The holidays have arrived, bringing with it the festivities of Hanukkah and Christmas. Holidays require a lot of preparation and decoration that needs to be done. Despite the apparent stress that comes alongside these holidays, many of the preparations and decorations are simple and can turn out beautifully with the right steps.
Hanukkah opens the holiday season. There is a lot of preparing for this eight day event, spanning from sunset on December 12th to sundown on December 20th. People put out there menorahs, candles, and lights to show their holiday spirit. Common colors associated with the holiday are blue, white, and silver.
For the exterior of the house, drape blue lights down from the roofs and maybe around the garage doors and windows or decorate trees and bushes with blue lights or white lights. Dreidels that light up are great to put in windows or in yards. For the exterior, another great way is to decorate the door and put blue and silver wreaths and maybe some presents on the yard to.
For the interior of the house, replace the flowers with blue and white ones and place them in vases. To bring accents to the house, silver stands on tables with a blue ball on top of it are easy ways to add color and festivity. Place menorahs near windows or in the center of a dining room table to draw attention to the items. Replacing curtains and tablecloths with either blue or white ones is also a simple way to liven up the setting and draw upon the color scheme of the holiday. These small decorations and accents can make a huge difference to the house.
A few days after Hanukkah ends, Christmas begins. Decorations for this holiday are often started far in advance, often mere days after Thanksgiving ends.
Sophomore Samantha Rudolf says, “I am super excited for Christmas. It’s one of the holidays where I can enjoy decorating my house while listening to Christmas music.”
Lots of people decorate their interior and exterior of their house, whether that means putting up a Christmas tree or lighting up the exterior of the house to stay put with the season. For the exterior of the house, a garland around the railings of the stairs, around the door or even on the mailbox adds to the theme and draws upon the image of the Christmas tree.
Another great decoration is putting lights up on the house. Put lights around roofs, windows, around the driveway, bushes, and even in trees. Many go with colorful lights or classic white lights. Another great way to light up people’s homes is to put reindeer and a tree that light up or even a snowman, and some of those are in motion and are a large feature of someone’s yard. A great compliment to the house is putting a Christmas wreath on the door and a Nutcracker statue.
For the interior of the house, decorate the Christmas tree with ornaments, ribbon, and a bow. Ornaments can be personal, either with photos or of trips. Some people, though, opt for classic ornaments that are one color scheme.
Fireplaces are a nice place to add decorations. Railings with garlands and red bows and Christmas stockings onto the fireplace help add a personal touch and warmth to the space. Poinsettias, either red or white, are great Christmas flowers and add rich color to a space.
A great accent to the house is placing candles and some snowglobes or the Nutcracker around the house. From the classic Christmas ballet, the Nutcracker is the perfect festive Christmas image, and is great for use in decoration around a house. Some great table decor includes placing red candles on top of a table and replacing the cloth with either a red or white cloth. Most people usually decide to put a garland in the middle of their table with some pinecones and holly.
Senior Clarissa Po says, “I love decorating for the holidays with my family. We are somewhat untraditional because our tree is decorated with a collection of stuff we made in pre-school and Catholic school. We also hang stockings on each door in the house.”
No matter the holiday, decorating can be personal and add personalization and festivity into a house. The holiday season is about thankfulness, family and happiness. Through effective decorations, the events and ambience of the holiday season are amplified and allow for a great holiday season for all!
