My Christmas Home Decor Tour + 7 Tips for Safe Decorating

The countdown is on: 19 days ’til Christmas! Who’s excited??? *we all raise hands wildly and cheers eggnog* We’ve decked the halls…TBH, we’ve had the halls decked since the day after Halloween. J used to be soooo against this so as to not “detract” from Thanksgiving (his #1 holiday), but I finally convinced him to open that mindset up a bit. It’s not about detracting from anything – I lovelovelove Thanksgiving too! It’s just about adding. Adding more time to celebrate. Adding more joy. Adding more festivity justbecause we can. SO. Today I’m sharing a peek at our 2017 Christmas home decor, as well as a few tips on decorating + staying safe/smart all season long in partnership with my friends at Allstate.

By and large, our Christmas decor is prettttttty similar to last year’s, justbecause we a.) live in the same place, and b.) didn’t totally overhaul our decor. Cos that’s #expensive. But I do lovelovelove mixing it up, so I tried my darnedest to make a few swaps/changes where possible to just keep things fresher than our fake Christmas tree. 😉

SO. Without further adieu, come hang out in our casa – the yule log is burning (on the TV 😉 ).

Christmas Home Decor Tour + 7 Tips for Safe Decorating by popular Philadelphia style blogger Coming Up Roses

Christmas Home Decor Tour + 7 Tips for Safe Decorating by popular Philadelphia style blogger Coming Up Roses

Christmas Home Decor Tour + 7 Tips for Safe Decorating by popular Philadelphia style blogger Coming Up Roses

Christmas Home Decor Tour + 7 Tips for Safe Decorating by popular Philadelphia style blogger Coming Up Roses

Christmas Home Decor Tour + 7 Tips for Safe Decorating by popular Philadelphia style blogger Coming Up Roses

Christmas Home Decor Tour + 7 Tips for Safe Decorating by popular Philadelphia style blogger Coming Up Roses

Christmas Home Decor Tour + 7 Tips for Safe Decorating by popular Philadelphia style blogger Coming Up Roses

Christmas Home Decor Tour + 7 Tips for Safe Decorating by popular Philadelphia style blogger Coming Up Roses

Christmas Home Decor Tour + 7 Tips for Safe Decorating by popular Philadelphia style blogger Coming Up Roses

Christmas Home Decor Tour + 7 Tips for Safe Decorating by popular Philadelphia style blogger Coming Up Roses Christmas Home Decor Tour + 7 Tips for Safe Decorating by popular Philadelphia style blogger Coming Up Roses

Christmas Home Decor Tour + 7 Tips for Safe Decorating by popular Philadelphia style blogger Coming Up Roses

Christmas Home Decor Tour + 7 Tips for Safe Decorating by popular Philadelphia style blogger Coming Up Roses

Christmas Home Decor Tour + 7 Tips for Safe Decorating by popular Philadelphia style blogger Coming Up Roses

Christmas Home Decor Tour + 7 Tips for Safe Decorating by popular Philadelphia style blogger Coming Up Roses

Christmas Home Decor Tour + 7 Tips for Safe Decorating by popular Philadelphia style blogger Coming Up Roses

Christmas Home Decor Tour + 7 Tips for Safe Decorating by popular Philadelphia style blogger Coming Up Roses

Christmas Home Decor Tour + 7 Tips for Safe Decorating by popular Philadelphia style blogger Coming Up Roses

Christmas Home Decor Tour + 7 Tips for Safe Decorating by popular Philadelphia style blogger Coming Up Roses

VOILA. Beyond just sharing the pretty pics, I’m sharing 7 tips on decorating for the holidays with my friends at Allstate. It’s the moooost wonderful tiiiiiime of the yeaaaar, and the impact of pretty lights + fun, festive additions in the home is undeniable. But, it’s also important to make sure you’re being safe + smart through it all, to avoid any less-than-joyful-to-the-world accidents. Some tips on maximizing your decorating prowess the right way…

  1. Maximize air space. Christmas is that holiday where everyone is looking up. Not just with increased positivity + joy (cos that’s totally a thing – click here for 10 ways to choose joy this Christmas season!), but quite literally at all of the lights, yard inflatables, mistletoe, you name it. Even if your space is on the smaller side, get creative with your air space to hang things where possible – cut-out snowflakes, draped tinsel, twinkle lights or a piece of mistletoe will do the trick. 😉
  2. Maximize vertical space. Apparently they make upside-down Christmas trees now for folks with smaller floor plans, to really utilize vertical space (+ air space, too) instead. How wild is that?! But really, the biggest + most obvious Christmas decoration is le Christmas tree – and not everyone has space in their living room for a friggin’ TREE. Instead of covering surfaces, try decorations that work upwards instead of outwards.
  3. Get crafty. ‘Tis the season to DIY! Decorations can be expensive, and especially when you probably have ’em up for only a season – it can be hard to justify a bigger price tag. No worries, tho – you can 100% look the part without paying the part! One of my favorite little tidbits in our home is the lit-up garland around our stair banister, and the lit-up garland draped over our wine cabinet. It’s nothing fancy – I just grabbed a few pieces of individual fake garland (super inexpensive at Target!) and wrapped it with lights (I had extra lights lying around, but these also aren’t that pricey). It makes for such a special luminescence that really sets the tone and looks so pretty near the lit-up Christmas tree.
  4. Use holiday smells! The sense of smell is scientifically proven to be the most powerful when it comes to memory. Ever have that feeling of instant familiarity when you smell something that’s, well, familiar? YUP. Everything from fresh balsam pine to warm sugar cookies, to a new snow or apple spiced cinnamon totally screams HOLIDAYS. Decor doesn’t all have to be visual – it’s most about setting the mood. Some scented candles or literal additions, like cookies or pine, can really add to the atmosphere.
  5. Get ready for Santa. The kids aren’t the only ones needing to get on that nice list STAT. 😉 Fun fact: 44% of folks with fireplaces haven’t had them checked/cleaned in the past year. Don’t deck the chimney for Santa before making sure Santa won’t go up in smoke. 😉 Here’s another great infographic with more safety tips – take the list + check it twice!
  6. Check lights before lighting up. Faulty wiring can ignite lights…and set your tree ablaze. Alternatively, pets and/or kiddos can think strings of lights are cooler than Santa’s sack, and you don’t want unwanted chewing to lead to electrocution. Go through your lighting before finalizing its placement to make sure that all bulbs are good to go, and that wiring is similarly ready.
  7. Prep for pets. I learned that the hard way this year. We figured this year would be an ~adventure~ since it’s Purrcy’s first Christmas. Pumpkin + Moose survived the past two without doing any damage (thank the sweet Lord baby Jesus), but Purrcy being a totally nutso 10-month-old kitten was a whole ‘notha story. Sure enough…he’s grown to be quite fond of hanging out in the Christmas tree. He scales it, he climbs up the inside, he takes off ornaments to play – it’s insane. Beyond the tree liability, he’s also got a sweet tooth. I swear this cat will try to eat anything that’s remotely edible, by animals or humans alike. This year, he tried eating my grandparent’s famous pineapple squares; we woke up to the container pushed off the table, open on the floor, with squares everywhere. The kitty is nuts.

 

What’s your favorite look for Christmas Home Decor?

Are you more traditional red-and-green, all white, silver + gold, shabby chic? There are SO many variations in taste + style options when it comes to Christmas home decor, so I’d lovelovelove to hear your own personal faves. A lot of our Christmas home decor was a Target or Homegoods find, since those are my two favorite retailers to hit up for affordable stuff.

Any tips you’ve come to learn through the years when it comes to safe decorating? We’re learning how to manage Christmas with a kitten every single day, cos lemme tell ya…it’s an adventure. HA.

For last year’s Christmas home decor tour, click here.

For two chances to win $$$$$ to shop this season, click here or here.

Peace + blessin’s.

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*This post was written as part of the Allstate Influencer Program and sponsored by Allstate. As always, all thoughts and opinions presented are entirely my own. As the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer, Allstate is dedicated not only to protecting what matters most–but to guiding people to live the Good Life, every day. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Coming Up Roses!