The holidays are meant to be a time to enjoy precious moments spent with family and friends, but all too often we find ourselves rushing to decorate our homes perfectly. The good news is a few garlands of evergreens, a colorful wreath in the window, or an arrangement of simple votives flickering on the mantel can create an abundance of cheer. Here are some quick and easy ways to make your home stylish and festive.
1. Start with the dinner table
The easiest way to test out dramatic holiday decor is on your table. Dress up a dinner party with lush garland, silver candle holders, and wood chargers. Complete each setting with golden flatware and a cinnamon stick.
Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal
2. Make white your base color
The white fur tree dressing, white walls, and plenty of fake snow make for a wintery wonderland, and make the bold pops of red even more dazzling.
Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal
3. Gift with Greenery
Ditch the usual ribbon and top your gift with a pretty piece of greenery. It's an unexpected but beautifully rustic look.
Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal
4. Decorate Every Nook and Cranny Don't reserve your best Christmas decor for the living room, let the festivities overflow into every part of the house. This entryway makes sure you get in the holiday spirit the second you walk in the door, with evergreen clippings, pine cones, and a cozy hanging blanket.
Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal
5. Opt for Modern Ornaments
Give your tree a fun, minimalist twist with geometric gold ornaments, like this one.
Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal
6. Use Presents as Decor
Why spend all that time on wrapping gifts to perfection if you aren't going to show them off? Line your staircase with presents in various fun patterns for a simple but chic decor idea.
Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal
7. Go Vintage
Make use of your favorite antiques by styling them for the holiday season. In this living room the sled was an incredible vintage find and the burlap sack filled with Christmas tree clippings adds a rustic touch.
Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal
8. Use Wallpaper as Fancy Wrapping Paper
It's a bit of an investment, but if you have an especially important gift to wrap, use wallpaper. "More expensive, but, there are amazing pattern options. The wallpaper is a much stronger weight than regular wrapping paper, so there are never any issues with the paper tearing.
Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal
9. Go Natural
Take inspiration from nature for your decorating scheme. Use fresh evergreen boughs, garlands and wreaths combined with in-season citrus like lemons, tangerines and oranges. It will give your home a beautiful natural look, and it smells heavenly.
Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal
10. Don't be Afraid of Artificial Trees
If a real tree leaves a mess in your living room, don't feel married to it. Besides, artificial trees often have wires that are easy to curve and bend to better hold ornaments. Miss the scent of pine? A few scented candles (just not too close to the tree!) should do the job.
Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal
11. Stage a Holiday 'Shelfie'
Shelves beg to be a holiday vignette, so turn your attention toward organizing them with seasonal cheer. Use your bookshelves as an opportunity to inject a bit of holiday flair. Mix in bowls of ornaments, tabletop trees and other holiday accents into your bookshelves for the ultimate holiday 'shelfie'.
Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal
12. Add Sparkle to Unexpected Places
Deviate from the norm when it comes to hanging your outdoor lights. Try draping them around trellis, birdbaths and other landscaping features to illuminate your yard/balcony - not just your house. (If you live in a warm climate, this also makes for gorgeous outdoor entertaining.)
Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal
13. Don't Shy from Green Decor If filling bowls with pine cones is beginning to get boring, check crafts and home stores for natural ornaments, and display them with seasonal greenery. Added perk: The greenery, such as pine needles, will add a fresh aroma to the room.
Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal
14. Go For The Glitz
Accent a neutral color scheme with gold. For holiday decorating, I love incorporating natural elements, lights (candles or simple Christmas lights) and a little gold (be it in the ribbons, ornaments or objects). Magnolia leaves are always a favorite of mine, especially in wreaths strewn with beautiful gold ribbon. These make for an elegant statement and you can add some great glass pieces or ornaments to really make it gleam.
Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal
15. Give A Little Quirk
Add an unexpected element to your traditional decor scheme. With Christmas decorating, you have to give it a little quirk... a little personality. One thing which always stirs conversation is hanging ornaments from chandeliers. It's easy to do and adds some great color to the room.
Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal
16. Seasons Greetings
Looking for a clever way to display the holiday cards that come your way? Use clips or clothespins to string them along the staircase.
Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal
17. Beautify a Bar Cart
Gilded accessories and pretty bottles of your favorite alcohol will look decadent and festive when left on display during the holiday season. And when an impromptu visitor comes to your door, you’re ready to entertain.
Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal
18. Color Play
Opt for non-traditional colors. Instead of the typical red-and-green palette, mix metals with retro elements, like the pair of little gold votive lamps.
Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal
19. Try On Some Tassels
Hang red and green tassels on your doors, desk, and chest of drawers. They're a finishing touch that's totally budget-friendly.
Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal
20. Treat-Filled Cornucopias
Little paper cones overflowing with truffles? Yes, please! The decorations double as easy party favors for guests - or a welcome treat for Santa.
Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal
Please share your Christmas Decoration Ideas in the comment below or on my social media.
Are you interested in selling or buying your home in the next few months? Work with award winning realtor, Carmen Leal and her team that specialize in Real Estate Vancouver and have qualified Buyers that are looking for a home in your area! 604.218.4846 &www.carmenleal.ca
Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal
This communication is not intended to induce breach of existing listing agreement.
Christmas is right around the corner and if you’re looking to make your festive season truly merry and bright, look no further than these locations where Christmas lights are the main attraction.
Here are 12places to see some of the Lower Mainland’s best and brightest displays.
What: Over three million dazzling lights decorate acres of the dark forest, reaching as high as the forest canopy for Bright Nights in Stanley Park. The attraction is also accompanied by a train ride, music, snacks, entertainment, and even visits with Santa and his elves.
When: Thursday, November 29 - January 5, 2019. Closed on December 25 for Christmas.
What: The botanical garden is covered in more than a million lights. Reindeer and Scandinavian gnomes also roam the trails, and visitors can walk through the gingerbread wood, lantern alley, and Make-a-Wish candle grotto.
When: December 1 - January 7, 2019
Time: 4:30 pm to 9 pm. Hours extended to 10 pm: December 21 - January 1, 2019. Details are here
What: A huge Christmas tree will light up Robson Square, and people will celebrate the holiday season with free snacks, photos with Santa, and a holiday concert.
When: Tree is lit on Friday, November 30, and remains lit throughout December
Where: Robson Square – 800 Robson Street, Vancouver
What: Hundreds of thousands twinkling lights will once again illuminate Lafarge Lake in Coquitlam as part of a magical display this holiday season. The outdoor display wraps its way entirely around Lafarge Lake, leading visitors on a 1.2-kilometre loop through 10 themed zones.
What: A longstanding annual tradition at St. Paul’s Hospital is back: More than 100,000 light bulbs, spanning a length of more than 10 km, have been turned on for the Christmas-time Lights of Hope charity campaign supporting the hospital.
When: Every night - November 26 - January 8, 2019
Where: St. Paul’s Hospital – 1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver
What: The suspension bridge, Treetops Adventure, Cliffwalk, the rainforest and canyon are transformed into a world of festive lights and visual enchantment. See the world’s tallest living Christmas trees (more than 200 feet tall), experience the voice-activated light show, go on a scavenger hunt throughout the park, sing along with the holiday band, take a family photo at the Winter Pavilion, and more.
What: This annual event features a majestic festival of illumination with more than 150,000 lights on display over three acres. Entry is by donation, with 100% of proceeds to the North Vancouver Firefighters Charitable Society - Details are here.
Time: December 1 - December 31, 2019
Where: Park & Tilford Gardens – 333 Brooksbank Ave, North Vancouver
What: Four days of festive, free concerts, a Christmas fair, and the Forest of Miracles, the largest outdoor display of Christmas trees in British Columbia. You can also enjoy the Dundarave Nativity, a group of carvings made from old growth cedar, and attend a Christmas Wassail and Bonfire - Details are here.
When: December 2 - December 23, 2018
Time: Every Saturday afternoon
Where: Dundarave Beach – 25th Street at Bellevue Avenue, West Vancouver
11. Burnaby Village Museum - fashioned fun and spectacular light displays
What: Burnaby Village comes alive with the Christmas spirit this holiday season, transformed into a winter wonderland featuring gorgeous twinkling lights, festive-themed displays, and even a Christmas carousel.
When: November 24 - January 4, 2019 (closed December 24 & 25) - Details are here.
Where: Burnaby Village Museum – 6501 Deer Lake Avenue, Burnaby
What: Along with one of Lower Mainland’s biggest trees, the centre is decked out in a variety of holiday decorations including 25,000 lights and more than 3,000 festive ornaments + shopping
When: Thursday, November 23 through December
Where: McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Vancouver Airport – 1000-7899 Templeton Station Road, Richmond
If you know Festive Places which are not listed here. Please share in the comment below.
Are you interested in selling or buying your home in the next few months? Work with award winning realtor, Carmen Leal and her team that specialize in Real Estate Vancouver and have qualified Buyers that are looking for a home in your area! 604.218.4846 &www.carmenleal.ca
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Are you interested in selling or buying your home in the next few months? Work with award winning realtor, Carmen Leal and her team that specialize in Real Estate Vancouver and have qualified Buyers that are looking for a home in your area! 604.218.4846 &www.carmenleal.ca
Vancouver Realtor-Carmen Leal
This communication is not intended to induce breach of existing listing agreement.
Christmas shopping for one person can be hard enough. Finding the perfect gift for two… definitely harder. To start, think about how long this couple has been together, whether or not they live together and what types of things they enjoy doing. From there, all that’s left to do is browse through these handpicked gift guides for couple-friendly presents that they’ll love.
Tickets for event is the one of the best gift for a couple. It is romantic and feeling that it's playing only for them - Shop Here
Please share your couple gift ideas in the comment below.
Are you interested in selling or buying your home in the next few months? Work with award winning realtor, Carmen Leal and her team that specialize in Real Estate Vancouver and have qualified Buyers that are looking for a home in your area! 604.218.4846 &www.carmenleal.ca
