holiday dishes all through the season, not just for the special day!!

Kitchen

1. Put away your usual dishtowels and potholders and get some Santa or Snowmen to use and look at through the season. I have so many I could probably share with you all!
2. Put a small tree somewhere in your kitchen, if you have room. The pencil trees are great for this! Decorate with cookie cutters, string some popcorn, add mini apples or whatever your thing is in the kitchen. I LOVE a tree in the kitchen and do this every year.
3. Again, use your holiday dishes if you eat in the kitchen. Bring out the gingerbread men cookie jars, Santa tins and canisters or whatever you’ve collected from your family over the years. Your children will appreciate the blast from the past!
4. Hang up a small chalkboard and leave a different merry message on it each day for everyone to see on the way out the door! Also print out a simple Holiday Advent Calendar complete with the family’s activities added to it. Caroling, baking cookies, family-shopping time will be scheduled and it gets everyone excited and ready to share in the joy and gift giving *and receiving* spirit.

Bath / Bedroom

1. Again, Candles - everywhere you look in the bath and bedroom. Now if you don’t like them, just disregard this but I LOVE them and everyone else I know does also. You just change up the scents, pull out your holiday votive holders and jar covers and light – instant relaxation to me.
2. Put out a holiday soap dish, toilet lid cover or guest towels in the bathroom. This doesn’t have to be much, can just be as little as Santa sitting next to the tissues on the countertop.
3. Alter your throw rugs and pillows on your bed or chair in your bedroom to a holiday theme. Put Rudolph or Frosty on the bed instead of your usual.
4. Put a mini tabletop tree on your dresser, these are at the dollar stores all over. Decorate with tiny lights, family pictures tied from ribbon, paper ornaments from the kids, make this YOUR tree!
5. Use holiday flowers in your vase or baskets. Again this is very easy to change up with the seasons.

For Kids Bedrooms, decorate a mini tree, hang lights around their ceilings and doorways and windows. Purchase plain white sheets and let them decorate their own sheets and pillowcases with fabric paint and stencils. Most kids love shiny so just gather up that old silver and gold funky garland that your mom has in the attic and let them go wild with it in their rooms. They’ll love the freedom of deciding how to and what to decorate in their room and it’s such a small thing to please them at this time of year. Christmas is my son's favorite holiday. He's a teenager now, decorates more and more every year, his wife will love him someday, lol.

Entryway / Front Porch / Outside

1. Put a wreath on the door! Can be simple or extravagant but it’s always inviting!
2. Use a Welcome Mat with a holiday theme, again, very inviting to your company.
3. Put out garland, bows, lights - whatever you like, it’s your preference. Lights and outside décor is so reasonably priced that even the thriftiest of people can do a nice look and not go broke doing it.
4. Put lighted candles in your windows, looks cozy from the outside, again so affordable, you can do them all!
5. Leave a light on!!! People will instantly feel welcome if you leave a light on for them!!

I hope I gave you some easy and affordable tips and ideas here. Remember that decorating your home for the holiday season doesn’t have to be overwhelming. It doesn’t have to be perfect or expensive; it just has to please you and your family. I wish you a beautiful decorating experience and a wonderful holiday season!!

Vickie Carlson is a full-time work at home mom and owns two online businesses. www.Candle-Hounds.com features all natural gourmet scented candles and gifts. www.WAHM-Zine.com is a free online newsletter, networking group and members area dedicated to helping new WAHMs succeed. © 2006. All rights reserved.

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