Ideas to Redecorate and Plan for the Christmas Holidays

Planning for the Christmas holidays doesn’t always have to be such a headache or chore. Have fun this year, and truly enjoy preparing for the family festivities as well as relishing in the Christmas spirit! It is also important not to leave your setup too late. Santa can’t do it all on his own and neither can you! So, get the kids involved and away from their screens this summer school holidays to do you a favour.

Whether it’s planning or redecorating, we have the perfect ideas here! Below are some of our favourite ideas and places to decorate inside and out of the home. This is not to mention some great planning tips that you will need so you don’t tear your hair out this festive season.  

Plan ahead to avoid feeling dead!

Avoid the Christmas crazies and ensure you give yourself ample time before the big day! We suggest at least one month earlier (in November) is the perfect time for you to prepare and sort out how you will organise the house and family for Christmas Day. Even when the kids are at home during this time (summer school holidays) they can help out too.

So, we thought it best to fix a list for you to grab something useful from in preparation and planning for the festive season. Just thank us later!

• Plan your Christmas location:

• If it’s in the home, make sure you know where to set out the dining table and which areas to keep clean and kid-free for a while

• If outside - check the weather forecast closer to December 25th and see what weather elements you might need to factor in for setting up a backyard table etc.

• Will you need umbrellas for rain?

• A canopy for a windy day?

• Gift giving

• Ensure your leave ample time for specific gifts as the postal service and (now Covid) have affected delivery times significantly

• Keep an eye out for pre-Christmas sales in store – this could be a better option for that one sought after gift

• Keeping a Christmas day budget, including:

• Gifts

• Food and beverage for the Christmas lunch/dinner

• Table wear

• Placemats

• Christmas decorations

• Elf on the shelf clothes and accessories –

As you can see a lot! So, make this a Christmas prep priority too.

• Christmas Cards:

• You all have a lot of relatives, and they will be waiting to hear well wishes from your family too during the holiday season. Don’t forget this one and do try and write them all during the month of November in time for Christmas Day.

• Elf on the shelf planning – see our last blog topic!   

Liven up the living room!

So, you want to decorate I hear!? Well, one of the elf on the shelf’s typical favourite hiding spots to watch over the kids in the living room. So, if you want to hide the little guy (or girl) properly, you’ll want to decorate the living room well too. You’ll have a lot of decorating opportunities available to you in this part of the house.

Here are some ideas below on how to best decorate here:

• Create a homely feel with hanging mobile paper origami decorations (the kids can help too and make their own Christmassy creations)

• Buy some Australian name labels to place/iron onto your mantlepiece stockings – there are so many available online to purchase (just make sure you time your delivery right to come for Christmas Day). They are a fantastic addition no matter the style of your stocking! 

• Go all white and create a white Christmas inside. This will keep everything looking cool even when the temperature is hot outside.

• Create a monochrome stylized living room – making all things look quite chic and modern

• Bring the outdoors in if it’s too hot or cold outside – add garland to the fireplace, prop up a real pine tree or hang real garland wreaths on the walls. The kids can help you collect the garland and tree when they are on holiday.

• Brighten a darkened living room with golden fairy lights, candles and illuminations. Your kids too can decorate with cellophane art that can be illuminated from behind.

Dazzle up the dining table/dining room

Another place you will want to reserve for yule time celebrations is the dining room or dining table. This is without a doubt the centrepiece of Christmas conversations. Whether you choose to have your celebrations inside or outside, you will want to make it a comfortable and cheery place to be.

Below find some more great ideas on how to decorate here:

• Moss runner in the middle of the table (or around the edges)

• Festive napkins (ensure they match the décor)

• Coloured glassware (again match the décor around the table)

• Christmas crackers – a great Christmas mealtime novelty!

• Use Australian name labels on name cards when setting out the dining table for your guest of family and friends 

• Festive tablecloth

• Candles (if you have an adult sitting) – or have electric candles if there are children around 

• Bring as many natural aspects to the dining table – decorate with garland, plain or painted pinecones (again the kids could help paint these )

• Place birch/bark/clay pots around with festive colouring 

Don’t forget the backyard!

Depending on whether you want an outdoor Christmas celebration will determine how much you will want to decorate outside. Here below are some cool ideas we came up with to decorate the back garden with some festive cheer:

• Outdoor lamps/lights for entertaining in the evening (could make them cool white or even red/green for that festive touch)

• Fairy lights are a great feature to places around the bushes surrounding your dining table 

• Tinsel decorated bushes

• Wire up aerial light bulb string line across the backyard 

• Add some fake white snow to woody and grassy features in your backyard

• Add some festive deer and other animals around your bushes and owls in the trees

• Christmas electric light displays for nighttime functions 

• Wrap any posts, poles or columns with garland or tinsel

• Plant a small real-life Christmas tree in your garden

Elf on the shelf planning

This may be coming at the end of the list, but it is something not to be forgotten! After all, most of the joys from Christmas come from seeing the kids faces light up when ‘Santa’ has visited. So, to ensure the kids’ faces do light up with joy after receiving their gifts, they will know that their little Australian elf on the shelf is forever watching.

A great way to reward your scout elf for helping Santa in his quest to get to you is to gift them with presents too. There are many elf accessories available to you in various different online stores in Oz. These also include elf on the shelf clothes. So, plan ahead Mum and Dad! The elf on the shelf is depending on you to keep them happy (and cool this summer). You kids will also get a kick out of the new adventures your little scout elf will be having with their new look!