Holiday Decorating When You Are Still Unpacking | Journey Home Lending

Moving is a challenging time—but it’s a move during the holiday season, things can get pretty overwhelming quickly. You want to get your home settled and your belongings put away, but that doesn’t mean you should miss out on enjoying the decorations of the holidays!

The good news is that with a little creative scheduling and some help from family and friends, you can make your new home feel festive and cozy.

Make It a Party

When you move into a new home, your first priority should be your comfort and safety. Consider making an unpacking schedule for yourself in order to tackle the most important spaces first.

This might mean you are arranging your kitchen and bedrooms the first few days while other living spaces take a backseat for a while. Your priorities are your own and don’t have to follow anyone else’s advice—whatever will make you feel most at home is what you should do.

Once you have your most crucial rooms handled, make holiday decorating a family-and-friends affair. Depending on when you move in, you could schedule an early-season party to decorate, or you could make your holiday celebration a decorating party. Instead of gifts or whatever your normal traditions are, ask for help unpacking and setting up.

If there are rooms you won’t frequently be using, store anything that doesn’t need to be immediately unpacked in them and wait until after the holidays to tackle them. If you don’t have all of your furniture, use what you have. An outdoor patio set can make a fun dining room table—especially when you add some festive decorations.

Keep It Simple

Even if you have had a few months in your new home, dragging out holiday decorations might make your head spin a little bit after spending weeks putting things away. Don’t feel obligated to go all out your first year in a new home. Instead, consider picking a theme or color scheme and only getting out decorations that fit within it.

Adding lights around your home is a simple and easy way to feel festive fast. A tree is another easy way to bring the holidays to life. Skip the ornaments and instead add extra lights that fit into your color scheme.

Scented candles can make your home feel ready for the holidays with little effort. Make sure you never leave a candle burning when you aren’t in the room—and keep any decorations you do put out clear of the flame.

When you think about a color scheme, go with something that doesn’t just scream “holidays.” Clear lights can be very festive, but won’t make you cringe in January or even February when they are still up. You don’t want to miss enjoying the holidays, but you do still have a home to get settled into. Consider that when you put anything up and go with generic items as much as possible.

Don’t be afraid to go completely non-traditional either. A new home is a great time to create some new traditions. Spring for that bright neon pink tree you have secretly always wanted, or skip the tree altogether and make a modern-art piece by hanging your ornaments from the ceiling.

No matter how you decide to handle decorating for the holidays in the midst of unpacking your new home, remember that this time of year should be joyous. If you are feeling stressed, take a step back and give yourself a little grace. There are no requirements here, so find peace with what you have and where you are.

Ready to get into a new home for the holidays? Contact us to get started.