Easy Decoration Ideas That'll Holiday up Your Home

mini christmas trees
Photo: Ryan Liebe

When decking your own halls, consider these charming touches. Classic in inspiration and modern in execution, they bring cheer to nearly every room in the house and are as easy to implement as one, two...tree.

01 of 08

Cue the Conifers

mini christmas trees
Ryan Liebe

Make your mantel look amazing with a colorful assortment of vintage and inexpensive evergreens. The bottle‐brush variety are readily available online and at crafts stores; the miniature ones were plucked from a model train set. Votives make the snow‐dusted landscape sparkle.

Bag-O-Frosted topiaries, $13, department56.com

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02 of 08

Jingle all the Way

Bell ornament for door
Ryan Liebe

To make comings and goings much more festive, gather a variety of crafts-store bells (these are red, gold, and silver), and string them onto two loops of wire. Mold them into a cluster shape, twist the ends of the loops together, and tie on a big bow. Hang the ornament from a doorknob with a piece of cord.

Creatology jingle bells, 16 mm, 20 mm, and 30 mm, from $4.50 a bag, michaels.com.

03 of 08

Fake a Flame

Led Votives
Ryan Liebe

Enjoy candlelight without the fire hazard by placing LED votives on windowsills, mantels, and stairs.

Pottery Barn flameless plastic votive candles, $20 for 4, potterybarn.com. Everlasting votive candles, $15 for 10, bedbathandbeyond.com.

04 of 08

Stock up on Stockings

stockings
Ryan Liebe

Nope, they're not just for kids. These John Robshaw beauties add texture and color to any space -- and can eb put to new use: Fill sachets with fallen pine needles, tuck them inside the stockings, and perfume your home in a stealth way.

John Robshaw Wana and Tuwan stockings, $99 each, johnrobshaw.com.

05 of 08

Go out with a Bang

Crackers craft
Ryan Liebe

Christmas crackers -- prettily wrapped cylinders that hold tiny gifts and emit a loud pop when pulled apart -- date back to mid‐19th‐century Great Britain. Place a pile in a bowl by your front door, and send guests home with a jolly fun party favor.

Olde English crackers, from $24 for 6, oldenglishcrackers.com.

06 of 08

Spread the Love

mistletoe chandelier
Ryan Liebe

Rather than tucking mistletoe in a doorway, make family meals warm and fuzzy with an overhead centerpiece. Wrap a wreath frame with fresh eucalyptus and faux mistletoe (toxins in the real berries can harm kids and pets), and attach ornaments with floral wire.

Ashland wire wreath frame, 18", $4, michaels.com. Artificial mistletoe spray, 3" by 30", $5, factorydirectcraft.com.

07 of 08

Light the Way

menorah of glass bud vases
Ryan Liebe

To set up this modern menorah, arrange eight bud vases in a row, with a taller one in the middle, and place tapers inside. For added stability, put a bit of candle glue in the bottom of each vase. Post‐holiday, repurpose the vessels for greenery or small garden clippings.

Stick-Um candle adhesive, $11, amazon.com. Jamali Garden glass crystal bud vases, $10 for 5", $13 for 7", jamaligarden.com. Metallic taper candles, 12", in Silver, $17 for 12, candles4less.com.

08 of 08

Count Down to Christmas

Advent calendar
Ryan Liebe

This whimsical Advent calendar comes together in a few basic steps. First, paint a two-by- four-foot pegboard slat; let dry overnight. Using stencils, craft paint, and a brush or sponge, paint the numbers 1 through 24 on muslin gift bags; let dry overnight. The next day, evenly space 24 small wooden pegs in the board; fill the bags with little toys, candy, and handwritten messages, and hang the bags in order. Then just place it on a console table or ledge, lean it against the wall (or mount it, if you have small children), and let the anticipation build.

White pegboard, 3/16" by 2' by 4', $8, homedepot.com. Cotton muslin pouches, 4" by 6", $18 for 25, snugglymonkey.com. Krylon ColorMaster gloss enamel, in Banner Red, $7 for 12 oz.; Lara’s Crafts wood axle pegs, 1 ", $4 for 31; Craftsmart stencils, in Western Alphabet, from $7; and Martha Stewart Crafts multisurface satin acrylic craft paint, in Habanero, from $2.50 for 2 oz., michaels.com.

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