20 easy holiday decorating tips to avoid going overboard

Before you start decorating for the holidays, choose a theme for your decor. It doesn’t have to be specific or different from the previous year, but it has to be something. Having a motif will keep your decorations central and help you weed out unnecessary pieces. 

Decorating starts with the items you purchase. It’s easy to go overboard when you buy decorations haphazardly and feel the need to display every holiday item you own. Be selective in your purchases and only buy what’s going to fit with what you already have. 

Again, it’s important to be selective with your decor purchases. There are so many tacky pieces out there, and when that’s all your decor consists of, it’s hard to have a theme, which leads to going overboard. Do your best to avoid those items. 

It’s always best to approach your holiday decorating with a plan. You don’t need an exact vision, but you should have an idea of which spaces you want to decorate and which you don’t. Having an idea ahead of time will help you avoid over-decorating. 

It’s also helpful to see your decor laid out before you begin putting it up. Seeing what you have will help you decide what you want to use this year and save you from putting everything up in your storage bins. 

You don’t need to take down all your existing decor to decorate for the holidays. You can use what’s already up as a base and simply make some swaps. This is especially easy if you coordinate your holiday decor with your existing decor.  

It can be fun to do a vignette or two with your holiday decor but try to limit them to just that — one or two. It’s all too easy to set up figurines having Thanksgiving dinner or snowmen hanging stockings, and before you know it, your entire home is covered in holiday decor. 

If you’re tempted to hang up all of your decorations because you feel like they’re being wasted if you don’t use them, donate them or throw them away. There’s no need to hang on to items you no longer have use for, especially if someone else could get some good use out of them. 

When decorating for the holidays, opt for subtle changes rather than massive ones (aside from the obvious, like putting up a tree). Swap regular family photos for holiday photos, and replace your bath towels with themed linens. This allows you to get in the spirit without going wild. 

Accent pieces will subtly elevate your holiday decor. An item doesn’t need to stand out to make a splash, and often, the most understated pieces look the best. 

This might make you feel like a bit of a Grinch, but it’ll help you from going overboard. Designate a few (or more) rooms in your home that will absolutely not have any holiday decorations. It’ll help you compartmentalize and keep you from feeling suffocated by decor. 

There are plenty of holiday-adjacent pieces you can use to make your home feel festive without being overtly holiday. For example, when decorating for Christmas, rather than putting a Santa in every room, use some sparkly crystals or red or green candles for effect. 

Choosing a signature scent for the season is a great decorating technique to use when you’re keeping the rest of your decor toned down. Your scent will set the tone and make your space feel holiday without looking like a department store. 

Lights are super festive and obviously beautiful, but they are easy to go overboard with. There’s no need to decorate every room with as many lights as possible. Keep your lights game simple and classic. 

When you’re choosing your decor pieces, it’s great to have some traditional items, but avoid using only traditional pieces. A few here and there will give your holiday scape a classic feel, but too many can make your decor feel tacky. 

Decorating in unexpected places can help you feel like you haven’t gone overboard with your holiday festooning, especially if you’re disseminating it equally throughout your house. Put a tiny tree in your bathroom or hang a wreath in your kitchen. Just be sure to avoid over-decorating your main living spaces. 

If you absolutely can’t help yourself, don’t deprive yourself or anyone in your house of some holiday magic. If you want a totally festive space, choose one room to go all out, like the living room or den. To avoid feeling like a glitter bomb went off in the rest of your home, keep the decorations to a minimum everywhere else. 

If you’re way ahead of the game, you can use your gifts as part of your holiday decor. They act as built-in decorations and make for easy clean-up since you get rid of them after they’ve been opened. 

One easy way to avoid going overboard on decorations while still maintaining some festivity is by making your tree the star of the show. You can go totally over-the-top with your tree and not feel bad about keeping the rest of your space pared down. 

Neutral holiday decor doesn’t exactly scream festivity, but it makes for a classy look and an easy way to feel like you haven’t gone overboard. Plus, neutrals have been all the rage for years now, so it’s easy to find neutral holiday decor items.