Decorating & Design
20+ Easy Things You Can Do In December To Get Your Home Ready For The Holidays
Updated on October 30, 2024
The month of December can be overwhelming: there’s stockings to stuff, urns to decorate, presents to wrap and menus to plan. Throw in a few workplace parties, holiday concerts and neighborhood get-togethers and the season can feel overwhelming.
Here are some tips from H&H’s Deputy Editor Emma Reddington to help prep your home for holiday celebrations.
Nothing sets the mood like hearing a favorite holiday tunes (often the sound track for baking or trimming the tree), so pull out your old school holiday albums. If playlists are more your thing, update them with some new tunes, or create different lists to suit a range of parties and activities.
The first of the month always sneaks up faster than expected. If you’re a fan of advent calendars, here is a rustic DIY Advent Calendar you can make and customize with small treats to make the countdown more fun.
Everyone loves a homemade cookie or treat over the holidays. Now is the time to start storing them away in the freezer. Think about how the cookies will look when placed on a tray all together: aim for different shapes, colours, textures and flavor profiles. Here’s the recipe for Rosie Daykin’s Chocolate Shortbread.
Take stock of your outdoor and indoor string lights and make sure all the bulbs are in working order. Replace any broken bulbs or buy new strings if necessary. Having all your lights sorted and ready to go makes decorating so much easier.
Fresh flowering bulbs are a perfect way to welcome in the winter season. Keep in mind that paperwhite bulbs take about 4-6 weeks to bloom, while showy amaryllis bulbs take anywhere from 6-12 weeks, depending on the variety. Buy and pot bulbs in October or November so plants bloom at the right time.
Figure out a spot to display this year’s cards from friends and family. A decorative vase filled with twigs is an easy way to have them all displayed in one place. Add twigs as you need!
Learn how to make our Holiday Card Tree & Hanukkah Candle Gift Bags.
A busy holiday season might have you swapping out your usual hallway runner for something more forgiving to lots of foot traffic. A neutral, low pile rug will stand up to muddy boots and lots of shoes. A joyful red ribbon turns a hat hook into a great conversation starter.
Prep your powder room with extra fresh linens and a mini display of winter greens. It’s the small details that make a big difference.
Get the outside of your house ready. Exterior greenery can last up to a month so it is one of the first things you can check off your list. Wreaths, urns and garlands create a beautiful welcoming statement at this house belonging to designer Philip Mitchell in Chester, Nova Scotia.
It’s never too early to start wrapping presents. Chip away at your pile on a daily basis rather than leaving it all to the night before. Running low on wrapping paper? These presents were made by using up the remnants of different rolls. The result is a fun mix of patterns and a one-of-a-kind look.
Calgary designer, Ali Velji likes to get his bar set up ahead of time. Start by clearing away year-round items like books and vases and replace them with a mix of vintage glassware, gold-hued accessories and long-lasting greenery.
To create the perfect mood, candlelight always does the trick. Pick up boxes of tapers and maybe an extra box of matches the next time you are out so you have them on hand when you want to create a little ambience.
A bowl of hard nuts like walnuts, almonds and pecans can be set out on a coffee table at the beginning of the season, ensuring your guests always have something to nibble on. Clementine or mandarin oranges also work well.
Stock up on firewood and kindling for fireplaces before December begins. This messy job is best done before you’ve started decorating and cleaning your house for winter visitors.
A signature holiday cocktail is a great way to impress your guests, but it also allows you to prep stemware, garnishing and mixers in advance. Pull out family heirlooms if you really want to make a statement!
Create festive centrepieces with long-lasting materials that can stay out the whole season. This one features an odd number of candles with whole pomegranates, winter thistle and evergreen branches on a round tray.
Nothing gets your guests into the holiday mode faster than walking into a house that smells like cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. Pour simmering water over the spices and let the warm fumes fill your house (citrus peels and fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme are also nice additions). Make extra spice infusions for your guests to take home in glass storage jars.
Pull out all the things you will need to set your holiday table a couple of weeks before the big event. Polish the silver, iron the napkins, and plan any special additions like Christmas crackers or small gifts. If you can, store it all together in one room so it’s ready to go.
We know everybody ends up in the kitchen so don’t neglect it when you are putting up your decorations. At the same time, this room is going to be command central for you, so keep the holiday cheer in places where it won’t get in your way.
Having some throws at the ready is always a good idea in the winter. You never know when someone might want to wrap themselves in a bit of warmth.
A pretty guest room is smart planning in the month of December. Whether it’s for expected guests or someone who needs to sleep off the amazing party you just threw, you’ll be happy to have this room prepped and primed.
For something a little different, a hot chocolate bar with all the fixings for both adults and kids allows guests to serve themselves. Plus, it gives you some free time to do other things.