The holidays are a busy time, especially for Moms preparing their homes for kids winter break or out-of-town guests. Every year, I strive to make this time of year a simple and slow as possible, especially once my kids are on break from school. This year, that has meant paring down my holiday decor and keeping only the things that are simple, efficient, practical, functional & bring us joy.
Here are a few ways I’ve kept holiday decor functional but still beautiful:
Festive Kleenex® Tissue Box – Keeping tissues at an arms reach is practical, and Kleenex makes it easy to do that in a beautiful way during the holidays. Kleenex® Perfect Fit Facial Tissue will never be in the way thanks to its new slim canister, and is available in a variety of patterns that fit into any room. Look how great this Kleenex box is & how it blends into our Christmas decorations!
Simple Nativity – I have been wanting a nativity for years and I finally have one and I love it! My mother-in-law passed this down to me and it is one of my MOST favorite Christmas decorations. It is simple, and it reminds us of what the holidays are all about.
Holiday Books – a practical way to bring beauty & keep the tradition of reading Christmas stories alive & within an arms reach in our home.
Candles – add atmosphere & sparkle in a super economical way.
Wrapped Gifts – they look great under the tree, but you can also use wrapped gifts to set around your home and add a festive look.
Soft Cozy Pillows & Blankets – my Mom gave me this awesome peppermint patty pillow, and I recently bought the white cozy blanket and have been using it all season long. I like plain white, as it can stay out even after Christmas and all throught the winter months. It adds such a warm & cozy feeling at the arm of my couch. It is the perfect example of simple, beautiful & functional.
Add Sparkle – reflective mirrored balls in a dish, silver pipe cleaner on packages, reflective candle holders, a festive nightlight in the bathroom–I’m all about adding a little sparkle that I already have on hand, which delivers big when it comes to Christmas home decorating. This festive nightlight that we keep in our bathroom was given to me by my Mom. Another functional beauty!
Use Bags That Gifts Come In When You Purchase Them – some stores have really nice looking bags they give you to take your items home in. I like to reuse these bags, as long as they coordinate with my Christmas decor. An example is the black bag in the above photo–a very practical and economical way to add beauty under the tree!
Festive Warm Drinks Bar – warm, cozy drinks are a must during the holidays. I like to keep items for these drinks front and center in the kitchen during the cold months. Stackable mugs & jars of coffee, tea, cocoa & marshmallows all look so pretty, but are also very usable. My girls really enjoy this and take advantage of it everyday!
Plain White Viva® Paper Towels – this is the ultimate practical ‘decor.’ Ok, so it is a stretch to call paper towels a decoration, but I love how these Viva® paper towels are plain white & can be an understated beautiful on a simple stand. They stay in the background, blending into the decor but very practical and ready to grab. They are durable and have a cloth-like texture for wet or dry messes. Their Choose-A -Size is super practical and cuts down on waste. I keep our roll out on the counter ready to wipe up any spills.
Live Greenery – a couple of branches trimmed from the tree & stuck in a vase is a very inexpensive & practical way to add a touch of holiday, as I did to the back of our toilet. This is an ideal place for a festive candle that smells great, too.
Have you downsized your holiday decor?
Do you like the idea of beautiful, yet practical and usable?
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Cottonelle, Kleenex, Scott & Viva have your household needs covered this holiday season; you can find these brands at Walmart.
Make sure you use the Ibotta app, where you can find great deals on all Kleenex, Viva, Scott & Cottonelle products at your local Walmart.
With the Ibotta app you can get:
- $1 off Cottonelle 12-ct or larger
- $1 off Scott 12-ct or larger
- $1 off Viva 6-ct or larger
- Buy two products and get an extra dollar back
Download the Ibotta App Here.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Nan
December 21, 2015 at 10:11 pm: ( This post is a bit heavy on the advertising for certain companies. Felt like a plug for these items/companies more than anything. I mean, paper towels part of a decorating scheme? I don’t mean to be critical, but it was a bit disappointing.
AmyNewNostalgia
December 23, 2015 at 11:55 amI’m sorry you were disappointed. This blog is costly to run so to offset some of those costs I do sponsored posts, and this one was for Viva paper towels and Kleenex. I always make sure I am forthright at the top of the post that it a sponsored post and what company it is for. The content, however, is very authentic and writing about how to simplify Christmas is very much my heart. I would have shared about our hot beverage bar & ways to simplify Christmas whether it was a sponsored post or not, and the paper towels are something we do use. I hope you keep reading and understand that the time and money bloggers put into providing content for our dear readers is something we love doing, but must find ways to cover the costs.