It’s the most wonderful hectic time of the year! With all the parties and events going on in the next month or so, it’s sometimes hard to find a moment just to enjoy the season. Often our own houses get neglected in favour of visiting relatives, preparing food, wrapping gifts, and so on. We kind of throw up our Christmas trees, hang the stockings wherever there’s room and call it a day. I think it’s time to change that and take a few minutes just to add a little Christmas spark to your own home!

If you missed last week’s round-up of Inspiring Christmas Decor from the Vankleek Hill Christmas Home Tour, you should definitely take a moment to go back and read! That post was full of gorgeous holiday decorating ideas, including some pretty elaborate set ups (ball gown Christmas tree, anyone?). But today I’m sharing some simpler, more down-to-earth ideas from the home tour. All of these projects can be made in 30 minutes or fewer, and they’ll add some holiday flare to areas of your home that might be a little – shall we say – lacklustre.

I received complimentary admission to the Christmas Home Tour, courtesy of The Review, but was not compensated in any other way for this post. All opinions are my own.

1. Add a two-ingredient garland

Greenery + Pinecones = Beautiful rustic stairway! No expensive ornaments or trimmings are necessary when you combine two natural elements.

Garland by Donna Doucette

2. Add a swag!

Use leftover branches cut from your tree (or even gathered from the cast-off pile!) to make a pretty greenery swag for your window. Finish it with a cheerful satin bow for a touch of old-fashioned style.

Swag by Cottage Blue Home

3. Up the ante on your chandelier!

Use a grapevine wreath (or a wire wreath form) with some cedar boughs wired to it to add natural holiday style to your light fixtures. This would look great in a kitchen or foyer. (Might have to steal this idea for my own home!)

Candelier by Carole and Stephanie Aubin (Vankleek Hill Home Hardware)

4. See double!

Another brilliant decor hack from the tour! Hang a faux-greenery wreath in your window, but add a big cheery bow to BOTH sides. Voila! You just decorated inside and out.

Double-sided wreath by Carole and Stephanie Aubin (Vankleek Hill Home Hardware)

5. Cook up some decorations!

Many traditions, including those of Poland, involve hanging edible ornaments on Christmas trees (yum). Make up a batch of your favourite sugar cookies or gingerbread and hang them with pretty ribbons. You can add some fresh or dried fruit, such as apples, too!

Traditional Polish tree by Sasha McKeown and Donna Czet

6. Raid your baking drawer for ornaments

I’ll bet you have some cute cookie cutters gathering dust. If you aren’t using them to bake (or if you’ve finished your holiday baking already – show-off.) add them to your tree. Bonus: these are super kid-friendly! (Read: unbreakable.)

7. Add a little curb appeal

A planter filled with leftover greenery (you can probably get some from the local Christmas tree nursery if you ask nicely) and some fresh (or faux) red berries makes a welcoming outdoor look. This is a classic holiday touch that never goes out of style. (For extra credit, you could add some lights or a lantern!)

Planter by Cottage Blue Home

Sometimes simpler is just better, isn’t it? I am slowly decorating my home for Christmas (with a new baby, it’s about 1 square foot per day – HA!) and I’ll definitely be using some of these easy ideas in my own decor. I hope they’ll inspire you to take a few minutes for yourself and add a little something special to your home’s holiday look.

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So tell me – what’s your favourite SUPER-SIMPLE way to add Christmas cheer to your home?

P.S. All my Christmas and holiday-related posts are available HERE!