Mark Roemer grew up watching Christmas movies where the setting was a large home or impossibly large apartment, decked to the nine with Christmas decorations. From the enormous tree to the mantle, garland on the stairwell, wreath, and gift boxes all around. Not every home is that roomy. Most homes nowadays do not have the room for a twelve-foot Christmas tree or do not have stairwells to decorate. How do you manage to transform your tiny space into something magical without suffocating, or creating a hazard for anyone living there?

The Best Things Come in Small Packages

We have all heard of this expression. While having more room may make your life easier; having a small living space does not make it impossible to create a perfectly decorated area that is Santa worthy. Follow these few tips and tricks, and you will have a Christmas Wonderland.

Replacing Wall Decorations – Removing wall hangings, such as pictures or works of art, and moving them to a storage area to prevent damage, will give you wall space to add holiday accents without encroaching on your living space. Hanging your holiday wish cards on a short string of light with a few greenery accents, like a cluster of holly leaves and berries, will allow you to showcase the beautiful cards you have received without taking any counter space.

Who Needs a Full-Sized Tree – The iconic Christmas tree is where the magic of Christmas for the little one resides. They are so bulky, though. Were you aware, you can get an artificial half tree? Yes, you read that correctly, half tree. They are trees with a flat back so you can place them flush against the wall. Where you would typically need a lot of space, you now have room to walk. They are a little bit more challenging to find, and no, they are not half price. They will, however, give you the possibility of having a tree. They even make quarter trees that can fit snugly in any corner.

Let’s Talk Window Treatment – If you have a window, it is a great place to add decorations without removing living space. Have the little ones cut some paper snowflakes to hang in the window. It’s an excellent activity for the kids and having them displayed in the windows is a great way to get them involved.

You can also use your windows to hang a decoration tree if you do not have the room for one. Add a tension bar at the top of your windowsill and hang your decorations from the tension bar. All you need is an invisible fishing line cut at different lengths. You can even string a few Christmas lights this way to help create the tree form.

Decorating Doors – Using chiffon paper to create large bows to hang on doors is a simple way to personalize each room.  Using the invisible fishing line, you can secure them to a small nail at the top of the door on the inside. To prevent them from swinging wildly when the door is open and closed, use a small strip of tape on the fishing line just behind the bow.

Make Good Use of Those Flower Vases – Everyone has at least one tucked away somewhere. A flower vase that doesn’t get used very often. Use that vase to give your home a winter wonderland by adding some evergreen branches in them. A few light decorations in the branches, and you have a portable tree! If the vase does not have the Christmas spirit, cover it with red felt, add a great big white or golden bow at the neck of the vase, and you have transformed an ugly vase into a Santa decoration.

Tackling the Iconic Gingerbread House – You can buy kits, or you can make your own! Gingerbread houses are a staple of Christmas spirit. Making your own can be time-consuming, and during the holiday season, most of us are strapped for time as is. You can buy a kit or bake your own mini house using Graham crackers and royal icing. Royal icing is easy to make and will harden like spackle. It is the mortar of the confectioning world! Cutting the Graham crackers and assembling your house will be much easier than using a kit or making your own, as those crackers are already in perfect rectangular shape! Decorating your plate with white cotton candy will give the delicious illusion of snow. A few Santa and elves figurines (or candy – even better) will complete the setting.

Transform Your Chairs – There are so many options here, the sky’s the limit. One of my favorite decorations for chairs comes from receiving fake elves legs one Christmas as a gag gift. Long stuffed stockings with little red boots at the end. I’ve removed the stuffing and strung the sock up the leg of my kitchen chairs. Now they look like they have elf legs!

You can also make good use of Christmas sweaters while decorating your dining area. Using ugly Christmas sweaters as seat covers is an innovative and amusing way to create personalized place holders. Pulling the jersey over the back of the chair, you can fasten them in place by tying the arms together in a bow. You now have festive, albeit ugly sweater, chairs.

Mini Wreaths – One scent that always brings me back to Christmas is fresh rosemary. The aroma screams Christmas to me. Using fresh rosemary twigs, large bracelets, a few elastics, and twist ties, you can make small scented wreaths to hang around your house. Just tie a few branches together with elastics, fasten the branch to your bracelet with a twist tie, and go around, covering the elastic with your next branch until you have gone around. Pure, elegant, and fragrant. Once Christmas is over, you can use the sprigs for cooking!

We Have Conquered Christmas!

You do not need to find a bigger house to give your home a Christmas feel. A few well-placed accents, ingenuity, and creativity, and your small apartment will be Santa ready. You can have all the Holiday joy without the claustrophobia of an over-decorated, confined space. Mark Roemer wishes you and yours a wonderful holiday season, filled with love and happiness.