These photos bring back such wonderful, treasured memories for me because now, we are in our latest, last best nest in N.E. Ohio. However, as I savor these images from our beloved Cypress home in Wichita, Kansas, the downszing Christmas decorations became even more relevant in our much smaller Ohio home.

Realizing that many of you have completed your decorating for this Christmas season, many have not done any this year. For either group, perhaps this will help for next year and beyond.

I do not know very many these days that are into very elaborate decorating for the holiday season the way we used to do it. Please do not throw your ornaments at me for this statement! However, several friends have emphatically told me that they still and will do what they have always done in Christmas decorating. I hear and respect these heart felt efforts, absolutely!

However, I am downsizing almost everything in my current life including my to do lists! Repeatedly, I state or say that each new life stage requires a genuine and honest evalution of why we are doing what we have always done?

If you look closely to this Christmas scene in our former home, notice how little effort was extended to create this lovely setting. Large live poinsetteas, a few items on the mantle, of course candles, table runner, a few plates and special ornaments in antique dish from my mom, and the pillows. Except for the live plants, all of these items were stored easily taking up very little space.

Of course, there are a host of those that still go all out like Denise McGaha, Pam Kelley, and Courtney Allison do with their over the top, fabulous results! But this post is for the majority of us that have either chosen not to go all out or have given away or given up most of their decorations.

Let’s be honest here, how many of us really love getting out all those stored boxes, sorting, arranging, and then taking it all down and storing it again?

Again, a few years back, my Texas family stopped in Wichita for their overnight before we all gathered in Colorado for our family Christmas together with all 17 of us. I believe they were delighted and surprised to have dinner at this Christmas table, even the 3 children. With little effort, lots of appreciative families felt like the special guests that they definitely were!

Just as the photo of my living room, I decorated smarter, not harder in this dining room. With maximum results and little time and effort I know how to make the biggest impact with fewer but more effective items. And you certainly can too!

As you can see by the feature photos of my living room and dining room, I love Christmas and decorating my home for Christmas. But I have discovered that there are easier ways to accomplish beautiful results with minimum time, effort, and money. Plus, for those of us whose families now live in other states, we get to enjoy the wonderful efforts of our adult families to decorate homes at this stage of life. What a win-win!

Here are my tips for Lifesizing® at Christmas

1. CONSIDER SCALE AND PROPORTION

Remember that the principle of scale and proportion is the answer for big impact with minimum effort. Why? Tons of little decorations can get lost in the myriad of endless visual clutter. Everything blends together without large elements to draw the eye into the display. Look at my mantle and see how the oversized wreath is the focal point, with the other items decreasing in size in descending order. The results are a timeless classic Christmas scene that took very little time. However, planning was the key to accomplishing everyone’s favorite Christmas-decorated mantle.

2. USE GREENERY GENEROUSLY

Use real greens when possible mixing them with faux or silk, or artificial items. This way, we can enjoy the wonderful fragrance of Christmas that fills our homes. Where I do not compromise is using faux versus the real thing for my fireplace wreath and poinsettias. I order my wreath and poinsettias ahead of time to get the right size and color. This way I can have the biggest bang for my Christmas decorating buck.

3. INVEST WISELY IN SPECIAL ITEMS

Invest in significant items to enjoy and use year after year, as Courtney Allison shows us what she uses in her bedroom decorations. She incorporates a stunning artificial tree of such gorgeousness that I think is worth every penny and is an astute investment.

**Replacements, Ltd. has beautiful investment in Christmas China for the holidays. Click here for their instagram and here for a link to their beautiful china options.**

If you have not enjoyed Pam Kelley’s classic design posts you are missing out! Relating this beautiful cache pot to Christmas, is also an example of investment buying for items that work the entire year including any season.

**Pam Kelly features this beautiful antique Majolica Cache Pot investment piece which she used for her Christmas Decorating. Check out her Instagram here.**

Hopefully with these three tips for your holiday decorating you can reconsider your normal for a “new normal” making life easier on you and those you love too.

We would love to know what are your tips and tricks for your holiday decorating? Have you changed your decorating routine or are you remaining true to your traditions? Your input is always so very helpful for all of us trying to accomplish more with less time, effort, and money. Life today is a whirlwind of activities and commitments.

Streamlining, but not downplaying this favorite Christmas holiday is our goal.

Please let us know your thoughts so we can share your decorating wisdom with all our wonderful readers that we have who check out our posts.

But above all, Joy is the message of this beautiful Christmas season. This is what I wish for all you wonderful followers….along with lots of peace and love!

I decorated our current home in a few hours…:) And yet, the mood of these minimum amount of decorations is more than adequate to say, Merry Christmas, you all!