I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving weekend!  Now, it’s time to start decorating for the holidays.  My Thanksgiving weekend normally includes a trip to The Home Depot to pick out a live tree with the kids, poinsettia, and wreaths.  I wanted to share 5 tips for decorating your mantel which I’ve learned over the years and have made this task easier for me.

Tip 1:  When you purchase a live tree, they give the tree a fresh cut and trim the lower branches.  Most people throw the branches away.  Take them home and use them to create the garland for your mantle.  Create small bundles of greenery by cutting down the branches and tying them with garden twist ties or twine (see image on right above).  Layer the bundles across your mantle to create the garland.

Tip 2:  Before you start building the garland, place your stocking holders on the mantle.  Evenly space out the stocking holders based on the number of stockings you will be hanging.  I’ve made the mistake of leaving the stocking holders for last only to have to rearrange everything because I didn’t have enough space.

Tip 3:  Use battery-operated lights to decorate your mantle.  You won’t have to worry about the kids or pets pulling on or playing with the wires.  You can tuck the battery pack behind the garland where it is easily accessible to you.  You can choose from white or multi-color lights, and fun shapes like snowflakes.  This year, I’m using a combination of snowflakes and traditional bulbs I purchased at The Home Depot.

Tip 4:  String your lights while they’re lit to avoid missing any spots.  I like to weave the lights in and out of the branches so you can’t see the wire.

Tip 5:  When you decorate the mantle, pick a theme or group similar ornaments together.  This year, I combined metallics with natural elements.  Every home needs a nutcracker at Christmas.  This silver nutcracker was a gift.  I just love him.  I created a mini village by pairing metallic house ornaments with mini bottle brush trees.  The reindeer are buri ornaments paired with mini mushrooms.   For me, cinnamon reminds me of Christmas.  The cinnamon-scented pinecones make my living room smell great and are great decorations.

Finally, add your stockings and cardholders.  The kids were out while I was decorating the tree and living room.  They were thrilled to see the decorations when they returned.  It was great to see their reaction.

Decorating for the holidays doesn’t have to be stressful.  I hope these tips are helpful and make decorating your mantle more fun.  Please share your pictures using #latinamominnyc

My next project will be decorating the wreath for our front door.