The holidays looked very different this time last year. 

Gatherings and parties in 2020 remained largely unattended or canceled, and many of us had to abandon time-honored holiday traditions for new or temporary ones.

Thanks to the strides we've made this past year in the treatment and prevention of COVID-19, most of us can start looking forward to going back to the holiday festivities of yore. 

As we prepare to welcome friends and family back into our homes, it's essential to consider how best to decorate our spaces.

There's more to planning your holiday decor than slapping a bunch of tinsel and fake snow around your home. You'll have to consider a few things as you prep your space for your guests are most likely to spend any amount of time in. This means preparing your gathering spaces and guest rooms alike.

Orient yourself by thinking back to parties past, grab yourself a warm drink, and then using some of our festive ideas to prepare your home for the holidays.

Thanksgiving

The first holiday of the season is just around the corner, meaning you've got to work quickly!

Greet your guests, quite literally, with a few festive words. 

Punctuate a big oversized canvas print like this one by Silvia Vassileva with seasonal fares like garlands of fallen leaves, pumpkins, and lots of cozy linens for the ultimate fall decor refresh. Paired with your Thanksgiving feast and award-winning hospitality, no one will be able to deny that your home is a beacon during the cold autumn season!

Hanukkah

Left to Right: Hanukah Menorah Goldtree by Andrea Strongwater, Hanukkah Lights - Dreidel by Jetty Home, The Black Feathered Hat by Gustav Klimt

Hanukkah starts up surprisingly early this year—just a few days after Thanksgiving!

Don't get caught by surprise, and start prepping your home for the eight days of Hanukkah festivities by starting with your decor. 

Rather than scrapping everything that you already have, consider mixing your current pieces with more festive ones. The key to pulling this off well is choosing holiday-themed prints that pair well with your decor. You can do this by focusing on matching colors, styles, or motifs across your Hanukkah or holiday decor and taking care that these elements all match in some way or another to your everyday decor. 

Christmas

Left to Right: Sage Merry Christmas Wreath by Cindy Jacobs, Santa in Chalk by Ali Lynne

For those of us who celebrate the biggest holiday of the season, Christmas is an exciting opportunity to experiment with the holiday's magical, whimsical, and heart-warming aspects. 

Decorating your space for Christmas is deeply personal and should follow whatever theme your home and budget can accommodate.

Generally, you have two options when it comes to Christmas holiday decor. You can either go all out and lean into the seasonal vibes with overtly themed pieces like this framed wreath bearing good tidings or this chalkboard-inspired art piece starring Saint Nick himself.

On the other hand, if full festive decor isn't quite your style, you might opt for a more subtle piece to decorate your space. Adding hints of the holiday to your decor makes for a more refined and elegant decor scheme that's good all season long.

New Years Eve

With Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas behind you, the last holiday of the season promises a grand old time!

Decorating for New Year's Eve should be relatively easy after you've finished decorating all winter long. Rather than focusing on making your New Years' decor look drastically different from your Christmas decor, think instead about building upon what you already have out. Not only does this make the process easier, but it's one less thing to worry about after you've spent weeks entertaining and attending various seasonal functions. If you simply must decorate for the occasion, however, don't even bother with a hammer and nails: leaning a large canvas print against the mantel or next to the tree perfectly captures the effortlessly cool luster of the holiday.

The holidays can be stressful for everyone involved, especially for the hosts of the seasonal festivities. We hope that armed with these decorating tips for Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year's Eve, you'll be able to brave the holidays with ease.