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Even houses can showcase the holiday spirit of their occupants once they are decked out for Christmas festivities. While there are no rules when it comes to holiday décor, holiday revelers can rely on past traditions combined with contemporary twists to spice up the surroundings. The following article offers the top ten ways to spruce up the house for the Christmas holiday.

Whether large or small, there is nothing like a Christmas tree to add to the wintry enchantment of Christmas. While trimming the tree is a traditional pastime, there are plenty of ways to give your tree décor a bit of a twist or to incorporate additional trees around the home. For instance, it can be fun for the whole family to give the tree a thematic twist. For example, decorative themes might include vintage glass ornaments, homemade ornaments, snowmen, single color, heirloom, or fairytales. Family members might even add a few ornaments or garlands to the potted plants around the house for a touch more holiday charm.

Some decorative items need not be merely decorations. Many items serve a necessary function around the house. For instance, festive holiday mugs and holiday china sets can be used throughout December to enhance the holiday mood at meal times. While there are lots of sets commercially available, consider collecting useful pieces of vintage red and green dishes and glassware. Setting a table with vintage glass makes for a lovely holiday dining experience.

If possible, it’s exciting to give the walls of the home a facelift. Replace framed photos with past Christmas photos throughout the month. Replace art with holiday art. If finding winter or holiday art poses too much expense, consider covering your wall art with decorate metallic wrapping paper and topping each off with an oversized bow. For bare walls, consider incorporating a special Christmas card display to fill in the space. For mirrors, add a decorative border with wrapping paper or faux snow.

Holiday lighting is an essential feature of holiday décor. From special tree lights to nutmeg or peppermint scented candles, lights provide a feeling of warmth and coziness whenever they are lit. Burning a Yule log in the fireplace is another way to incorporate an old tradition into our modern world. Add some romantic candelabras to tabletops decorated with a few sprigs of holly for added charm. Some decorators even go so far as to add colored red or green bulbs to ordinary light fixtures.

The kitchen can be a great place to feature holiday décor. From holiday dish towels to trays of festive holiday candy and treats, the kitchen often serves as a special nook around the holidays. Add candy canes or other red and green candy to clear glass or crystal jars. Showcase holiday baked goods on holiday tiered plates or in places they will be noticed. Even leaving holiday cookbooks around will allow your guests to browse and add to the overall festivities.

In the bathroom, consider switching your towels to red and green. Place special holiday soaps on soap dishes and, if possible, add a decorative holiday shower curtain. Add a decorative piece of holiday fabric in front of your existing shower curtain for example. Holiday potpourri in the bathroom is just another small way to add Christmas charm to every room of the home.

Consider filling curio cabinets with holiday touches. Some people replace their regular collections with special Christmas collections of Santas, Angels, Nativity figures, or snowmen. Even adding a mat of red felt or snowy white batting can spruce up a cabinet for Christmas. Villages are a popular feature of holiday décor and there are many to choose from and these can be displayed around the home in a myriad of ways.

Many homes feature a Nativity scene either beneath the Christmas tree or in some other prominent location. Mangers and the various figurines that accompany come in many sizes and styles, but they always important reminders of the first long-ago Christmas. Consider placing one on a dining room buffet or on a prominent table during the holidays.

Garlands, wreaths, and stockings are other traditional items used to decorate for Christmas. Hanging them in locations around the house will likely put everyone in the mood for holiday celebrations. These seasonal items might adorn such things as dining room tables, doorways, dresser-tops, closets, and more. Tinsel and homemade garlands can also be strung around the home throughout December.

Once the interior is complete, consider giving the outside of the home some holiday décor. While some homes take the excessive route and top their roofs with a life-size Santa Claus and sleigh, others simply add strands of holiday lighting or add Christmas lawn decorations. Strands of holly might adorn porch railings. Some homes feature rustic wooden outlines of reindeer. Whatever the case, it is always exciting to drive through neighborhoods to view all the various outdoor decorative displays.