Between buying gifts and cooking fancy meals, who has the time to spend days decorating their home for the holidays? But not doing so would earn you a reputation as a Scrooge. What's the best way to do it? Deck the halls with easy holiday decorating ideas that take less than five minutes to prepare (seriously!).
Small touches like hanging ornaments from staircase banisters and adding festive scents with cinnamon sticks are all you need to get your home ready for the holidays. Here are some great ways to get into the Christmas spirit in under five minutes.
Decorate the entrance
Nicole Franzen
Decorate your entryway with glowing stars, snowflakes and string lights. This sophisticated idea will add a glamorous glow to your home and can be kept subtle even after the holidays are over.
Beautify your bar cart
Johnny Miller
Decorate your bar cart with seasonal décor like metallic accents and vases of winter flowers and foliage (even bouquets from the grocery store will do). Keep glasses and all the basic cocktail essentials on hand so guests can help themselves without having to play bartender.
Make a temporary mantelpiece
Designed by Emily Henderson, photos by Sarah Ligoria Trump
No fireplace? No problem. Substitute open shelves for your mantel, like the Emily Henderson Design team did here. Arrange decorative accents like miniature trees, string lights, snow globes, and flameless candles, and hang stockings thoughtfully on the bookshelves.
Darlin' Clementine
Annie Poor
Take some thick wire, tie a knot at each end, and thread a clementine and a jingle bell through it. (Yes, your hands might get a little sticky.) Twist all the wire into a bundle and secure it with a big bow. Hang it from a staircase post or entryway.
Step up
Annie Poor
Even if you don't decorate your entire tree this year, you can still display your precious ornaments. Hang the most eye-catching ornaments with beautiful ribbons in various places around your home, such as on your staircase.
Lend a hand
Annie Poor
Pin some mittens (either leftover ones or ones your kids have outgrown) to some yarn and display them on a mantelpiece or bookshelf, or hang your kids' striped wool socks and knitted hats.
Bundle of joy
Annie Poor
Try hanging something unexpected from your tree, like a bunch of fragrant cinnamon sticks, or place a bowl of fresh cinnamon sticks for an easy DIY twist on traditional potpourri.
Just log on
Experience Interiors/Getty Images
Here's a roaring fireplace that doesn't take much work to get a fire going: Just search “Fireplace for Your Home” on Netflix to watch classic Christmas tunes blaring from an old-fashioned fireplace.
A feast for the eyes
Annie Poor
Gather a bunch of white and silver doilies and tape them together or use a bit of glue to create a unique table runner. For an inexpensive winter centerpiece, place pinecones in glass vases or large compotes of different heights. Spray paint the pinecones gold and silver for extra sparkle, or leave them natural.
Sunken Treasure
Annie Poor
We all know poinsettias can look as ordinary as fruitcake, but you can also make them look sophisticated by removing them from their foil-covered pots and placing them in a pretty vase.
Perfect characters
Annie Poor
Stamp the wreath with your last name initial hanging in the center. This zinc version sparkles in the light.
Clean up your settings
Annie Poor
Turn old holiday cards into place cards. Cut the cards into star shapes and add tissue paper cutouts to match. Punch holes, tie with ribbon, and label.
take a bow
Annie Poor
Finally, here's a way to use all those colorful store-bought ribbons you save every year, and a project that kids can do: Take a plain paper plate, cut out the center, and glue ribbon all over it to make a lovely wreath.
A showy decoration
Annie Poor
Christmas decorating doesn't just stop at the tree and mantelpiece — consider window sills and empty bookshelves, too. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Place pine branches in a large vase and hang some ornaments above it. Fill an old jar with pistachios, winterberries, or red peppercorns and place tea lights on top. For a coastal motif, line it with starfish strung on solid red string.
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