Holiday Decorating - Home Seller Beware

After decorating my front yard this past weekend as a scary cemetery complete with ghosts and ghouls for Halloween, it made me wonder what's best for home sellers to do during the holidays, decorate or not?

Sometimes it's hard enough to get sellers to agree to remove certain objects or tone down accessories in their home or front lawn. So, when it comes time to decorate for Halloween, display pilgrims and turkeys, set-up the menorah or Christmas lights and trees, what are stagers or even Realtors to do to make sure the home still appeals to buyers?

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It's hard to imagine buyers receiving a good vibe on a home if they're walking up to the door surrounded by a makeshift cemetery. Plus, they may get distracted with the holiday décor and overlook the curb appeal. While Halloween and Thanksgiving are celebrated by most, Hanukkah and Christmas are religious holidays that buyers could discriminate against. So, it's important for sellers to target buyers based on your neighborhood. If your neighborhood is festive during Christmas then a buyer would expect Christmas decorations at your home, on the other hand, if you live in a "politically correct" neighborhood with a mix of religious beliefs use more generic decorations to promote Season's Greetings rather than your specific holiday.

While it's easier to take your home off the market during this time of year, many sellers can't afford to lose those months. Keeping your home on the market can be beneficial there is usually less inventory and those looking to buy are serious, but it may be hard to schedule appointments and many agents take time off then. If you do plan to keep that for sale sign up make sure you keep your decorations to a minimum.

Exterior Decorating

Keep the tinsel, garland and most of those blow-up characters in storage. The entrance should be simple. Use more natural elements: For fall add pumpkins, stacks of hay, cornstalks and don't forget to plant some mums (you can also prepare the home for spring now by planting daffodils and tulips). For winter group poinsettias and use evergreens to create floral arrangements. Door wreaths welcome all to your home and set the stage for celebrating. Use holiday colors that blend in with and dress up your home's exterior colors. Attach tree branches from your garden, gourds or flowers, and ribbons. Use a few strands of white lights for elegance or keep to a color scheme, forget about the multi-color strands this year. Most importantly, refrain from objects attributable to specific religions.

Scene Stealers Inside

During staging it's important to make focal points stand out so don't block or cover up fireplaces, stairs, and stained-glass windows those features that sell. Rooms filled with decorations can feel smaller and stops the buyer's eyes from visualizing themselves in the space. Choose specific areas to stage with festive themes. You want buyers to see themselves celebrating their holidays in your house. To do this you want to create a simple, clean, cozy space with your decorations. Set your formal dining room for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Bring in a Christmas tree making sure it's not oversized. Again use natural elements to bring in texture and interest like an evergreen garland or pine cone centerpiece. Color is also important to keep in mind keep within a color scheme. Red is not only the color of Christmas, but it's an emotionally appealing color that you are able to use in the space.

Don't forget to think about what the holidays mean to you then incorporate that into your vignettes. Do you love decorating the tree? Creating a Gingerbread House? Making Apple Cider? Christmas Morning? Family Dinners? Or Sitting by the Fire? Create those imagines for buyers. Play into Using the Five Sense to make them feel at home.

And just because you may not be able to decorate as you would in the past, you can still celebrate those traditions, take part in holiday activities and get in the festive mood through 'buyer's eyes,' it's a spirit that may result in selling your home.

Holiday Decorating - Home Seller Beware

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Eight Ideas for Holiday Candy Cane Decorations

When the candy canes come out, it's a sure sign that the holidays are near. Unlike nowadays, there used to be just one type of Christmas candy. These candies, colored red and white striped and peppermint flavored, are always a wonderful holiday treat.

More so than being delicious, candy canes were also hung on the Christmas tree and eaten when the job of opening presents was done. Now this Christmas treat has become decorations for many other places, and are much more than just tasty snacks. Listed below are eight of the best ways we have seen to decorate with candy canes.

Garland Home

1) Design a wreath made of candy. If you're looking for a change from the usual green boughs and red ribbons, make a peppermint candy wreath for your front door of your home or office. Small peppermint canes are the best choice for this as they can be bunched and hooked together to form a circle. Our favorite peppermint treats are always a nice addition to a traditional wreath made with almost any material.

2) Use them as a centerpiece! The vivid colors of candy canes make them fine decorations for any table or desk. A nice jar with a few treats sticking out would make a fine holiday centerpiece. You'll have a few disappear, so have some spares around.

3) Add decorations to the candy canes - they are the basis for many Christmas craft projects; turn them into reindeer with a pipe cleaner, some felt, some glue, and googly eyes and they'll fit in just about anywhere!

4) Create a holiday tree garland. Candy canes can go onto your tree in many ways, not just hanging from the branches. Several candy sticks and some ribbon will make a wonderful garland for your Christmas tree.

5) Candy canes are a great for "Santa's sleigh" made of gingerbread. They have the right shape to make great runners for St. Nick's sleigh

6) They can also make good aisle markers. Candy canes are available in different flavors and in various sizes. Purchase two in the largest size available, and they can become posts for an entranceway, a path, or a hallway.

7) Candy canes can be great parts of a gingerbread village. They have many uses when they are included in a gingerbread village. They are also ideal for making lamp posts, fences, trees, or even road borders.

8) Make a "Welcome Bowl". At the office, remember to have the welcoming bowl of small Christmas treats. Everyone loves the peppermint taste, and the sweets bowl helps remind people of the giving spirit of the season.

There are so many different ways to use candy canes throughout the season. This list barely covers the possibilities! Sweet delicacies like these are also a major part of any decorating plans for the holidays.

Eight Ideas for Holiday Candy Cane Decorations

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Holiday Parties at Home

It can be very satisfying to cater to friends, families and loved ones during the Christmas holidays. Taking the time to share food, fun and laughter in a happy, jovial manner truly embraces the spirit of Christmas.

In deciding to have a party at home, one of the first things to consider is whether it will be formal or informal. Among the key things that need to be considered are the number of people to attend, the menu, the preparation of food and arrangement of decoration that is attractive and has themes for the holidays. It's also important to make a note of how much, if any, help will be available from friends or family members.

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A formal Christmas party likely would include a small number of people - not more than 12 and likely fewer - who would be seated at a table for the duration of the meal. It means that place settings and seating have to be done and a decision made on whether the meal will be a three- or four-course dinner.

The advantage of a formal dinner is that it is very organized, it has a known content and everyone around the table usually engages in pleasant conversation. It also usually provides a good opportunity to get to know and hear from everyone present without having to initiate any small talk, which some people are not comfortable doing.

As the host of a formal dinner, you will also have the responsibility of keeping the meal flowing smoothly by having each course brought out at the perfect timing and to also be aware of any special needs that a guest may have.

In contrast, an informal Christmas party at home is organized in a different manner and does not have the predictability of a formal one. The fun and festive spirit of an informal holiday party comes from groups of people who mill around, move about freely to have conversations, laugh and enjoy munching on Christmas treats, goodies and other foods.

Despite the easy, fun-filled atmosphere, it is necessary to plan the use of space and to think about the area that people will use or wander around. Making such a plan will facilitate contact between partygoers so that the party spirit will pervade everywhere and put participants in a livelier mood.

Another consideration to make for an informal Christmas party among friends and family is if children will be present and about their ages, if they are allowed to attend. Children, even older ones, always need careful supervision. If children are going to attend a holiday party at home, arrangements should be made for adequate supervision of them and special activities should also be provided that can occupy their attention.

An important feature that must be a part of a festive Christmas party at home is the right mix of music. In selecting Christmas music, consideration should be given to what will be played at the start of the party as guests are welcomed and introduced to each other, the songs that can be played later to inject or enhance liveliness and later to create the right mood as the partygoers bid farewell with 'Merry Christmas' or 'Happy Holidays.'

Along with the music, Christmas decorations and even the food can also help to enliven a Christmas party at home. Food that is interesting because it looks 'pretty' due to the color palette of items, infuses a mellow feeling among guests and adds an intangible element to the level of enjoyment and excitement of the partygoers.

Christmas parties at home can also be personalized with special cookies, treats and dishes that are ethnic. The presence of some ethnic food, but not an overwhelming quantity, which isn't frequently enjoyed by guests will be different and will add something that is unique to the host. And that is a part of what a Christmas or holiday party at home is about. It's to entertain family, friends and acquaintances with a personal style while all enjoy some merriment in the season of goodwill and good cheer.

Holiday Parties at Home

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