Christmas is rapidly approaching, but if you haven’t completed your decorations just yet, or you’re still looking for the perfect finishing touches for your home, don’t worry—you aren’t alone, and it’s definitely not too late to get started.
With many people leaving their Christmas decorations up past New Year’s Day and even well into January, any hard work you put in to transforming your home into a winter wonderland over the next few days will still be viewable for several more weeks.
When it comes to Christmas decorations, many people stop after putting up a Christmas tree and a few strands of lights outside their homes. But there’s an often overlooked area of homes that can take Christmas décor to another level: windows. Every window in your home represents a prime opportunity to show off your holiday spirit and make your home a true Christmas paradise.
To take advantage of your windows when decorating your home for Christmas this year, check out Blindster’s tips below:
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Display Mini-Christmas “Trees” in Your Windows
The Christmas tree is the focal point of Christmas decorations in most people’s homes, so why not extend it to other rooms in your house? Whether you buy artificial mini-trees or use real plants, displaying Christmas “trees”—complete with lighting and ornaments—in every window in your home is a surefire way to send your holiday décor to the next level. If you have children, you can let them pick out their own trees for their bedroom windows and let them decorate the trees with their own ornaments and lights.
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Hang Christmas Wreaths
Christmas wreaths are a time-honored tradition for the holidays, and for good reason. Whether you display them in front of every window or just a few, Christmas wreaths bring an elegant beauty to your home. In fact, you may enjoy them so much that you’ll be reluctant to take them down after the holidays are over. There’s a ton of variety when it comes to Christmas wreaths, with some being subtle and understated, while others are lighted and include a robust display of ornaments and ribbons.
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Create a Christmas Village in Your Windows
While this tip may not be practical for or apply to every window in your home, your windows at street level—especially if they’re bay windows or have windows seats—are the perfect place to create a Christmas village. Artificial snow can be purchased at many discount stores, while the individual buildings to begin creating your village can be purchased at many arts and crafts stores. Over the years, you can add to your village by purchasing more buildings, adding a working train set, and adding more and more decorative touches to the display.
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Make and Display Your Own Snowflakes
For a quick and easy Christmas window display, homemade snowflakes are tough to beat. All you need is paper, scissors, and tape.
To get started, cut a piece of paper into a square. Then, fold it in half diagonally before folding it in half again. Next, fold one third of the triangle shape to the left or right before doing the same with the other side. Use the scissors to cut the top of the folded shape at an angle to create the individual points of the snowflake. Finally, cut small sections out of and into the snowflake, but be careful to not cut all the way through to the other side to avoid cutting it in half. Once unfolded, your paper will reveal a beautiful and unique snowflake that you can hang in your windows using tape or strings.
If you have children, enlist their help to make dozens of snowflakes that you can place in every window in your home for a dazzling Christmas display.
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Paint Christmas Scenes in Your Windows Using Templates
Painting beautiful Christmas scenes in windows may seem like a daunting task, especially if you’re not the artsy type, but a template can make it an easy and enjoyable project for your family. To get started, make sure your windows are completely clean. A mixture of ammonia and water works well to not only remove built-up dirt and dust, but it will also wipe away without leaving a residue or film.
Next, purchase a temporary paint that washes away easily and is non-toxic, especially if you’re working with children.
Finally, search the internet for suitable templates of things like snowmen, Christmas trees, and snowflakes. Print the templates out and carefully cut them. Then, secure the templates against the windows using plenty of tape and paint into the empty spaces. Once the tape and templates are removed, you’ll have beautiful hand-painted window decorations that will last through the holidays.
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Place Electric Candles in Your Windows
Displaying electric candles in every window is an inexpensive and safe Christmas decorative idea that takes almost no time to set up and only requires an accessible power outlet nearby. Electric candles are a much safer alternative than real candles—especially if you’re planning on using them in rooms where they will be left unattended—and they don’t sacrifice any of the beautiful, soft, and diffuse light that people on the street will see emanating from your home.
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Turn Your Windows into Presents
If you don’t mind sacrificing your view of the outdoors for a few weeks, consider turning your windows into presents for a creative and original Christmas décor idea. All you need to do is cut a large section of Christmas wrapping paper into the shape of your window and tape it on the inside. On the outside of the window, secure a bow or ribbon to complete the look. Use this display for windows in rooms that don’t receive a lot of foot traffic, like spare bedrooms and bathrooms, to minimize the impact of blocking the view. Or better yet, turn your entire house into a present!
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Use Ribbons to Hang Ornaments, Pine Cones, Candy Canes, and Other Decorative Touches
If you have spare ribbons in your house and need to make Christmas window displays but don’t feel like buying anything extra, cut the ribbons into thin strands and attach various Christmas-related items to the ends. Ornaments, painted pine cones, candy canes, and other holiday-inspired décor can all be attached easily to the ends of the ribbon using tape or glue and can add a great touch to your home’s Christmas decorations.
