As you prepare for the holidays in your Vancouver home, there are a lot of ways to easily decorate your home so that everyone knows that Christmas is coming. While people go in many directions with their Christmas decorations, a classic, simple look is likely to be better if you’re considering a home sale during the winter months, though don’t let us stop you from creating a winter wonderland of Christmas characters in your front yard. These are some good, simple guidelines for those who want to decorate for Christmas but don’t know where to start.

Merry and bright

One of the best tools you have for creating a beautiful design is light. This time of year is often quite dark outside, both early and late, so make sure your decor adds a little brightness. Christmas lights on a tree are of course a great start, but a string of lights can do a lot for a mantle, staircase banister, and many other spots in the house. Another great tool are electric candles, which look great in windows for making a home look festive from the outside. Lastly, if your sidewalk isn’t already lit with small lanterns, consider adding some with a little red or green bow on them – you want guests to walk safely to the front door even on icy nights, so lights like this add both ambiance and practical assistance.

Cozy Christmas with family

A theme that takes advantage of simple decor items is to aim for coziness in whatever way fits for your family. This could be displays of past photos where everyone is wearing their matching Christmas Eve pajamas or coffee table books you’ve made in the past of family memories. Decorating can be focused on plush textiles: soft throw blankets keep the colder-natured family members nice and warm while everyone plays board games or sips eggnog. While garlands, wreaths, and various other baubles are great additions to the home, especially if they have a history or story about them, a theme of “coziness” can be easy to achieve and classic in almost any kind of home.

Simple shifts from Christmas to winter decor

Another good reason to focus your Christmas decor on the simple and the classic is how easily you can shift your decorations to a more typical winter style. Basically, a cozy Christmas room can become a cozy winter room if you just take your tree down – family photographs, soft throw blankets, and even some of the calmer red or green decor can stay! If you’re considering selling your home this winter, remember that less is more with themed staging, since you want buyers to see themselves in the home and the more items and decor in space, the less they can focus on all the possibilities of the home as their own blank canvas. By saving yourself a more ornate display this year, you’ll be even better prepared for your next few months.