A Hostess’ Guide to Practical Holiday Décor

Want to celebrate and host your holiday feast like a décor pro?? But can’t be bothered with the excessive décor and tableware pieces to buy, and clutter the season may create in your home? If you’re anything like me, I don’t like to have two of the same thing as I feel strangled. I like to keep my stock to a minimum and where possible, re-use, repurpose and re-configure.

Practical Holiday Décor Ideas, Too Easy to Be True!

Here are some practical holiday décor looks I’m itching to copy. I went on Pinterest and picked up my fave ideas for practical holiday décor. What I’m about to show you requires minimal purchasing or it pieces that can be repurposed from your exiting décor or seasonal items. Follow these guidelines for a n elegant and practical holiday décor and tableware without depressing your wallet. The beauty of it all, you don’t need extra storage to stick it all back in the closet when the holidays are over because they can just be re-assigned back to where they originally came from in your home.

The Can, Bottle, Jar Opener

Let’s start with the basics. Why is this important? I’ll tell you why. How many jars, bottles, and cans do you open when you’re hosting or during the holiday season in general? A LOT! So having one that’s going to last and not cause you pain and sorrow is essential, not only as part of your practical holiday décor (because guess what, you’ll need to have it around the table to keep popping those bottles open…lol), but part of your practical kitchen routine.

This NANDIHome Perfect Arthritis 8 in 1 Jar Opener is special because not only does it cater to people with arthritis, but to those with or without any joint pain.

After every pregnancy, I’ve developed some sort of joint pain in my arms, wrists, elbows…I couldn’t open cans, cut vegetables, or even carry my coffee mug. Something like The NANDIHome comes in real handy when you’re joints are not feeling good or when you’re doing so many repetitive movements day in and day out.

It’s good for just about cracking open anything, sort of like the Swiss Army knife of the kitchen. It’s multi-functional , no sharp edges, comfy on the hand, easy to handle with an ergonomic design, compact to store, and relatively effortless. It’s great for the holidays, and when summer rolls around, it will be your perfect pool buddy.

If you don’t have one in your kitchen, get one, because you’ll no longer need a can opener, jar opener or bottle opener once you have it.

A Festive Kitchen

On the kitchen island or the eating area table, these branches in a hurricane vase are so easy to reproduce it’s almost laughable. I really dig this look.

I’ve used it last year and the reason I love it is because it is so quick to implement. It would work beautifully on the dining room sideboard as well.

To execute, bring your butt outside, pick up some long branches, pine cones, and drop them neatly and stylishly into your hurricane vase. If you couldn’t be bothered with picking them up yourself from the outdoors, you can always get some from your local gardening or craft store. Hang some crystal pendants or icicles on the branch and you’ve got a thumbs up, super elegant centrepiece.

Grand Centrepiece Without a Grand Price

Have you put away your garden lanterns yet? If not, don’t. Because guess what? You will be using them on your table for your practical holiday décor.

Yes! Make sure you have two-three of similar sizes and a couple of smaller ones. Ensure you have corresponding candle sizes to put inside them. Get a cheese cloth for a runner from your local fabric store or if you have one that’s cheesecloth or not as long as it’s in a neutral colour, it does the job. Place a bendable wishing tree branch with a stand from the craft store, or try Save on Crafts as they have several options for a great price. Now you can hang the smaller lanterns on the wishing tree or if they come with their own stand, it’s even easier. If your branch doesn’t have lights, for extra bling, add some crystals or icicles for spectacular effect.

Strategically add the pine branches and cones, and for a more of a holiday effect, add Christmas ornaments in silver or gold.

It’s Time to Set the Table

For the holidays, any holiday or when receiving guests, I have my special dinnerware and flatware….But because I hate having too much of one thing, I ensure what I have can be repurposed for all events. So I stick with white for dinnerware.

Silver for flatware.

And well intricate design for the glassware, but with antique appeal.

If you’re looking to invest in one, Horchow has some dinnerware, glassware, and flatware that are so succulent.

For the serving dishes, I still like my antique feel because when I’m not using them for my practical holiday décor, I can repurpose them.

Needless to say, Horchow has some great ones but if you don’t want to spend much, a thrift shop such as Value Village will carry several pieces that would make your table glow.

The Presentation

To tie your dinner napkins, try using a twine thread or bands of an old cloth to personalise the look.

I love the pine tree strands and dash of cinnamon sticks but I’m not crazy about the sea-star. I’d much rather go with just a plain gold or silver star that you can make from foam glittery paper found at the dollar store or from Michael’s.

To hold your excess flatware, dinnerware and serving dishes, a distressed vintage wooden box works really well as part of your practical home décor.

You can even use your dad’s old wooden toolbox just for the season. Add some candles and pine cones and it’s festive all around!

The Writing on the Shelf

Rustic, gorgeous, and multi-use, this practical holiday décor piece is great on a mantle, or on a shelf in the entrance or in the mudroom.

It screams holiday without screaming it too loudly with typical holiday colours and patterns. Simple and demure just as I like it! Once the Holidays are over, the letters can be returned back to the areas they came from or re-configured in your décor.

Practical Holiday Décor for the Unused Corner

This idea is so easy to reproduce, it’s too good to pass up. Grab your gardening steel bucket, again get some branches from outside (again if you’re somewhat of a sloth, the garden centre or craft store is your best friend).

To hold the branches in place, add some floral foam, mulch, sand, or pebbles to stabilize the branches. You can then tie them together to keep them from shifting sideways. The bucket might be heavy so I suggest doing it onsite (as in where you will actually be placing it). Stick some of the pine cones you picked up from the store or outside, and finish with the gold ribbon or whatever your preferred colour is. Ribbons can be found at Michaels or even the Dollar store. For your final touch, place the Christmas ornaments or get the balls if you have any from the decorative bowl and add them on top. Place your lighting and voila!

Put it on the Sofa or Console Table

Remember your gardening lanterns, well you’re gonna need them again for this practical holiday décor look. If you don’t have enough, I’m sure you’d still be able to pick some up from the craft or gardening centre (possibly on major discount this time of year if any are left) or home décor stores like HomeSense. I’ve actually seen some there not too long ago so you might be in luck!

You’ll also need a cute reindeer like the one in the photo with some fake snow. Again HomeSense, Etsy, heck even Wal-Mart will carry such pieces. While it may seem like a total holiday item for you, remember after the holidays, this grown-up Bambi can be re-configured to another section of your home. Ask me, I have a couple of them in different formats.

The decorative bowl you emptied earlier on will be re-used to house your funky Christmas ornaments. Then get any frame you want, that’s got a bit of a rustic feel and if you don’t have one, make one! It’s really easy. For the chalk paper effect, either grab a black cardboard and write on it with chalk or you can have an instant chalkboard print out for free.

Pretty Comfy Throw Pillows

Holiday throw pillows are cute, but since you’d only be using them a few weeks during the year, are they worth it? Well if you get some that have generic terms or patterns such as the ones in the photo, you can re-use them all year long, which can be a great part of your practical holiday décor.

Zazzle has some pretty awesome ones.

Practical Christmas Ornaments

So I’ve used Christmas ball ornaments in my daily décor and I highly recommend them to achieve your practical holiday décor look. But have you ever tried pine cones finished with ribbon?

What if you spray painted them gold or silver or even white? Lightbulb! And once it’s all done, dump them in a decorative bowl or a vase to compliment your daily décor.

What Should I Do With the Tree?

Other than getting the ornaments, the tree, the garland, and the stockings, everything else in this image is really, essentially repurposed.

The silver vases are some of many I’ve seen all year round at HomeSense and be easily re-configured after the holidays. The chalkboard is another item that be re-assigned from an existing location from your home on top of the mantle for the purpose of your practical holiday décor…or again, take an existing frame and make your own chalkboard print out.

Remember that not every piece I pointed out has to be identical to the image as long as it works in a holiday theme, it’s up to you and your taste to select what will work for your practical holiday décor.

Hope you enjoyed my practical holiday décor. Let me know what you think 🙂