Christmas Decorating

5 Tips for Taking the Stress Out of Holiday Decorating 

Between shopping, gifts, card-sending, hosting, cooking, parties, visitors, and decorating, the holidays can go from being “the most wonderful time of the year” to “the most stressful time of the year.” While reducing stress in each of those categories is worthy of its own article, today we want to focus on holiday decorating. Decorating is meant to usher in the joyful holiday spirit, but it can easily become an overwhelming experience that makes you want to elfin scream! To help keep your stress at bay while decorating your home with your favorite bulbs and baubles, consider these helpful tips.  #1:

ReadyFestive
Dec 6

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Between shopping, gifts, card-sending, hosting, cooking, parties, visitors, and decorating, the holidays can go from being “the most wonderful time of the year” to “the most stressful time of the year.”

While reducing stress in each of those categories is worthy of its own article, today we want to focus on holiday decorating. Decorating is meant to usher in the joyful holiday spirit, but it can easily become an overwhelming experience that makes you want to elfin scream!

To help keep your stress at bay while decorating your home with your favorite bulbs and baubles, consider these helpful tips. 

#1: Set the Mood 

Holiday decorating is meant to be a fun, joyful experience—not a competitive sport. Set a relaxing, fun, and festive tone for decorating by playing Christmas music, lighting soothing candles, building a fire, preparing a cup of hot cocoa, and baking some pre-batched cookie dough. 

Here’s a must-try, fuss-free Christmas cookie recipe by Food Network that will undoubtedly spark joy:

Chewy Sugar Cookies:

Ingredients: 

  • 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 
  • 1 tsp baking soda 
  • ½ tsp baking powder 
  • 1 cup softened butter 
  • 1 ½ cups white sugar 
  • 1 egg 
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract 
  • 3-4 tbsp buttermilk 
  • Colored sprinkles 

Directions: 

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla. 
  4. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Add enough buttermilk to moisten the dough and make it soft (not wet). 
  5. Roll rounded teaspoons of dough into balls and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. 
  6. With a brush or fingers, moisten the top of each cookie with remaining buttermilk and slightly flatten the top of each cookie. 
  7. Sprinkle with colored sprinkles. 
  8. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until slightly golden. Let stand for 2 minutes before removing to cool on a rack. 

#2: Make a Plan in Advance 

From decorating your tree and mantel to your front door and entryway, there’s a lot to get done—but that doesn’t mean you have to decorate everything in one day! 

Before you bring out all your boxes stuffed with Christmas decorations, think about how you can divide and conquer your decor over a few days.

Set windows of time for decorating. For example, maybe you have two hours to get your tree up and decorated on Monday night. Then perhaps on Tuesday morning, you can style your dining table. Take it step by step. Make a manageable schedule like the one below you can stick to that prioritizes the areas of your home you’d like to see decorated first.

#3: Enlist Helpers  

Does holiday decorating usually fall on your shoulders? Consider asking your family and/or friends to pitch in and help. Decorating is way more fun and goes much faster when everyone has a “job!” Plus, you’ll be creating lasting holiday memories with your family. 

You can even hire someone to do the heavy lifting for you. Let’s say you love decorating your tree with ornaments, but hate setting it up and putting the lights on. Consider hiring a company or someone from a service to do that for you. That way, you can focus on the parts you actually enjoy. 

Apps like Taskrabbit are also great for bigger decorating endeavors like hanging outdoor lights and organizing/storing decorations. 

#4: Have a Theme or Style in Mind 

You might be tempted to pull out every decor item you have stored away, but sometimes less is more. Try to stick to one decor style or theme. This will not only prevent you from having to unpack everything in storage, but will also give your home a cohesive feel. 

Notice how our subscription boxes are personalized according to your favorite styles, so you can choose a theme that works best for your home! See our Christmas box themes below.

#5: Subscribe to a Festive Decor Service 

If you want to reduce the stress factor even more, consider subscribing to ReadyFestive! Our mission is to help you stress less and celebrate more by delivering carefully-curated themed boxes filled with trendy décor straight to your door. 

To set up your subscription, simply choose which holidays or seasons you’d like to receive decorations for. You’ll then be prompted to complete a survey to help us determine your favorite themes. Don’t have any specific preferences? No problem—we’ll surprise you! If you’re already a subscriber, you can add a box to your subscription here. 

If you decide to hop on board this holiday season, don’t forget to tag #ReadyFestive on Instagram or Facebook to show us your be-yule-tiful Christmas decor! 

A Final Word on Stress-Free Holiday Decorating 

We hope these tips help you keep stress at bay while decorating this holiday season. And remember, your home doesn’t have to look like the cover of Better Homes and Gardens. What matters most is enjoying time with your family and friends and savoring the beauty of the holiday season. 

Have fun with your Christmas decor, pace yourself, and make decorating a family affair that will be remembered for years to come.