Even if your home's decor hasn't changed since 1976, you can refresh, revamp, and revitalize it at the holidays with just a few simple strokes. Unlike regular decorating -- where you agonize over paint colors, upholstery choices, and furniture styles -- holiday decorating is easy. Holidays provide a set theme; a color palette; and merchandise and motifs that are usually mass-manufactured, so you can purchase and decorate when you're ready. You may be feeling intimidated about decorating for the holidays, or you may be ready to dive right in. No matter what level of decorator you may be, Holiday Decorating For Dummies shows you tricks that you may not already know. This guide is for you if: You need easy, affordable ideas to fill your house with holiday cheer You have no idea where to start and just need some ideas to get you going. You already have a huge collection of your own holiday stash and need to get organized before acquiring more You love to celebrate very special occasions: an anniversary, a special birthday, a warm welcome home A flair for decorating isn't necessarily inherited. Armed with clear explanations of how you can achieve beautiful yet practical holiday decorating, planning tips and tricks, crafting basics, care and cleaning tips, storage solutions, and more, you can decorate like a pro. Holiday Decorating For Dummies helps you gain that skill with topics such as: Discovering tabletop decorating basics Budgeting time, money, and space Getting organized Caring for your decorations Knowing where to go for ideas and inspiration Celebrating Valentine's Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving Decorating for Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Jewish holidays Embellishing the exterior of your home Getting crafty with paper, florals, fabric, beads, and embossing Creating luminaries and etched-glass projects Part decorating guide, part stylist guide, and part craft instruction book, Holiday Decorating For Dummies helps you access the knowledge you need to create beautiful homes and great gatherings that will provide a warm welcome for family and friends.;Title; Contents; Introduction; About This Book; Conventions Used in This Book; Foolish Assumptions; How This Book Is Organized; Icons Used in This Book; Where to Go from Here; Part I : Becoming a Holiday Decorator Extraordinaire; Chapter 1: Setting the Stage for Holiday Decorating; Defining Decorating for the Holidays; Clearing Decorating Obstacles; Debunking Decorating Myths; Finding the Pleasure Principle; Sharing Cultures and Religion during Holidays; Finding More Holidays; Chapter 2: Decorating Basics; Accessorizing Basics for the Holidays; Creating a Bag of Tricks; Making Tablescapes.