Blog Post

It’s that time of year!...

The snow, the over-eating, the in-laws…and of course, the decorations. At Starr Homes, we live and breathe houses. How do we prepare our dwellings for the holidays around the office? Here are our top 6 tips for getting your home holiday-ready.

1. Hanging Those Lights

Hanging Christmas lights may seem light a daunting, and even dangerous task. If you don’t put them up early enough, you could be battling some seriously cold weather. If you don’t want to put your lights up yourself, hiring a crew can be expensive. Here are a few things you can do to make your Christmas lights seem a little more in reach. 

Take advantage of every bush, tree, and lamp post in your area. That’s the beauty of string lights, you can place them on just about anything! Keeping colors consistent is also a key to making your lot look festive and put-together. Too much variation in different places may end up being overwhelming. Try all-white for a classic and whimsical look, or all colored lights for that perfect day-of-Christmas feel. White and red lights are also a great alternative. 

If you live in a subdivision, take advantage of your common spaces! Start a tradition where everyone buys the same colored lights, the same wreath, or wrap the trunks of all the subdivision trees!

2. Sprucing up the Tree

Whether you have a real tree or a fake tree, the Christmas tree will probably be the biggest holiday staple in your house. If you have a real tree, make sure to keep it well watered. Real trees are luxurious and lush, not to mention that they are fun to pick out and bring home. If you decide to opt for the fake tree, make sure to dress it up! A flannel tree skirt is a great way to hide an ugly tripod base to a fake tree. Or, place your tree in the bottom of a flowerpot! Try sticking the base in Styrofoam, weighing it down with rocks, and covering the top with burlap or fabric. It is a great way to ground your tree and offer a more decorative base! 

Make sure you are conscious of tree placement in your home. Ceiling is too short? Try buying multiple shorter trees. Do you have tall ceilings but not a lot of floor space? A tall, skinny tree would work fabulously! Make sure to place your tree out of a natural walking path. If you have small children or pets, try putting glass and decorative ornaments up higher, out of reach. Finally, don’t feel restricted on your Christmas tree. Try placing multiple trees around the house! One in the kitchen, one in the living room, and even small trees in the bedrooms will fill you with cheer when you wake up. 

3. Holiday Scents

When the holidays come around, you’ll notice the stores changing merchandise very quickly. Garland, lights, and trees will fill the empty spaces at the front of your favorite grocery store. One of our favorite small holiday additions are new holiday scents! Most candle and oil diffuser companies have entire lines of holiday scents. Purchase a few of your favorites scents and keep them lit during dinner and family time. Candles and wax melts offer a soft ambiance and fill your home with holiday aromas.  Apple cinnamon, pumpkin pie, and evergreen are some of the more common scents. Don’t underestimate the power of a holiday-scented home.

4. Festive, not Frustrated 

Decorating for the holidays doesn’t have to break the bank. There are simple steps you can take to create a stylish interior. Try wrapping garland and/or lights around a railing down your stairs. Centerpieces and small trinkets are also great to sprinkle around your house. Look for lanterns, candles, garland, tinsel, fairy lights, and fake fruits and vegetables to place on your dining table, even at a thrift store. A simple holiday centerpiece is an inexpensive way to add holiday flair to your home. You can also buy simple holiday place settings and set your dining table during the holidays. A fake pumpkin here and there, a wreath on a few doors, and garland on an entry table are easy ways to add inexpensive holiday elements to functional spaces.

5. Ornaments for Days 

If you love to assemble a beautiful tree with matching lights, ornaments, tinsel, and keep it perfectly polished, but have plenty of kids’ homemade ornaments, this may be for you. If you have kids who make an ornament every year in school or love to collect ornaments, your tree decorations are probably mismatched and not as polished. These ornaments probably mean the most to you, but they aren’t as pretty as perfectly round and shiny glass orbs. A great solution is to simply have two trees! In a more formal living space, create your put-together and organized tree. In a more casual area of the house like a den, media room, or extra space in the kitchen, set up your hodgepodge tree! It is a great way to celebrate all your ornaments but also keep the tree formal and polished in the desired areas.

6. Make it a Party

The holidays can bring on plenty of stress but remember that your families and neighbors are going through the same thing too! Embrace the chaos. Instead of setting up the tree alone, make it a family event. Have a tree decorating party in your home with your family. If you don’t want to make dozens of cookies for your neighbors, have a cookie decorating party with them instead! The holidays are a time to pull together, so enjoy it with friends and family. Hosting a canned food drive for your neighborhood or volunteering time at a shelter is a great way to give back during the holidays as well. If you get a group of friends, family, or coworkers together, volunteering your time and talent will be meaningful for you, your group, and those you are giving to. 

Final thoughts?

Holidays can be stressful, but Christmas is the only time of the year where you can sit by a dead tree and eat candy out of socks. Enjoy it!

Happy Holidays!