In a perfect world, decorating your home for the christmas would be a magical experience. The tree would go up easily, the lights would hang perfectly, and all your wreaths would hang impossibly on the first try. But in reality, decorating your home for the christmas often feels like a curse. For some reason, the lights on your tree look crooked, they keep slipping, and it feels like nothing is going the way you planned. Trust us, we get it.
When preparation starts to feel like too much work, it’s time to bring in backup. In this case, backup is the internet and its treasure trove of christmas decorating hacks that are guaranteed to make your life easier this season.
Here are a few life hacks we wish we knew about earlier—and that we’ll be using for years to come.
1. Hang the garland on a curtain rod
If you haven’t seen this popular decorating hack yet, you’re in for a treat. Simply buy a tension rod for curtains and attach it to the width of your hallway or doorway. Then wrap the rod with a garland (or two!) and add a few ornaments for a more festive look. Once the garland is decorated to your liking, raise the rod to the desired height and attach it. Important safety tip: Be sure to check the rod’s weight capacity to avoid overloading it.
2. Use bows made from different ribbons
Bows will be even more popular this coming season, but tying them by hand can be tricky (you need to get the hang of it), but it’s good that there are various instructions online. Once all the bows are tied beautifully, attach them to the tree using floral wire or ornament hooks. The result will be a trendy tree that still retains a classic festive look — and it’s cheaper than buying regular ornaments!
3. Hang the garlands vertically on the tree
This is one of those decorating hacks that is just now gaining traction. And we don’t understand why it hasn’t been popular before. Instead of hanging lights in a circle around the tree, hang them vertically from top to bottom. This method takes much less time and is much easier to remove when it’s time to put the tree away.
4. Hang your garland using paper clips
If you Google “how to hang garland,” you’ll end up in some comment section or forum where you’ll read incredibly heated debates about the pros and cons of hooks. However, this hack is as simple as it is practical: no matter which hooks you decide to use, secure the garland to the hooks using paper clips. This will provide extra support to keep the garland from falling over and will make it easy to layer multiple garlands for a fuller look.
5. Use inexpensive prints for a festive atmosphere
An easy way to enhance your christmas decor is to hang christmas-themed pictures around your home. To do this as cheaply as possible, find beautiful, high-resolution pictures from various sites and print them yourself. Then simply frame the picture—thrifty frames are great if you’re going for a vintage look—and hang it.
6. Make your own dried orange garland
A dried orange garland is the perfect way to add a cozy, rustic feel to your christmas decor. To make it, dry orange slices in the oven, then use a crochet needle to poke small holes in each slice and thread twine through the holes. It’s an inexpensive, eco-friendly christmas decor option, and it’ll fill your home with a wonderful aroma as you work.
7. Place your Christmas tree in the basket
Christmas tree collars are a chic alternative to a more traditional skirt, but they can be quite expensive. For a similar look that’s much more budget-friendly, grab a large wicker basket (you might already have one in your home!) and place a tree stand inside, then continue collecting. You can also drape a throw over one side of the basket for extra coziness.
8. Decorate simple wreaths with bells and ribbons
For a budget-friendly alternative to expensive wreaths, customize a plain wreath by adding your own ribbon and other accents. Simply choose the accessories you like and attach them to the wreath using paper clips, floral wire, or hot glue. We recommend checking out gold bells and velvet bows. The end result will be a completely unique wreath that will cost much less than similar options in the store.
9. Turn your kitchen cabinets into giant gifts
Since bows and ribbons are all the rage this year, why not add them to your kitchen cabinets? Give your kitchen a gift-wrapped look by purchasing thick ribbon (ideally the kind that attaches with wire) and attaching it to your cabinets in a bow shape. You can use store-bought bows to complete the look, or tie your own and secure with additional ribbon.
10. Decorate your christmas decor with cinnamon sticks
Are you worried about your decorations going moldy when you pack them up and store them until next year? Save yourself the stress and add a few cinnamon sticks to your decoration box. Then next year, when you pull out your favorite garlands, wreaths, and other decorations, they’ll smell festive.