Be Sophisticated Instead of Tacky with Your Christmas Decorations

With Christmas coming soon, it’s high time to start decorating your home for your holiday parties and gatherings with family and friends. When strolling through your local stores, it’s easy to get caught up in the traditional Santa, reindeer, elf, and snowman decorations since those décor items are found in abundance. While those items can play a vital role in children’s Christmas parties, your grownup parties deserve more sophistication. If you’re wondering how to decorate for Christmas without those stereotypical holiday decorations, this simple guide will help you get started.

Here are four types of sophisticated Christmas décor that will amp up the elegance factor of your holiday soirees while wowing your guests.

1. A Wreath for the Front Door

When it comes time to set a plan in place for your Christmas decoration ideas, you should start from the outside in. While icicle lights and lawn ornaments are fun, they’re a lot of work and can end up looking tacky if not done properly. Take a much easier route by placing potted poinsettias on either side of your front stoop and place a Christmas wreath on the front door.

You want to make a good first impression when greeting guests for the holidays, and a well-crafted wreath sends a welcoming message while emanating warmth and elegance. If you’re crafty and creative, you can make your own holiday wreath to add a personal touch. If you’d rather avoid the hot glue gun, you can find a variety of beautiful wreaths at your local home goods store.

2. An Ornament Centerpiece

Once your guests enter your home, they’ll be sure to get caught up in the holiday spirit once they see a well-decorated foyer welcoming them inside. While ornaments are usually found on a Christmas tree, they can be used in other ways that don’t involve evergreen branches. An ornament centerpiece will add a touch of elegance, and you can make it yourself, as there’s really only one step.

Take a tall, clear glass cylinder and fill it to the top with a variety of red and green or gold and silver ornaments (or a combination of all four of these color suggestions). That’s it. It’s literally that easy! Add red flowers and a white candle to complete the look, and you’ll take an empty table and turn it into a holiday masterpiece. An entryway table is the perfect place for this ornament centerpiece (coffee tables and end tables work well too) because it brightens up the corner next to the staircase.

3. A Large Floral Bouquet

If you’re looking for a way to incorporate Christmas colors into your dining room or kitchen, a large floral arrangement can create a breathtaking ambiance. The key is to create a clean look with touches of red and green. A bouquet that’s completely red and green will look overdone (and maybe even tacky), so it’s best to opt for a primarily white bouquet with pops of red and green.

This beautiful Christmas flower bouquet brings a chic look to this dining room table with a variety of white flowers mixed with a few red and green flowers, berries, and baby’s breath to bring the beauty of nature into the home for the holidays.

If you prefer a cost-saving alternative to live flowers, you can create a beautiful bouquet with lifelike silk flowers. Once you learn how to create an artificial flower arrangement, you can make an arrangement for every room that will last all season long and be reused year after year.

4. A Garland Design for the Mantel

If you’re looking for other ways to decorate for Christmas, you can get creative with Christmas mantel ideas to dress up your fireplace. Place a string of green garland across the mantel and add red, gold, and/or silver candles with a vase or two on either side. Make sure that the candles and vases are at varying heights to add the proper amount of visual interest.

Next, take fresh fruit such as crisp green apples and bright lemons to add an earthy yet vibrant touch to your mantel. The bold colors complement each other beautifully and, just like the flower arrangement, bring a nature-inspired look to your home. You can even add pinecones, berry sprigs, and other natural elements to complete the look. The possibilities are endless!

Implementing these tasteful Christmas accessories into your home will help spread holiday cheer while adding charm and a polished look to your already sophisticated abode. What’s more, after you’ve finished decorating to suit your grown-up tastes, you can reward yourself with some grownup Christmas gifts for all your hard work. (A glass of wine and some dark chocolate truffles will do the trick. "Merry Christmas" to me!)

Images used with permission, courtesy of Kelly O'Roark