NOW! Now is the time to start getting Christmas decor! I visited Ikea the other day and noticed they're finally stocking all things Christmas. And after one fatal mistake I made two years ago - thinking it was too early to get Christmas decor in mid-October, I waited and then all the lovely Christmas stuff I had eyed earlier was gone! - I'm firmly suggesting you get everything you want now. Trust me, it's never too early: you don't have to put the decor up until December if you don't like, and you can be sure you get exactly what you want before they sell them out. (If you're going to make all the decor yourself - which I would find absolutely admirable - you can ignore this article completely.)
In order to get the perfect Christmas decor, there are a few rules to keep in mind:
- Have one or two main colors, and neutral colors to fill the palette. For example: red-gold-white, green-silver-glass, red-green-silver, purple-black-gold, copper-white-glass. Get everything from ornaments to ribbons to tablecloths to candlesticks according to your palette of choice.
- Candles. Candles candles candles. Scented ones trump non-scented ones, so get vanilla, apple, cinnamon, mahogany, carrot cake - any scent that reminds you of Christmas.
- Don't be afraid to change the textiles in your home as well. You can change curtains and pillowcases - I recommend using a neutral color in the curtains and bolder colors (and bolder patterns) in the pillowcases - in no time at all.
- Within your color palette, have all kinds of different materials, textures, and patterns - shiny, matte, braided, checkered, striped. Cotton, plastic, glass.
- Get at least one elf figure to intimidate the kids into behaving well.
When it comes to the tree, get a real one - they not only smell better than plastic ones, but also make all the difference in the ambiance. But that can wait until December, so no need to worry about it yet. And when it comes to gift wrapping paper, you can get it already if you find one you like, but since the gifts are usually on display only for a small moment and thus are not considered part of the decor, you can get the paper later - that's probably the one thing that won't run out of stores. (I already got five rolls, though.)
And if you want to make things extra easy, do use at least some of the decorations you already own from previous years. It'll save you a lot of time, and a lot of money.
If you've missed the previous instalments in WIP's Christmas countdown article series, check them out now:
100 Days Until Christmas!
90 Days Until Christmas!
80 Days Until Christmas!
RK
P.S. The wait really is the best part about Christmas, isn't it?
