Edit day-to-day items when incorporating holiday decor

“Nothing is more difficult and therefore more precious than to be able to decide.” — Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), French military and political leader

As hard as it is to believe, this year is almost over and the holiday season is upon us. It means a lot of different things to each of us, but when it comes to decorating, the same approach will apply that we use in putting our homes together. Who would even think that putting up holiday decorations would have ways and means?

In reality, they don’t. But we do want to decorate for holidays, and we still want our homes to shine.

Holiday decorations tend to hold special places in our hearts for specific reasons. We received a particular ornament or stocking from our parents or grandparents, or we bought a favorite Santa figure or menorah on a trip. And we’re very proud of our holiday trimmings and can’t wait to show them off, sometimes to excess.

There are ways to incorporate holiday accessories into your existing decor without overcrowding your house or overwhelming your space. The key is to edit.

If you like to decorate your home for the holidays, you likely enjoy keeping your home warm and welcoming year-round with your special touches throughout. If you have the “decorating gene,” you’ll have furniture, art and accessories that complement your lifestyle.

So now it’s holiday time and you’re eager to see and display your holiday decorations with the same exuberance you use to display your possessions throughout the year. But how do you incorporate your holiday goodies into your existing decor?

If you put your holiday things on top of whatever you have now, neither will be that impressive. Before you put out the snowmen and snow globes, envision how the finished product will look. When you are shopping for your home throughout the year, you’ll likely get a visual image of how each piece of furniture or accessory will look and match with what’s already there.

When decorating for any holiday, try to get that same visual image. Don’t lose your sense of style just because it’s a holiday. Clutter is seldom attractive, and clutter consisting of fat Santas or snowmen, no matter how cute, is no more appealing.

So, what to do? Remove some of your day-to-day accessories and replace them with your holiday decor pieces.

Some homeowners go to an extreme, removing art from their walls and replacing it with holiday paintings or wall hangings. If your collection of holiday decorations is that large, you should definitely remove most of your day-to-day things.

And, as much as you love your things, look at it this way. When you unpack your day-to-day things after the holidays, it’s like seeing old friends again. It’s a win-win.

People have told me over the years that doing the accessory switch may work for some but that it is hard to do when small children are in the house. This is a perfect time to pack the “adult” decorations away and make it a truly holiday house. And what fun for the children — everything magical and merry — and probably red and green.

These ideas can work. Just use the same editing skills you employ year-round. If you use a little restraint, you’ll find that with holiday trimmings less can, in fact, be more.

I hope you enjoy whatever you choose to surround yourself with during this holiday season and that you have a safe, peaceful and happy experience.

Carolyn Muse Grant is a founder and past president of the Architectural and Decorative Arts Society, as well as an interior design consultant and stylist specializing in home staging. She can be reached at creativemuse@cox.net.