Here are 8 easy ways to instantly make your home feel more festive

We know how it is. Every year you vow you'll make like the Instagrammers and come December transform your home into the North Pole, complete with a snow machine and mini villages. But then comes Christmas shopping, work parties, and ice skating dates and your winter wonderland seems like an unachievable goal. 

In fact, any festive decoration whatsoever seems out of reach. Well, fear not, because we've come bearing ideas. Making your space feel festive doesn't require a heavy-duty investment and it certainly doesn't need to take hours of your time. Here are some quick and easy Christmas decorating ideas for getting in the holiday spirit, pronto.

1. Keep your Christmas tree simple

We all have visions of switching up our tree decorations every year and experimenting with a new theme. It sounds fun in theory, but to save on stress and money, keep things simple. Pick out decorations you're drawn to in similar colors to create a cohesive look that'll last you for years.

You can of course gradually update your collection by adding a few new baubles each year, but for ease, just make sure they match your other decorations somewhat. You might be after Scandi Christmas decorating ideas or something more wild and colorful — either way, stay on theme and don't overcomplicate it. 

2. Go for low effort maximum impact decorations

There are a few Christmassy decorations that, on their own, make a major impact. Botanical and evergreen garlands are the perfect examples of that, as are wooden bead garlands, lanterns, and jars of ornaments or pinecones. Go to town wrapping items around banisters or windows, sticking sprigs around pictures, trailing decor along your mantel, or creating a lovely tablescape. 

3. Make the most of corners and small spaces

If you don’t have a ton of room for decorating, just make the most of empty surfaces. This could be a window sill, the top of a console table, or a set of shelves. Use these areas to create a festive display. This could be as simple as adding a festive throw blanket, a scene of bottle brush trees, or one or two mini holiday houses.

4. Hang a wreath on the front door

An obvious but super easy Christmas decorating idea is sticking a wreath on your front door. It tells everyone, "Look I'm organized, I'm festive, and I'm most certainly not procrastinating decorating inside or ticking off my Christmas list."

You can pick out a ready-made Christmas wreath that's full of holiday cheer for ease or you can make your own wreath that'll last long after the tree comes down.

5. String up some outdoor fairy lights

Another quick way to show your everyone you have this whole Christmas decorating thing down is to string up some fairy lights. Literally, just stick them around your door, throw them on a bush, or scatter them on a window sill. What we love about fairy lights is how easy they are to set up and how big of a difference they make.

There are tons of clever ideas for displaying your fairy lights out there, whether you're looking for indoor or outdoor inspiration.

6. Switch up your cushions for festive alternatives

How long does it take to change some pillow covers? A minute? Two minutes? Changing out your cushions or throwing on a new holiday-themed cover for them is a really quick way to instantly make your living room feel more festive. They can be extremely Christmassy or simply hint at the holidays.

7. Put up paper Christmas decorations

As nice as it would be to always make your own paper decorations, who has time for that? These gorgeous ones are from Paper Dreams, but you find other pretty decorations from various stores or pick them up in bulk from Amazon.

8. Get creative with Christmas table decor

Okay, they're in the door, they've seen the door wreath, now whip it off the door and stick it on the table with a candle in the center. Ta-daaa! A table centerpiece that hogs the limelight without costing you extra. You could also bring in candles, garlands, and ornaments to fully decorate your table or dining nook.