In a perfect world, decorating for the holidays would be a magical experience. The tree would go up seamlessly, garlands would cascade perfectly across every surface, and all your wreaths would hang perfectly on the first try. But in reality, holiday decorating can often feel like the bane of your existence. Somehow, the lights on your tree are all wonky-looking, your garland keeps slipping off the mantel, and nothing seems to be working the way you planned. Trust me, I get it. One year while hanging ornaments, my Christmas tree literally fell on top of me. When holiday decorating starts to seem like more effort than it’s worth, it’s time to bring in reinforcement. In this case, reinforcement means the internet and its treasure trove of holiday decorating hacks that are pretty much guaranteed to make your life easier this season.
Whether you’re looking to reinforce the holiday decorations you’ve already put up or you haven’t yet gotten around to decorating, TikTok is a treasure trove of ideas for your seasonal set-up. Here are 10 holiday decorating hacks we wish we’d known sooner—and that we’ll be using for years to come.
1. Hang a garland with a curtain rod
If you haven’t seen this viral decorating hack yet, you’re in for a treat. Simply purchase a tension curtain rod and tighten it to the width of your hallway or doorway. Then, drape a garland (or two!) around the rod and add some string lights or ornaments for an extra festive look. Once your garland is decorated to your liking, raise the rod up to your preferred height and tighten to hang. Important safety tip: Be sure to check the weight limit on your curtain rod to ensure you don’t load it down too much.
2. String lights on your Christmas tree vertically
PSA: If you’re not stringing your Christmas tree lights vertically, you’re doing it wrong. This is one of those holiday decorating hacks that you’ll wish you had thought of earlier. Instead of wrapping lights around the tree in circles, string them vertically from top to bottom. This method takes way less time and is much easier to remove once it’s time to put the tree away.
3. Hang your garland with binder clips
Google “garland hanging hacks” and you’ll end up in some comments section or forum somewhere reading an extraordinarily heated argument about the merits and shortcomings of Command hooks. However, this particular garland hanging hack is as easy as it is practical: No matter what hooks you choose to use, secure your garland to the hooks using binder clips. This will add some extra reinforcement to prevent it from tumbling off the mantel and makes it easy to layer several garlands on top of one another for a fuller look.
4. Dress up your doorway with an ornament arch
Garlands and greenery not your thing? No problem. Instead of using foliage, dress up your doorway or archway with some hanging ornaments. To provide something to hang your ornaments on, attach some chicken wire to the ceiling using thumbtacks. Then use clear fishing line to hang ornaments at varying lengths and create a fun, arch-like effect.
5. Turn your kitchen cabinets into giant gifts
Since bows and ribbons are all the rage this year, why not put them on your kitchen cabinets? Make your kitchen look like it’s been gift-wrapped by buying some thick ribbon (ideally the kind that’s wired to help it in place) and taping it to your cupboards in the shape of a tied bow. You can use store-bought bows to complete the look, or tie them yourself and secure them with more tape.
6. Dress up a plain wreath with your own ornaments
For a budget-friendly alternative to pricey wreaths, dress up a plain one by adding some bottle brush trees, ornaments, ribbons, or even pinecones and other natural elements. Simply select the accents that you prefer—we love the color of these mini trees against a flocked wreath—and attach them to the wreath with floral wire. The final look is a totally unique wreath that you can undo and re-do year after year.
7. Hang wreaths on your windows with clear fishing line
If you’re lucky enough to have large, double-hung windows like these, definitely try out this window wreath-hanging hack. Instead of worrying about your wreaths falling or getting torn away by the wind, loop a length of ribbon around the top of the wreath and some clear fishing line around the bottom. Open the window from the top, place your wreath outside, and shut the ribbon in the window to hang it in place. Then repeat with the fishing line on the bottom to prevent the wreath from swaying. For extra security, you can even tie a knot in the ribbon to prevent it from slipping through.
8. Deck out your tree with ribbons and bows
As previously mentioned, bows are it this season, so why not use them to dress up your tree instead of traditional ornaments? Grab a few different shades of ribbon and make as many bows as your heart desires. You can either tie them directly on the tree or pre-make the bows and attach them using floral wire or ornament hooks. The result is a trend-forward tree that still has that classic holiday feel—plus, it’s cheaper than buying regular ornaments!
9. Store your holiday decor with cinnamon sticks
Worried about your decorations getting musty when you pack them up and store them for the next year? Save yourself the stress and put some cinnamon sticks in the box with your decorations. This will ensure that when you pull out your favorite garlands, wreaths, and other decorations next year, they already smell like the holidays.
10. Make a light-up holiday cookie jar
If you’re looking to make your kitchen a little more festive this holiday season, look no further than this light-up holiday cookie jar hack. String some fairy lights around a clear glass and put it in the middle of the jar. Then, fill the jar up with cookies and turn on the lights for a super fun twist on holiday treats.
