5 hints for being prepared for holiday decorating

Yesterday I received my first Christmas catalog in the mail and it made me almost giddy!  I love flipping through the pages and dreaming of a new holiday look.  Whether you are looking to have a whole new holiday look or are simply putting up the tried and true, these tips can help you keep the stress level down and the fun factor up!

2011 Mantel Design

Here are my top 5 hints to making holiday decorating fun, and easy!

1) Plan early.   Set aside the date for pulling out your decor from storage and then take the day to enjoy yourself.  You will especially want to start now if you are planning a whole new look - plan to have your new decor planned and purchased before thanksgiving and ready to go up on the date you have set aside.

2) Make a tradition of it!  Put on a big pot of soup or another favorite low effort do ahead meal so that you are smelling it through out the day and then get started.  When you are all done, sit down and enjoy you accomplishment of the day.

3) If you do more than the tree, start with your other areas and end with the tree - so that when you are done, you can sit back and enjoy.

4) The decorating is not done until the storage boxes are put away, so make sure that you have any help you need getting those back into the storage spot!

5) If you have kids that want to "help" - make it easy on yourself and pull everything out and get the "hard" stuff done while they are napping or at school.  Then when they get back you will be ready for their excitement and for them to help you put on the finishing touches.  You might even consider putting up a small tree in a play room that is all theirs to decorate!

What's your plan for holiday decorating this year?