1. Remember the three rules of Christmas decorating: More, more
and more. Saying a house is over-decorated is like declaring you
shouldn't eat more than 10 or 12 chocolate chip cookies
per day - only the personality impaired would make such
a claim. If you are satisfied with putting up a Christmas tree and
dropping a few pitiful wreaths around the house, you
have not yet realized the possibilities that await you. Wonderful
stores operate year-round with only one goal - to help you
decorate every square foot of your home.
Here's a good rule of thumb: When you are in properly-decorated
home, Christmas decorations should dominate your field
of vision at all times.
2. Take a long-term view. Let's be honest here - with all the other
Christmas purchases you need to make, something has
to give. You may not be able to buy all the necessary angels, tins,
manger scenes, lighted villages, and other paraphernalia all in one
year. So be patient: Set a budget, stick to it, and within 20 to 25
years you should reach your goal.
3. Devote the summer months to making your Christmas crafts.
This summer my family decided to create decorations for our
bathrooms. We purchased nine different magazines with titles
like "88 Easy Christmas Craft Ideas." We then voted our 250
favorite ideas and set up a daily work schedule. Since the kids were
out of school, they had at least 12 hours a day to work on the
crafts, and by golly, we finished them all.
