BRIGHT AND CHEERY CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS (AND 15 DECORATING IDEAS FROM CHRISTMAS PAST!)

I generally use a good deal of the same Christmas decorations from year to year, but if inspiration is a bit slow in coming when it's time to decorate I find that one or two new things thrown into the mix help to get my creative juices flowing.  If your Christmas decor needs a little boost this year, I've been combing the web for bright and cheery christmas decorations to share with you!  I've selected a variety of items that are all inspired by my own Christmas decor from year to year, so scroll down and see if anything catches your eye.  

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I won't be sharing this year's Christmas decor until the week after Thanksgiving for the It's A Colorful Life Christmas Tour, so I'm sorry this year's ideas aren't helpful if you're ready to decorate NOW (I've seen so many friends who need a bright spot at the end of this year and have already decorated!).  However, I plan to start on my decorating next week and just might share my tree with you before Thanksgiving if I can get it done. (I'm usually a wait until after Thanksgiving person but as a blogger, I have to be done a little early to allow time for photographing and writing so I can get ideas to you in a timely manner.) But if you're absolutely itching to decorate this year and need some ideas, scroll down to the end of this post for some of my favorite Christmas ideas from my home over the years. 

Once you have all of your cute things gathered, here are some ideas of how you can use them! 

Dress up your dining chairs by tying a simple satin bow around the backs (I layered two different widths of ribbon here)-

Spray inexpensive Christmas houses (thrifted or check places like Walmart, Dollar General, Dollar Tree, etc.)  to create a colorful village.

Think outside the box when decorating your tree... anything goes!  Last year I tucked pagoda lanterns and colorful globe string lights into mine.  

Tuck small trees, deer, houses, etc. into lanterns and fill the bottom with faux snow to create your own snowy wonderland scene.  

I have a few giant paper stars (some with a light cord attached) that I just love finding different spots for each year.  

Have a nativity set but no stable (or you don't want to store one)?  Use a cake plate or pedestal to display it!

 

Print out downloadable artwork and swap it out with some of your existing wall art for the season (or use old Christmas Card scenes!).  Here are my 12 days of Christmas printables, but there are tons and tons of printable options here.

Ornaments are hands down my hardest working Christmas decorations, and not just for the tree!  I love scattering them around nearly every surface to add some color and shine-

I also add little clusters of ornaments wherever I can-  light fixtures, sconces, lamps, basket handles... wherever you like!  I use a pipe cleaner to "string" several ornaments together, then it's easy to secure it around whatever I'm attaching it to.   

Have an old tree that needs some freshening up?  Try your hand at flocking it yourself!  

Use tissue honeycomb balls to decorate a tree.  This was for a workshop I led with Rachel a few years ago, but I'm dying to do this at home one of these days!

I actually did a similar idea on a wreath last year though-

Use a cake dome or cloche to corral and draw attention to smaller items and make them more special-

String colorful garlands from your mantel (I add our stockings a bit closer to Christmas).  

Lastly, I think my favorite Christmas centerpiece will always be a tray full of ornaments with candles mixed in.  It's inexpensive, so easy to tailor it exactly to your taste, and can be fun and casual or elegant and sophisticated depending on the colors and materials you use.

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