There's no better way to get excited about Christmas than starting the time-honoured tradition of decorating your home and once you've decorated your house it's officially Christmas... but many people never really know when to start these festive preparations.
People used to decorate their homes on Christmas Eve, believing it unlucky to bring an evergreen into the house any earlier - but of course the tradition of 12 days before and 12 days after for taking them down, is still popular with many. However, for people who feel that decorating the house seems pointless, lets remember why it is so popular (and enjoyable!) The tradition goes back to a pre-Christian custom of bringing in evergreen branches for the spirits and putting them out again in Spring when buds began to appear on the tree, but eventually people decorated to celebrate the Birthday of the Son of God. There are many superstitions around the background of Christmas Decorations and some superstitions have been retained, indeed hanging mistletoe is still popular. Although there are different interpretations for its use people still believe that luck favours those who kiss under it and goes against those who avoid it. However, apart from the fact that Christmas decorating is an inherited activity, it basically makes people feel excited about forthcoming festivities... even for those who make a fuss about it (but still do it!)
Perhaps especially for those people these time saving tips on how to decorate your home will be of use (and you may still have time to get a bit of gift-wrapping done too!) Decorating the tree is the obvious decoration to start with - but the way you put away your tree decorations is an important part to making this easy. Don't just throw your lights and baubles into a carrier bag when taking them down (you know who you are!) - make life easier by untangling lights and boxing your tinsel and baubles separately. Top tips for decorating include the following:
