Do You Hear What I Hear…

Make your home into a holiday haven with these quick and easy holiday decorating ideas. You don’t have to invest a bunch of time or money to bring the magic of the holidays into your home, or the homes of loved ones. With easy-to-follow directions to making simple, creative decorations, you can bring holiday spirit into your home and into the hearts of those who share in it.

Clove-studded oranges, silver bells and sprigs of mistletoe are sure signs of the season. Add to them festive holiday flowers, including vibrant colored poinsettias, brilliant white amaryllis, and narcisii, and your holiday décor will shape out just right. Any room in your home can be transformed into a holiday haven with the quick and easy addition of some red and white flowers. Use roses, carnations, tulips, lilies, and chrysanthemums in the holiday decorating ideas below to give a festive finish to any room.

Flowers and candles are always an elegant match as well, and a candlescape can add classic style to your holiday décor. Display candles in various shapes and sizes on a decorative tray and accent them with your favorite holiday flowers, fresh evergreens, ribbons, or small ornaments. Candlescapes create warm sparkling light in any space and are particularly lovely on a coffee table, credenza, or dining table. We at YaoFlowers want to share our passion for holiday décor with you, and so have included step-by-step instructions for a couple of our favorite holiday decorating ideas below:

THE CANDY CANE VASE 1. Cut the top of candy canes to remove the hooked portion. (An angled cut will give you a more finished look.) Hot glue approximately 25–50 one-ounce candy canes around the outside of an inexpensive cylinder (like a coffee can) or square-shaped container until the outside is completely covered. 2. Tie a wide satin ribbon around the decorated container. Secure with a dot of glue if needed. 3. Soak blocks of floral foam in water until they are completely saturated. Place the blocks in the container, trimming them to fit. 4. Starting at the center, insert stems of carnations, roses, or tulips, keeping the flower heads at the same level to create a tightly packed mound. Enjoy your festive centerpiece!

THE PEPPERMINT CARNATION WREATH 1. Soak blocks of floral foam in water until they are completely saturated. 2. Wedge the saturated blocks into a plastic wreath form. Stand the wreath on edge (as if hanging on the wall) to let excess water drain. 3. Cut the stems of the red and white carnations to about 2 inches. 4. Insert the flower heads into the foam, pushing the stems in all the way. If the flowers aren't fully open, leave about 1/8 to 1/4 inch of space between the flowers; if they are fully open, pack them together tightly. Continue inserting the flower heads, creating alternating red and white stripes. 5. Tie a bow out of ribbon to complete the wreath. Attach it by looping a short wire through the knot of the bow and inserting it into the floral foam between the flowers.

Holidays are all about friends and family, so ask your daughter, mother, friend, or husband to help you with these festive holiday projects. Not only will you come out with creative, cheery hand-made decorations, you’ll have fond memories of laughter and love to look back upon. And that’s the true magic of the holidays!

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