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Everyone jokes that the Christmas holiday season starts earlier and earlier every year. But planning in advance can mean less stress as those weeks actually approach.
This way, you’ll have everything waiting in the wings before the holidays hit, and all you have to do is pull and place.
For those celebrating Christmas, it’s one of the most special times of year. It means quality time with family and friends, generosity, good will and many warm memories.
This holiday season, we’ve identified our favorite Christmas decorating ideas that appeal to the five senses: sight, smell, taste, sound and touch.
Contents
Sight
Updating your interior decor is the first step in spreading holiday cheer. Traditionally, the living room is the main gathering place for the holidays. Simple white string lights set the stage for a warm mood. Create a seamless look throughout the room by using the same kind of lighting on the Christmas tree, door frames and even window treatments.
Once you have decorated your living room, it’s time to move on to the other areas of your home. Since it’s easy to overlook bedrooms, kitchens and guest rooms, think of small-scale ideas for these spaces. Holiday pillows, fun holiday dish towels, scented candles, Christmas ornaments and various holiday family photos all add a festive touch. Layers add interest and dimension, so feel free to take inspiration from your favorite aspects of the Christmas holiday and build on them. It’s also a great time to showcase treasured objects from friends and family.
Christmas decorating is all about bringing back those happy memories and creating new ones.
Smell
Indulging a person’s sense of smell is another way to wow your family and friends over the holidays.
The holiday season is as much about spending time and reminiscing with family. That’s why the scents of Christmas conjure the very best feelings, so even if it’s not the big day just yet, you can still make your home smell like Christmas. Everyone who walks into the house would literally smell Christmas in the air.
Ensure your house doesn’t have any damp feel to it. Make it smell fresh and crispy, just as the typical December air. Invest in and buy quality air fresheners also.
Taste
One of the most anticipated aspects of the holidays is the special menu at the center of gatherings with family and friends. Every family/tribe has their own secret recipes and special dishes. If these special dishes require specific cookware and ingredients, it would do you a world of good to procure them at least a week, before the Christmas shopping rush begins.
Sound
For anyone who grew up celebrating Christmas in Nigeria, there are some soundtracks synonymous with the season and capable of conjuring many fond memories. Compile a playlist of those unique indigenous songs and also Jazz renditions of universal Christmas songs.
And for something more contemporary, many current pop artists are recording holiday songs, so it’s easy to find something for everyone who joins you for holiday celebrations. Filling your home with the sounds of the season is one way to get guests to return year after year.
Touch
Create a warm and cozy environment to encourage friends and family to relax, linger, and reminisce about past celebrations. Christmas-themed pillows in soft fabrics encourage snuggling sessions in living rooms and family rooms, so use large solid colored pillows as a background for smaller decorated pillows on chairs and sofas. Thick throw blankets in deep reds, greens and creams work well too—you can mix and match in appropriate colors and patterns to create a signature look.
Other Important Christmas Decoration Tips
Decide your Christmas budget early: Do not wait until you get to the market with 20K for cooking and decorating, and then wander into the decoration section (sometimes, in special Lagos markets LIKE YABA, you might be dragged bodily into the section, that is no excuse.
Once the boy lets go of your hand, turn and run back to the main line and go where you were going! ). If you don’t do that you will spend too much on decorating things that catch your eye and be short on money for other important things.
Don’t overdo it: Please do not go to the GRA in your town and look at their houses if you are an average tenant that wants to decorate.
Homeowners are at liberty to decorate up to their mango and pawpaw trees.
Tenants, have you paid your rent? Do you really want the landlord to remember his plan to increase rent by 20% at the next renewal date? Answer that question in your mind and plan your decorations accordingly.
Concentrate your activities inside your flat. However, you can still consider placing a wreath on the outside of your door, if it suddenly won’t grow wings and fly away.
Recycle and reuse old items: If you have old decorations get them out and inspect them thoroughly. Lights in good condition can go on your tree, if the lights are faulty, consider letting them go. Electrical sparks still start fires.
Decorate with kids in mind: If you have little children, or some will be coming over, elevate your ornaments and wiring.
Keep decorations lighted: Leave lights on every night through the season. Turn out a few light bulbs in the area, play soft Christmas tracks and enjoy the soft ambience of the night.