How to Decorate Your House at Christmas

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Buy or trim a Christmas tree.

   Many consider the tree to be the most important Christmastime decoration; if you don't do anything else, get a tree! Choose either a real tree or an artificial one.
   
   Set it up in the room where you and your family will be opening presents together on Christmas day.
   
   Decorate the tree in your personal style.
   
   Here are some festive ideas:
   String lights on the tree.
   
   A tree lit by white or colored lights is a beautiful sight to behold during Christmas season.
   
   Small white lights are popular, but you can also buy white, blue, red, or multicolored lights to string on your tree.
   
   Start at the bottom, leaving the end of the string of lights long enough so that it reaches the closest electrical outlet.
   
   Wind the lights around the tree in a spiral pattern.
   
   Tuck the other end of the string of lights into a branch at the top of the tree.
   
   Decorate with ornaments.
   
   Consider making your own ornaments using dough, buttons, or crystals to add a personal touch to your tree.
   
   You could also buy classic round baubles and ball ornaments from the store.
   
   Disperse the ornaments evenly around the tree, taking care not to leave big bare spots.
   
   Decorate the tree with some garland or some popcorn chains.
   
   Add a tree topper.
   
   It's traditional to place a star at the top of the tree, symbolizing the Star of David that led the three wise men to find Jesus when he was born.
   
   You could also top the tree with an angel, a snowflake, or another festive decoration.
   
   Decorate around the bottom of the tree.
   
   You can purchase white fabric to drape around the tree.
   
   Sprinkle white glitter on it so it resembles freshly fallen snow.
   
   Throughout the Christmas season, place presents you intend to give people under the tree.
   
   If you feel that putting and setting up the tree is a bit too much, try delegating tasks to others to help you.
   
   A party can help get the tree decorated quicker and into a more festive looking state.
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   Step 2: Hang stockings.

   String store-bought or handmade stockings across the fireplace, over the mantle, or in another spot in the same room as the Christmas tree.
   
   Use red or green ribbon or twine to hang the stockings.
   
   Each member of the family should get his or her own stocking. , You might be able to find a bit of fresh mistletoe in a nursery
   - or even in a hardwood tree in your yard or neighborhood
   - but you can also buy a faux mistletoe plant to hang in a doorway in your house.
   
   Hang it from a small hook in a doorway between rooms.
   
   Tie a small red ribbon over the hook to make it look more festive.
   
   And of course, encourage people to give each other a kiss if they find themselves standing beneath the mistletoe together. , Hang some lights at the top borders of walls where the ceiling meets the wall.
   
   If possible and if you have enough lights to do it, strand up some lights around the room you will be presenting most of the Christmas festivities in. , These houses have become a symbol of old time and years past and a representation of what Christmases gone by have been like. , You may want to include baby Jesus before (if you are afraid of losing him to the original box or forgetting to place him in the cradle later), but that can be left up to you to decide. , Hang more ornaments with paperclips on nails and screws that are only used during Christmas.
   
   Make things festive inside the house. , Some tweens and early teenagers can be trusted to not break the ornaments. , Use some of supporting banisters and windows to hang the cards. ,,, Prepare some CD's or cassettes, or find stations on the computer that play solely Christmas music.
   
   There are a few Christmas stations on Pandora, iHeartRadio and Live365 that play Christmas music all year long.
   
   There are others in assorted areas of the Internet that can be found, but these are three of the more popular areas that can be trusted to play all the favorite Christmas tunes all year long.
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   Step 3: Don't forget the mistletoe.

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   Step 4: Hang some lights elsewhere around the house.

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   Step 5: Set Up a Christmas Village

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   Step 6: if you have a few Christmas Village houses to present to people.

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   Step 7: Display a manger someplace inside the Christmas festivities room or near the Christmas tree.

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   Step 8: Decorate some of the other rooms in your house.

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   Step 9: Set up a Christmas tree in a child's room

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    Step 10: if you can be assured that they will not try to mess or play with it

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    Step 11: or break it in any way.

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    Step 12: Display some of the Christmas cards as they arrive.

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    Step 13: Set out any entryway doormats inside or outside that have a festive Christmas theme (if any special ones are present).

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    Step 14: Set up a festive Christmas table centerpiece table setting and table (drapes).

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    Step 15: Get some Christmas music ready to be played in stereo.

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