Christmas Decorating Tips, Tricks, and Hacks (That Actually Make Life Easier!)

Inside: My best Christmas decorating hacks and holiday tips for making your home look festive without the stress! These simple decorating tricks will help you deck the halls faster, easier, and more beautifully this season.

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Many of us see the day after Thanksgiving as the official kickoff of the Christmas decorating season. Heck, even some of us holiday “enthusiasts” have been decorated for a month (don’t judge).

But if you’ve been putting off decorating for Christmas, wait no longer. Because I’m sharing my favorite Christmas decorating hacks and simple holiday tips that make decking the halls so much easier!

Over my 35+ years of Christmas decorating, and through lots of trial and error, frustration, and fallen decorations I’m always on the lookout for ways to improve the process.

I’m physically exhausted by the third day (yes, it takes me days) so anything that helps me save energy I’m all over. There’s a mix of products, tools, and decorating hacks that I swear by now.

Layer Different Garlands Together for Easy Christmas Decorating.

This really beefs up garland and gives it a more custom, expensive, and professional decorator look. Using a skinny, cheaper, nonrealistic garland with bendable branches makes a great base for other garlands because you can use those wired branches to help hold the other garlands and even the whole thing in place where you want to hang it.

See more details on how to make cheap garlands look lush and expensive here.

I layered in picks on my staircase garland instead of layering different garlands together but it’s the same concept. I started with a basic skinny, puny garland and instead of adding other garlands in this instance, I filled it in with lots of picks of different greenery.

You can see huge difference in the before and after on the left and right hand sides:

Layer Wreaths to Make Them Look Fuller.

You can use your own wreath that’s seen better days on the back. Or double up cheap skinny ones from Dollar Tree or the craft stores. Wire or zip tie them together and the end result will be one nice full wreath that will really shine from the front door.

It’s a budget-friendly Christmas wreath hack that gives big impact on your front door.

Make Your Own Wide Ribbon (for Custom Christmas Colors).

Wide ribbon can be pricey or hard to find in the perfect color. DIY your own Christmas ribbon by hot gluing two 2½-inch ribbons together and covering the seam with a narrow accent ribbon.

Combine Fake Snow for Better Coverage.

Use blanket snow under loose snowflakes to create thicker, more realistic coverage for tabletops and village displays.

Stick to a Single Christmas Color Scheme.

A cohesive Christmas color palette helps every room feel connected and lets you reuse decor across spaces.

Focus on Key Areas for Simple Holiday Decorating.

Concentrate on your Christmas tree, mantel, and entryway—the spots you see most. You’ll be surprised how full of decor your house feels, even though you may be using less!

Attach Your Tree Topper First (Christmas Tree Hack).

I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of trouble getting the topper bow attached and centered on my tall artificial tree if I put it on afterward. So I find the best way to save my back is to attach it first and make final adjustments once the top is in the tree.

Use Cut Ribbon Pieces on Your Tree (Easy Christmas Ribbon Hack).

Instead of wrapping a continuous spool, use short ribbon strips tucked into branches for the same look with less effort.
See the tutorial in “How to Put Ribbon on a Christmas Tree the Easy Way.”

Try a Wall Tree for Small Spaces.

Great for apartments or tight spots—these space-saving flat Christmas trees still deliver the holiday magic.

Save Time with Christmas Light Timers.

Save the daily task of turning tree lights on and off by adding a Christmas light timers. And while you’re at it, have the flameless candles light themselves every evening to set the mood. These are my favorite pillars and these are my favorite tapers—both with the moving flame.

Organize Holiday Decor for Next Year.

Don’t reinvent the wheel every year. All of the holiday decorations will go up much faster if everything is well organized and you’ve made notes to yourself about where things go and what you need to buy. Pack by room, color, or theme and label bins clearly. Include a quick note on what worked (and what didn’t) to make next year’s decorating smoother.

Use the Right Hanging Supplies (Best Christmas Command Hook Hacks).

Command hooks.

Command hooks are your best friend for almost anything you want to hang without damage. And one of the best inventions ever in my opinion! Here are a few different ways to use them to hang Christmas decor:

• To hang garlands. This is one of my favorite things to use them for. On the fireplace mantel, I attach the hook facing toward the wall on each side and lay the garland behind it, making sure it catches a good sturdy branch:

• To hang wreaths. You can hang the wreaths directly on the hooks, or from a pretty ribbon. Or even place a command hook upside down on the inside of a door and attach a ribbon over the door to hang the wreath on the other side!

• To hang stockings. By the chimney with care (and no damage).

For more tips on hanging all your holiday decor, see “How to Hang All Your Christmas Decorations without Damage“.

These command hooks are excellent for hanging wreaths and garlands. And these smaller hooks are great for lights and smaller Christmas decor.

Command picture velcro hangers and Command poster tape are also a great way to keep things in place.

I used the velcro picture hangers to create the illusion that these plates were hanging on the ribbon, but they’re actually attached to the wall:

I used two different Command products for this DIY Christmas decoration. This triple wreath wall hanging is a great craft for non-crafters!

Zip ties.

Another awesome, non-damaging tool. We keep zip ties in different sizes in the garage year round and I use them in so many ways during the holiday season.

• To attach garland to the staircase banister. I used to use brown pipe cleaners, but I’ve found that zip ties don’t damage my banister and hold so much better. I tie ribbon over them to cover. Zip ties do the heavy lifting and let the ribbon take the credit.

• To attach the tree topper bow to the tree.
• To hang the icicle Christmas lights from our iron fencing outside.
• To hang wreaths from our iron fencing and gate.

Floral Wire.

Another essential for Christmas decorating. I use it to:

• Hang ornaments on the tree. To achieve that designer Christmas tree look, attach Christmas baubles with floral wire right up next to the tree branches, rather than letting them hang by a string or ribbon. It’s an easy way to control the position of ornaments and those fragile ornaments are less likely to slip off of the tree and break. I usually use ornament hooks made with floral wire and wrap those around the branch—it saves time cutting floral wire!

• Hold garlands together.

• Hold picks into place.

Hot Glue Gun.

• To hang garland on brick. Do you ever wonder how people are hanging those beautiful garlands around their front entrances? It’s not magic or fairytale mice. Hanging Command hooks with hot glue applied to the bricks is a great hack! The glue easily peels off of the brick when you are done.
• To fix the inevitable broken decor. I always find myself having to glue things back every year, especially ornament ball tops that pop off.

I hope at least one of these tips I’ve shared will help save you some frustration while you make your house merry this year. What did I miss? I’m always on the lookout for ways to make decorating better and more efficient. What’s your favorite Christmas hack? Share in the comments!

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