Home for the Holidays: What To Do Before You Deck the Halls

The Holidays are here, and most of us are getting ready to deck the halls in one way or another. Before you pull out the tinsel and tree, take a couple hours to make some quick changes to update your rooms, and provide a great background for your Christmas and holiday trimmings.

Think of decorating for the holidays as making a cake. Before you get to the icing, you need to have a good foundation. Then you add the filling, and lastly comes the decoration on top! Here are ideas for all three!

• If you haven't already, pick a focal point wall in your room. This can be the wall you see as you enter, the wall the tv is on, or the wall that contains a wonderful view! Now make that wall special, a place where a person's eyes are drawn to. This gives your room importance and style. Try painting that one wall a rich color such as butterscotch gold, deep sage, plum, steel blue, or barn red. These are all seen as the "new neutrals" because they are muted colors, and blend well into your color schemes.

• Add more importance to your focal wall by placing a large piece of furniture there, group artwork, or paint panels of coordinating colors to represent paneled walls.
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• Now use your large furniture pieces to create conversation areas in the room, group some chairs around a fireplace, rearrange your couch and loveseat to face each other, or try something on a diagonal to add style. You can use an online furniture arrangement for free by going to www.HGTV.com and clicking on the "Room Planner".

• Now add your filling! Using your focal wall color, add throws and pillows, use coordinating ribbon to tie up your curtains, or frame some pretty fabric with your colors to fill that empty wall. Adding winter white this time of year will perk up any color scheme!

• If you only have blinds at the window, now is the time to layer with curtains! Nothing fancy, just simple drawback curtains from the discount shop or the sewing matching, tied back with that matching ribbon, of course! Layer table cloths and runners, and add placemats to your kitchen table.

Ok, now that you've spent an afternoon or two making the room a coordinated showpiece, time for the icing! You can find free ideas for Christmas décor at http://www.thebudgetdecorator.com/holiday_articles.html Let loose with your holiday decorating, remember there is always a way to make what you don't have, and fill your home with love for the season - now that you have a background to be proud of!(And it only took an afternoon!)