{five minute friday} 15 Genius Christmas Decorating Hacks

Have you started decorating for Christmas yet? We got a little jump start last weekend, but I'll be finishing up over the next few days {getting ready for my Christmas Home Tour which will be on the blog next Tuesday}. Each year it seems that our turning our home into a holiday wonderland gets a little easier because over time we've come up with some great time saving hacks! I've rounded up 15 of my favorite five minute Christmas decorating hacks, and I'd love for you to share your tips in the comments!

This post contains some affiliate links, denoted by an asterisk(*). If you buy something that I recommend, you pay the same price, but I may receive a small commission. 

DISPLAY ORNAMENTS FROM A TENSION ROD IN A WINDOW

When we had kids, I knew it would be many years before my glass ornaments could grace our tree again, so I found another way to display some of my favorites. I placed a silver spring tension rod* in each of our living room windows, and then used ribbon to hang my breakable ornaments out of the reach of little hands. Best of all, at the end of the season all I have to do is shorten the rod a bit and lift the entire thing out of the window in one piece, making it really quick to put back up the next year. Read the details here.

LEAVE CLEAR COMMAND HOOKS UP YEAR ROUND

I like to hang snowflakes throughout the house for the holidays, including in our kitchen window and above the basement fireplace. The first year that I hung each of these it was a time consuming process of putting up hooks, cutting ribbons to the right lengths, and tying loops in the ribbons to hang from the hooks. But after that first year, it's been a a breeze!

I used small, clear Command brand decorative hooks and leave them stuck the ceiling year round. By tying loops in the ends of the ribbons, I am able to simply hang the ribbons on the hooks again the next year. the snowflake displays that took about an hour to hang the first year, now take only about 5 minutes to hang each season! In addition to my snowflake window display for winter, I use the same nooks in the kitchen window for other displays throughout the year - like fabric filled embroidery hoops in the spring and summer; falling leaves in autumn, and glow-in-the-dark ghosts for Halloween.

INSTALL HOOKS IN MANTLE FOR QUICK STOCKING HANGING

I love the look of decorative, weighted stocking holders, but I read some them being dangerous for young kids, so we decide to instead install some small hooks in the under side of our mantle. We picked small, dark hooks that are very inconspicuous against our dark wood mantle and dark tile fireplace surround. {Read more child-safe Christmas decorating tips.}

Since the hooks are screwed in, they are there year round, but they are virtually invisible when the stockings are not hanging from them. I am pretty picky about things like that, and thought it would bug me having them there year-round, but I honestly don't notice them at all. And when it's time to decorate for Christmas, it only takes a minute to hang the stocking from the hooks that are already there.

Want to learn how to make those glittery stocking monogram pins? I've got a five minute tutorial for those too!

THE EASIEST WAY TO HANG WREATHS ON FRONT DOORS

This fall, I shared my tip for the easiest, damage free way to hang wreaths on front doors. I used this same method to hang my Christmas wreaths!

HANG WREATHS BACK TO BACK ON GLASS DOORS

Our doors have panels of frosted glass, so a wreath on either side of the door casts a shadow on the other side of the door. That's why I like to hang two wreaths back to back on our glass front doors, using the same wreath hanging method from above.

USE PIPE CLEANERS FOR DAMAGE FREE GARLAND HANGING

I used to struggle with how to get the garland to stay in place on our railings, but a few years ago I discovered a great hack - using pipe cleaners for damage free garland hanging! Read the details here. 

MAKE A FAKE CHRISTMAS TREE SMELL REAL

We prefer the convenience of a fake Christmas tree, but I always wished that we could enjoy the small of a real tree. And last year I finally discovered that we could! Maybe I'm the last to discover these - but ScentSicles* are my new favorite thing. You just hang them inside the tree and enjoy the scent throughout the season!

WRAP UP YOUR ART FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Have art in your house that doesn't match the colors of your holiday decor? Just cover it up! The easiest way to do this is to wrap the canvas or frame in wrapping paper and tie a bow around it. Last year I decided to go a slightly different direction, and printed up the lyrics to one of my favorite Christmas songs using the inexpensive engineering print option at FedEx Office, which I then wrapped around a large canvas painting in our living room {securing it on the back with blue painters tape.

RAISE UP CANDLES TO FILL LANTERNS ON THE PORCH

When I first bought our large red candle lanterns, I intended to use them on the patio throughout the summer. But a few years ago, I realized they were perfect for our Christmas porch as well! But I could not find any battery operated candles that were tall enough to fill the lanterns appropriately. Last year, I came up with a super simple way to fill the extra space and raise up the candles. Read the details here.

KNOCK OFF HIGH END DECORATIONS

Every year I see lots of gorgeous new decorations in the catalogs from my favorite stores. But my budget for new decorations is limited. So what's a girl to do?! My favorite solution is always to recreate the same look for less. Last year, for example, I created HO HO HO letters very similar to those at Crate and Barrel, but mine cost only $15 compared to $50 in the store!

FILL YOUR CHRISTMAS CARD DISPLAY WHILE WAITING FOR THE MAIL

There are lots of pretty ways to display your the Christmas cards you receive throughout the season, but the displays always look best when filled with cards. So what do you do in the early weeks when only a few cards have arrived in the mail? I simply fill my display {which I purchased at The Container Store*} with squares of colorful scrapbook paper! Then I swap the paper for cards as they arrive. Read the details here.

Here are four more of my favorite holiday decorating hacks that I found on Pinterest:

HANG WREATHS ON CABINET DOORS DAMAGE FREE

Dress up your cabinets with wreaths without causing any damage by using upside down Command hooks on the inside of the doors. Details at Timmons Family Lemonade.

FILL VASES WITH FEWER ORNAMENTS

I love the look of a large vase or apothecary jar full of ornaments, but it can take a lot to fill them up. Dandelions & Dust Bunnies came up with a perfect solution - use a toilet paper or paper towel roll to fill the center of the vase!

SPRAY PAINT YOUR CHRISTMAS LIGHT STRINGS

Love the glow of Christmas lights, but don't love the green cords? Me too! Glam them up by painting the cords and sockets with spray paint! Read the full tutorial at Landeelu.

MAKE YOUR ELF ON THE SHELF EASIER TO POSE

My boys love our Elf on the Shelf, but it can be a challenge for mom and dad to find new places to put him each day. Life So Lovely has a fantastic tutorial about how to make your elf posable using wire, magnets, and velcro. 

Make sure you pin these ideas so you don't forget them for next year! And also be sure to follow me on Pinterest for lots more Christmas decor, tips & tricks!

Ok, so now I want to hear about your best Christmas decorating hacks! Leave me your tips in the comments!

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