23/10/2024
𝑫𝒆𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑯𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒔: 𝑴𝒚 𝑯𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝑮𝒖𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒑!
Every year, around mid-December, I wake up in a panic – where is the Christmas Tree, and my 25 year old decorations? Oh, and the nativity set that I had planned on fixing last year, is in an even worse condition! This year, I have a few Airbnb rentals, my own home included, so I want to be prepared, and EMBRACE the Christmas season!
There's nothing quite like the warm, festive atmosphere that fills your home, but done under duress, it just causes stress! To make this year's Christmas truly magical, let's dive into some tips on how to prepare your house for the season!
1. 𝓕𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓓𝓮𝓬𝓸𝓻:
• 𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒓 𝑷𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆: Choose a color scheme that complements your home's style. Go with your surroundings as well – live at the beach – go beachy, live on a farm – think pine cones and green tones!
• 𝑳𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔, 𝑮𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑾𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒔 Twinkly, sparkly lights are a must-have. Hang garlands and place wreaths on your doors and windows. Mr Price Home has some beautiful wooden Garlands hanging in their stores.
• 𝑻𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝑺𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: Dress up your dining table with festive tablecloths, napkins, and centerpieces. Leave your table decorated over the weeks of the festive season so that every meal becomes a celebration.
2. 𝓒𝓸𝔃𝔂 𝓐𝓶𝓫𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮:
• 𝑾𝒂𝒓𝒎 𝑳𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: Use soft, warmer lighting to create a cozy atmosphere, don't be scared to use those candles you've been hoarding!
• 𝑺𝒐𝒇𝒕 𝑭𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: This may be a contentious issue between you and your spouse, but honestly, the BEST ways to freshen up your décor – you guessed it – cushions! I absolutely insist that you buy feather inners, as they are worth the added expense and will add a sophisticated touch to your abode.
• 𝑺𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑪𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒍𝒆𝒔: Fill your home with the delightful aroma of Christmas spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Light scented candles or use essential oil diffusers. Lemongrass is adding a summery feel to my home at the moment.
3. 𝓗𝓸𝓵𝓲𝓭𝓪𝔂 𝓣𝓸𝓾𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓼:
• 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔 𝑻𝒓𝒆𝒆: A beautifully decorated Christmas tree is the centerpiece of any holiday celebration. I see in East London, the THE CHRISTMAS HOUSE SHOP is open at Beacon Bay Crossing – what a delight it will be to visit there and choose something special for our home this year!
• 𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒚-𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝑨𝒓𝒕𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌: Display holiday-themed artwork, such as paintings, prints, or photographs. This can add a personal touch to your home's decor. Get your kids involved and let them add to the creativity – there are some amazing arts and crafts on Pinterest that will inspire you to bring out their creative side as school holidays approach and you seek out activities to keep them busy.
• 𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒚-𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝑫𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔: Add holiday-themed decorations to your yard and pool area! Nothing spells summer holidays like a few inflatable toys floating on the pool! Think unicorns and dolphins!
5. 𝓞𝓻𝓰𝓪𝓷𝓲𝔃𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓒𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰:
This is a never ending process, but with me renting out our house this year, the decluttering has already started! Here are my tips:
• 𝑫𝒆𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 & 𝑫𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝑪𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒏: Clear away clutter to create a more spacious and festive atmosphere, if you don't use it, pass it on, be ruthless and give that clutter the boot! Give your home a thorough cleaning, focusing on high-traffic areas and surfaces as well as those hard to reach, out of sight areas where dust gathers.
• 𝑶𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒛𝒆 𝑮𝒊𝒇𝒕𝒔: Don’t wait for the 24th December to start gift wrapping – 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛!
By following these tips, you can transform your home into a festive and welcoming space for the Christmas holiday season. 𝙀𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮 the process of decorating and creating a magical atmosphere for your loved ones. 𝘽𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙢𝙖𝙨 2024 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙗𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚, 𝙛𝙪𝙣, 𝙛𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨! 🤶🎄🌲🏠🏝⛱
