Decorating your home for the holidays is a great way to get into the spirit of the season! Seeing all those festive decorations around the house can make you feel happier, more excited, and just down-right “Christmas-y!” But, do you ever feel like you’re doing it all on your own? Are your kids watching TV in the other room while you’re busy digging through dusty garlands and checking strings of lights?

Christmas decorating can be a fun way for your family to spend time together, and isn’t that the point of the holidays? Use these tips to get everyone involved in the decorating experience!

Let go of the need for perfection
Sure, those magazine spreads that show professionally decorated Christmas trees and color-coordinating stockings and table settings look great, but where’s the homey charm? Encouraging your family to help decorate means that you’ll need to forget about perfect and embrace “perfectly ours.” It’s okay if there are more ornaments on one side of the tree than the other, or if the garlands are a little lopsided – the important thing is that you’re creating holiday memories together!

Create your own decorations
One of the best ways to involve your kids in the decorating process is to make your own ornaments and decorations! Homemade decorations will not only create a truly personalized look to your holiday displays, but making the decorations together is a fantastic family activity. So grab some red and green construction paper, some glitter and some glue, and let your kids add their own artistic flair to your holiday decorations!

Start some decorating traditions
When my brother and I were growing up, we each had our own special Christmas tree ornament that my parents had given to us on our first Christmas. The tradition in our house was that, after the lights were on the tree, the first ornament to be hung was mine (since I was the oldest) and the second was my brother’s ornament. We would each hang our own ornament and pick the spot that we thought was “best.” Creating your own traditions is a great way to make everyone a part of the decorating experience. You can pick someone to hang the wreath on the door, or put the topper on the tree, or create any other tradition that works for your family!

Make a day of it!
Get your kids excited about decorating the house by making a special day of it! Put on some Christmas music to get everyone in the mood. Lay out all the decorations so that everyone can see what there is – and ask for everyone’s input on where things should go. Bring out some special holiday snacks to fuel your family while everyone works together. And, when you’re all done, relax together on the couch and watch your family’s favorite holiday special!