Time-Saving Holiday Decorating Preparation Tip From A Pro

STEP ONE

Take a look around your home and think about what areas you want to decorate. If you are someone who mixes up decorations and does something a little bit differently every year, think about what you’re going to do and where you’re going to put things beforehand so the execution will go smoothly. If you place your tree in the same place every year, plan accordingly and decide if any other decorations will also be going into that space of your home. Having a plan is always the key to the success of any design or decorating project.

STEP TWO

Decide if any pieces of existing furniture will need to be moved to accommodate your Christmas decorations. It is always best to remove some of your existing accessories or even furnishings to make room for your Christmas Decor. If you need an extra set of hands to move things around, plan in advance.

STEP THREE

If you know where your Christmas tree is going and you have a plan for your decorations, you can start doing the prep work for installing your tree, such as buying or getting the base prepared, and locating the proper extension cords. Doing all this prep work beforehand really makes the actual decorating part go very smoothly.

STEP FOUR

Figure out what you need for Christmas lights and buy them early. Certain types of Christmas lights sell out early, so figure out what you might need and purchase them before you start to decorate. To estimate how many lights you need, just think about all of the areas where you want to use lights and estimate the amount to meet each project. For instance, with Christmas trees, I usually estimate one strand of 100 lights per foot of the tree. For instance, on a 7-foot Christmas tree, I would use seven sets of 100 lights that could vary depending on what you’re looking for and the type of tree that you have. Of course, a tree that is very full with a lot of limbs will take more light than a more sparse tree. This is a good way to estimate. For a 9-foot garland, I usually estimate 100-150 individual lights. Unwrap and prep your lights for installation. This could be done before you even have your Christmas tree in place. Take all of your lights out of the boxes, remove all the tags, and keep them wrapped with zip ties until you are ready to install.

STEP FIVE

Take a look at your decorations beforehand, and see if anything is broken or if there’s anything that you need to supplement. When you’re pressed for time, or you have the whole family ready to help decorate the tree, you don’t want to stop and make three trips to the store in the middle of decorating. Just like prepping your Christmas lights can be a timesaver, prepping your ornaments to make sure everything is ready to go can be a time saver as well. Be sure everything is clean and is prepared with ornament hooks or wire ornaments as needed with floral wire.

Having all of this preparation completed before decorating can be so helpful, especially if you are including children and family in the actual decorating process. With some of these frustrating and time-consuming tasks completed, you can be fully present to enjoy the actual decorating process.

Until Next Time,

Gia