1. Plan your room or house around a theme
2. Don't use real mistletoe if you have kids or pets.
3. Real greenery can last a week without water.
4. Don't forget to decorate the stairs and windows.
5. Ordinary winter objects can be used as decorations.

</note>

• by Darcy Logan

• If you are looking for Christmas decorations you can make, but are not the craftiest person in the world, don't despair. Decorating for Christmas doesn't have to be a nightmare. There are dozens of quick and simple decorating ideas that you can do, usually with common household supplies!

• This page is just one of Mahalo's Christmas How To pages. Rather than repeat the information found on other related pages, here are some of the most helpful ones that you can check out for yourself:
  • How to Decorate a Christmas Tree
  • How to Make Christmas Ornaments
  • How to Make Christmas Stockings
  • How to Make a Christmas Wreath
  • How to Make and Decorate a Christmas Bow (especially the section on Decorating with Bows)

• Even if you are dreaming of a white Christmas, greenery makes great decoration. While you might feel that you are limited to pine, mistletoe and holly, you're not. You can also use spruce, fir, mountain laurel, boxwood, cedar, magnolia and juniper.Clemson Extension: Holiday Decorating With Fresh Greenery

1. If you want to use "boughs of holly" to deck your halls, then all you need are a few branches. "Bough" means the branch of a tree, especially a main branch.Merriam-Webster: "Bough" Definition
2. Mistletoe is hazardous if eaten.The New York Times: The Claim: Don't Eat the Mistletoe. It Can Be Deadly (December 11, 2007) Use artificial varieties if you have children or pets.
3. Use a few bunches to decorate your table or a display.Better Homes and Gardens: Holiday Home Decor: A Bit of Green
4. Greenery can last about a week without water.Better Homes and Gardens: Holiday Home Decor: A Bit of Green
5. Small bunches can be tied with a ribbon used to decorate doors and mantles.Better Homes and Gardens: Holiday Home Decor: Boxwood
6. Use spray adhesive to attach greenery to glass hurricane candle holders.Better Homes and Gardens: Evergreen Candle
7. If you are cutting your own greenery, gather it on a cloudy, damp day when the temperature is above freezing.Oregon State University: Deck Your Halls with Boughs of Holly

• A kissing ball is an old tradition that can be made using mistletoe or other greenery. You will need a Styrofoam ball, greenery and ribbon.Better Homes and Gardens: Kissing Ball You can use a potato or a floral foam ball instead of a Styrofoam ball if using fresh greenery.Clemson Extension: Holiday Decorating With Fresh Greenery MarthaStewart.com: Mistletoe: Kissing Ball How-To

1. Soak fresh greenery in water overnight.
2. Cut greenery into three-inch strips.MarthaStewart.com: Mistletoe: Kissing Ball How-To
3. If using a floral ball and fresh greenery, soak it in water.MarthaStewart.com: Mistletoe: Kissing Ball How-To
4. Insert the greenery into the ball or potato until it is completely covered.Clemson Extension: Holiday Decorating With Fresh Greenery If using artificial greenery, you can use pins or hot glue to attach.Better Homes and Gardens: Kissing Ball
5. Decorate the ball with ribbon, berries, beads or similar items.MarthaStewart.com: Mistletoe: Kissing Ball How-To
6. Use ribbon or wire to hang in a popular stopping spot.

• Table decorations should not be limited to centerpieces. They can be placed on any surface in your home.

1. Fill clear bottles or vases with cranberries and add flowers, twigs or other greenery.Readers Digest.com: 16 Cheap and Easy Christmas Decorating Tips, p. 8
2. Spray paint bottles holiday colors and add candles, flowers or greenery.Readers Digest.com: 16 Cheap and Easy Christmas Decorating Tips, p. 10
3. Any vase can be filled with artificial poinsettias or red and white flowers.Designing Online: Ten Inexpensive Holiday Decorating Tips
4. A plain vase can be transformed by gluing or wiring ornaments around it.Better Homes and Gardens: Super-Simple Holiday Decor: Blooms And Baubles
5. Fill silver containers, decorative bowls or flower pots with candy and top it off with ribbon.Better Homes and Gardens: Super-Simple Holiday Decor: Candy in Silver
6. Fill decorative glassware with mini marshmallows and sugar; then, insert a candle.RealSimple.com: Five-Minute Holiday Decorating Ideas, p.10
7. Wrap empty boxes to use as decoration.RealSimple.com: Holiday Decorating Ideas from the Craft Store
8. Place holiday-themed storybooks on your tabletops.Lowe's: Ten Holiday Tips
9. Cover your end tables with holiday table scarves you made from Christmas fabric and hem tape.Designing Online: Ten Inexpensive Holiday Decorating Tips

• Below you will find links to more elaborate Christmas centerpieces that you can make to decorate your table.
  1. About.com: Christmas Centerpieces You Can Make Yourself
  2. About.com: Christmas Decorating Projects - Holiday Centerpiece
  3. Lowe's: Creating Holiday Centerpieces
  4. Better Homes and Gardens: Holly and Roses "Cake" Centerpiece

• One shouldn't forget to decorate the windows at Christmas time. There are lots of different ways you can add a bit of Christmas cheer to them.

1. Use ribbon to hang ornaments in the window.Lowe's: Ten Holiday Tips
2. Wreaths aren't only for doors. You can use them to decorate the windows inside and outside your home.Better Homes and Gardens: A Very Colorful Christmas: Red and White
3. Accent your windows with swags of artificial flowers tied with ribbon.Better Homes and Gardens: Windows with Flash
4. Combine powdered tempura paint with dishwashing liquid to make paint that can be used on your windows. Use the paint to make a scene or paint accents on your windows.FamilyFun.com: Stained Glass Window Decoration
5. Cut out snowflakes from parchment paper or vellum and hang them in the windows.FamilyFun.com: Fan-Tastic Snowflakes
6. Draw or trace a snowflake using fabric paint on waxed paper. Let dry overnight and then peel it from the paper to make your own window clings.FamilyFun.com: Glittery Window Clings
7. Decorate the windows and mirrors using children's bath crayons.All Things Christmas: Ideas for Christmas Decorations: 101 Holidays Decorating Ideas for the Holiday Season

• Stairways are often a center feature in a home, so they shouldn't be overlooked when it comes down to decorating.

1. Indoor Christmas lights can be wrapped around the banister and secured with tape.All Things Christmas: Ideas for Christmas Decorations: 101 Holidays Decorating Ideas for the Holiday Season
2. Add bows, ornaments or flowers at various points on your stairway.About.com: Decorate Your Stairway for the Holidays
3. Wreaths can be hung at intervals on the stairways using decorative ribbon.About.com: Decorate Your Stairway for the Holidays
4. Take several door swags and place them at even intervals.About.com: Decorate Your Stairway for the Holidays
5. Wide ribbon can be draped and wound around the railing. When Christmas is over, rewind the ribbon and use it again.Better Homes and Gardens: Holiday Home Decor: Doll Up the Stairs
6. Use thin ribbon to hang ornaments along the banister.RealSimple.com: Five-Minute Holiday Decorating Ideas, p.13
7. Fresh or artificial garland can be wrapped around the banister.Lowe's: Ten Holiday Tips

• Candles are a wonderful way to decorate for Christmas and can be used in every room of your house.Lowe's: Ten Holiday Tips Here are a few examples on how to use candles to make holiday decorations:

1. Plain candles can be painted using 3-dimensional fabric paint. Best of all, mistakes will peel right off!All Things Christmas: Ideas for Christmas Decorations: 101 Holidays Decorating Ideas for the Holiday Season
2. Hot glue snowflake brads onto a pillar candle.Michaels: Snowflake Candle
3. Replace your regular candles with Christmas ones (either in color or design).Designing Online: Ten Inexpensive Holiday Decorating Tips
4. Use colored buttons and beads to transform a white pillar candle into a snowman.Michaels: Snowmen Candle Snowscape
5. Group several pillar candles together and wrap them with ribbon.Better Homes and Gardens: Holiday Home Decor: Fire and Ice
6. Wrap the candle with double-sided tape and sprinkle the tape with colored glitter.Michaels: Glitter Candle
7. Wrap double-sided carpet tape around a pillar candle and attach candy canes.Better Homes and Gardens: Candy Cane Candle Cuff You can also use hot glue and ribbon.Michaels: Candy Cane Candle
8. Hot glue Christmas ribbon around glass votive holders.Moms in a Blog: Easy, Affordable Christmas Decorating Ideas (November 11, 2008)
9. Wrapped boxes or painted wooden boxes make decorative candle holders.Better Homes and Gardens: A Very Colorful Christmas, p.1
10. Place a few candles on a tray decorated with artificial snow, evergreen branches, pinecones or berries, mixed nuts or ornaments.Readers Digest.com: 16 Cheap and Easy Christmas Decorating Tips, p. 3
11. You can use any clear glass container to hold your candles.Better Homes and Gardens: Super-Simple Holiday Decor: Simplicity from Your Kitchen
12. Wrapping votive holders with gold wire makes a very elegant display.Better Homes and Gardens: Super-Simple Holiday Decor: Golden Light
13. Tuck a candle into a bowl of Christmas bulbs.Better Homes and Gardens: A Very Colorful Christmas: Bowl of Bulbs

• Garland is a great item to use throughout the house on door and window frames, banisters, mirrors, and mantles.Lowe's: Ten Holiday Tips

1. Make your own garland by stringing popcorn, cranberries, cereal, beads, fresh flowers, pine cones, shells, acorns and other materials.All Things Christmas: Ideas for Christmas Decorations: 101 Holidays Decorating Ideas for the Holiday Season FamilyFun.com: Natural Garlands
2. Decorate garland by using florist wire to attach flowers, holiday picks, ribbons, berries, pine cones, wheat or other items.Lowe's: Decorate Holiday Garlands
3. Cut garland into shorter pieces to use atop furniture.Better Homes and Gardens: Holiday Home Decor: Garland Adorned

• Here are a few more tips and ideas that didn't fit in any of the above categories:

1. Cover throw pillows with holiday fabric.Designing Online: Ten Inexpensive Holiday Decorating Tips
2. Hang extra ornaments from your houseplants.Lowe's: Ten Holiday Tips
3. Pin or glue holiday ribbon around your lampshades.Readers Digest.com: 16 Cheap and Easy Christmas Decorating Tips, p. 13
4. Use lone or extra mittens to decorate mantles and stairways.RealSimple.com: Five-Minute Holiday Decorating Ideas, p.4
5. Decoupage pictures cut from old Christmas cards and wrapping paper to make any item holiday-themed. You can also pin them to your curtains or bedspread.All Things Christmas: Ideas for Christmas Decorations: 101 Holidays Decorating Ideas for the Holiday Season
6. White items can be painted or decorated to make them more Christmasy.All Things Christmas: Ideas for Christmas Decorations: 101 Holidays Decorating Ideas for the Holiday Season
7. Wrap items, such as planters or a table, with Christmas paper.All Things Christmas: Ideas for Christmas Decorations: 101 Holidays Decorating Ideas for the Holiday Season