With Christmas just around the corner, people who celebrate the holiday are currently decorating their homes, businesses, and yards. Decorating for Christmas is a great way to get into the holiday spirit and to spend time with family. 

Families start their Christmas decorating at varying times. Junior Molly Sheppard says she starts decorating the week after Halloween. That is pretty early compared to others, for example sophomore Charlize Saez does not decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving. Families all have different traditions and times to start decorating for the holidays.

One of the most common Christmas associated decorations is a tree. For instance, to get a better scale of how popular buying a real Christmas tree is, Christmas Facts, History and States says “79 percent of Americans purchase a tree.” In other words, “The number of Christmas trees sold in the U.S. annually is 25-30 million.” That is a lot of Christmas trees, and does not even account for how many fake trees are also used in people’s homes. There are so many different and fun ways people decorate their trees. Senior Aileen Mayo says her tree has“uniformed ornaments, white, gold, and silver.” Uniformed and themed trees are pretty popular, and color coordinated ornaments are easy to find. Another common way people have decorated their trees for years is by family passed down ornaments and gifted ornaments collected over the years. Another main tree decoration families choose to add to their tree is a tree topper, such as an angel or a star. These tree toppers actually have a symbolic meaning to them. According to Better Homes & Gardens, they say the reason for an angel tree topper is “because angels appeared high in the sky on the first Christmas, so people began placing angels high on the top of their trees as a way to celebrate the birth of Jesus.” This tradition is popular among the Christian community as a part of their decoration. The meaning of a star tree topper also relates to the religion of Christianity. According to News8, “The Star of Bethlehem, also referred to as the ‘Christmas Star,’ guided the wise men, or Magi, to the birthplace of Jesus in the Christian story of Jesus of Nazareth’s birth. The star signifies the birth of Christ (or Messiah).” Adding a star or angel tree topper is a nice way to incorporate a more symbolic meaning onto your tree. 

Christmas is one of those holidays families can go crazy with decorations. There are so many different decorations for this holiday. For instance, freshman Lily Brown tells of some of the decorations her family includes for Christmas: “Nutcrackers, decorative present boxes, lights on a mantle, and a santa.” Sheppard also shares the decorations she includes: “Trees, garland, two Christmas villages, Christmas countdown, and Christmas pillows.” No matter how your family decorates and to what extent the decorations go to, it all spreads joy and brings the holiday spirit into the home. Decorating for Christmas is a good excuse to spend time with your family. 

Many families and friends during Christmas time will go further than just decorating their house, but will also decorate a gingerbread house. Gingerbread house decorating is a fun tradition to do, and can be kept as a decoration in your house or can be eaten. There are many do-it-yourself Christmas decorating crafts you can find online to make your house more festive. For instance, DIY decorations that House Beautiful recommends are “garland, wreath making, 3D snowflakes, popsicle snowflakes, ornament painting etc.” Overall, even if you do not have many of your own decorations, getting crafty and making your own is a good option. 

Many people like to add Christmas lights and outdoor decorations to their house. Mayo says, “We put multicolored lights on our house.” Outdoor decorations extend to more than just lights around the house trimmings. For example, blow up santas or other Christmas figures, light up reindeer, candy canes up a driveway, and Nativities are all commonly seen outdoor Christmas decorations. 

Christmas decorations are almost everywhere people go during this time of year. Businesses such as shopping malls have decorations. Big, extravagantly decorated Christmas trees, Santa photo booths, and wreaths are common decorations for malls this time of year. In outdoor shopping centers, there are also decorations such as lights on the roofs and on trees surrounding the area. Big corporations like Starbucks are known for having Christmas themed cups for the holiday season too. 

Overall, Christmas decorations are a big deal during this season and can help bring joy to many people. Decorating can be given your own style and aesthetic to make it your own. Even if you do not have many decorations, there are many resources online that can give ideas on how to easily DIY Christmas decorations with materials you already own. By getting decorated for the Christmas season, this will bring holiday festiveness to your home.