|
Home for the Holidays
by Sonya Weiss
 Preparing your home with its holiday decor can help set the mood for the holidays. Start outside your front door. Using large, potted Christmas trees trimmed with miniature white lights, place the trees on either side of the door. Or, if you have several steps leading up to the front door, use smaller potted Christmas trees to line the sides of the steps for a warm, welcoming glow.
 If you have small children or expect to have guests with small children, to protect carpeted living or formal dining rooms, purchase inexpensive area rugs in Christmas colors (less than $30 at most retailers) to cover the carpet and to catch food or drink spills.
 Using garland-either real or artificial- line doorways, window frames and fireplace mantels. Remember that soft lighting helps give your home a soft, cozy feeling. Consider using a lamp rather than an overhead light. If you have a staircase, hang lighted garland decorated with small wreaths at evenly spaced intervals.
 For a lovely table centerpiece, hot glue pinecones around a circle mirror. In the center, sit gold or silver votive candles in clear glass votives. You can buy the round mirror at most home decorating stores.
 If you'd thought about decorating the bathroom, rather than forking over the cost of a shower curtain with a Christmas theme, make one yourself. Purchase a white vinyl shower curtain, red or green curtain rings, and craft paint. On the shower curtain, you can paint it with designs from Christmas stencils or if you have some artistic ability, you can hand paint several small Christmas scenes.
Or, better you can allow your children paint the shower curtain with their idea of what Christmas looks like.
Happy Holidays!
| 
