With Thanksgiving arriving a little early this year, we’ll have the opportunity to enjoy our Christmas decorations a little longer. If we get them up soon after turkey day, that is. And that’s my plan. What about you?
While I may not pull out all the decorations the day after Thanksgiving, I do like to start preparing my home for Christmas right away. And today I have a few easy, doable tips that can help you get your home ready for the holidays…even before the Christmas tree is up. And you don’t have to pull a single box out of the attic!
1. Light a Fresh Holiday Candle or Two
I love to begin each holiday season with a fresh, seasonal candle. I spent a little bit of time at the local Yankee Candle store the other day just sniffing. I especially liked the Aromatic Orange & Evergreen holiday scent. It’s a nice mixture of evergreen, which smells like a fresh cut Christmas tree of course, and citrus, which is always fresh and inviting.
But if you’d prefer a scent that is not so Christmasy, I also loved the Honey Clementine.
I already have my new candle for the season, and I have a couple of partially used ones from previous seasons, too. But I’ll be lighting them up the day after Thanksgiving. A new seasonal candle is a great way to get your home ready for the holidays without too much stress, exertion or cost.
You can see more holiday scent options here.
2. Fill the Air with Music
Are you ready for Christmas music? I am! And for sure by Thanksgiving I’ll be ready to dedicate most of my music listening time to the songs of the Holy season.
I’m ordering this new Matt Maher Christmas CD: Advent of Christmas. But I also love to get a new instrumental Christmas CD each year, one that can play softly in the background over dinner or through a party. I especially love piano music, classical or jazz guitar and violin during Christmas.
3. Feather Your Nest for Christmas
Honestly, I have about all the Christmas decorations I need. But I do like to add a little something to my home each Christmas that just makes the season a little more enjoyable for my family. Some years I’ve added Christmas dishes, cloth napkins, place mats or towels. This year I’m considering buying some pretty bed sheets for the season.
These from Pottery Barn are whimsical and classic. They’re the Nostalgic Santa Organic Sheet set. Admittedly, this sheet set is a little pricey. But with code SAVEMORE you can save up to 30%, depending on the dollar amount of your total order…but just through the end of today.
I found other holiday sheets available at Kohl’s, Walmart and L.L. Bean.
4. Deck the Door
Another easy way to begin readying your home for Christmas without pulling out all the decorations right away is to order a fresh evergreen wreath for the front door. You can order beautiful wreaths of all kinds, sizes and price points from L.L. Bean and Lands’ End for delivery right after Thanksgiving.
In fact, you can also get fresh centerpieces and garlands from both stores as well. I’ve had great luck with these in the past. And I figure if I can keep the one on my front door looking green and healthy throughout the season…in Arizona…you probably can, too.
5. Cue the Entertainment
Finally, this last tip isn’t so much for the house as it is for you personally. But, hey, if the hostess is in the Christmas spirit then the home will follow, right?
I always like to read a couple of Christmas books during the season. It’s just a personal indulgence, really. I enjoy Christmas fiction, and this one, Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan, looks good to me. Terri Blackstock’s Catching Christmas also looks like a winner.
But I also love to begin the Christmas season with an advent devotional book. If you know of a good one, please share in the comments section. But I’ve enjoyed Ann Voskamp’s The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas in the past. Wouldn’t it be great to have a new advent devotional guide and a fun Christmas fiction book all ready to go on your night stand?
Of course, if you’re not a reader, there are always DVDs, too. James and I enjoy collecting a new holiday flick each year, too. We have a pretty extensive collection. But I think our favorites are the oldies, like It’s a Wonderful Life, White Christmas and A Christmas Story. Of course, I also enjoy Elf. And then I’m so thankful for the opportunity to watch something more meaningful like The Nativity Story.
***Shopping Tip: You can order these DVDs from Target online, but then pick them up in your local store. That saves you both shipping costs and the hassle of sorting through the movies at the store.
So those are my 5 favorite tips for Getting Your Home Ready for Christmas…even before Thanksgiving. These don’t require pulling any boxes down from the attic or out of the basement. You don’t have to get a tree yet or start baking. But you can feel the spirit of Christmas fill your home and your heart a little at a time with a fresh holiday scented candle, a new Christmas CD, some soft whimsical sheets for your bed, a pretty wreath for your door and a new book by your bedside.
Bring on Christmas! I’m ready!!
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Blessed for My Day
The story of Christmas is truly good news for all. But sometimes we lose the meaning and the message in the mayhem. Let’s try to prepare a little better for the Holy season this year so that we are not rushed and ragged, but we are able to rejoice and rest instead. Let’s not only prepare our homes for the season, but let’s intentionally prepare our hearts by taking time to read the Scriptures, reflect on the gift of a Savior and rejoice in the grace of our King. How will you begin to prepare your heart for the holy days of Christmas?
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” ~ Luke 2:10-12
I received The Dawning of Indestructible Joy by John Piper last year as a preChristmas gift. It was a really good daily Christmas devotional. And also Tim Keller’s Hidden Christmas. I look at Christmas lights very differently now -seeing the hidden message of hope in their beauty.
And we use the fireplace so much during this time, so it’s nice to add some holiday decor around it!!
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
I love these ideas that don’t involve so much work, yet offer us ways to enjoy the season a bit earlier. I like your idea of buying a new decorative item each year that can be enjoyed for several years to come. I too have enough (or too many) decorative items to fill my home for the season, but this year decided my sofa would look nice with a couple of new throw pillows in a poinsettia pattern. I’ll still wait until after Thanksgiving to put them out. Christmas decorating involves a lot of moving around, putting away, and cleaning for me. Thank you for the reminder that we need to do that in our hearts as well during Advent to welcome our new King.
Lovely post, Kay. Thank you!