Setting up the Christmas decorations in your home creates a sense of magic and the anticipation that the holiday season is just around the corner. If you are expecting guests over the festive period, then decorating your guest room in a style appropriate for Christmas will make them feel welcome. A few personal touches are enough to transform your guest room into one that feels as though it has been especially prepared for your guests. Remember that your room’s primary purpose is to be somewhere your guests can relax and feel comfortable sleeping in, so there is no need to go overboard with the décor. By the time January comes around you will want to revert back to a more traditional look, so don’t make any changes that you cannot easily put back in the New Year.

Keep It Simple.

Even if you are decorating your guest bedroom with children in mind, try to resist the temptation to decorate in the same way as you would a living room. Two or three Christmassy items in a bedroom are enough to create the desired visual effect without making the room too busy. If you want a traditional Christmas tree, for instance, then select a fairly small one that will not dominate the room. One or two wall mounted decorations are enough. Don’t hang tinsel from every corner of the bedroom.

Red And White.

Santa Claus is never seen out of his customary clothing in red and white and these colors will also really work well with your guest room bed linen. Create a bed that says Christmas to your guests by sticking to these traditional colors. Use a bedspread in either red or white and have throws that provide the alternative color. If your guest bedroom is already mostly decorated in neutral white then add a few splashes of crimson to get the Christmas look.

Lanterns And Fairy Lights.

Fairy lights can create a sparkling Christmas effect, but in a bedroom situation avoid ones that flash or are colorful. Stick to white light and mount them in a fairly haphazard way that is not too uniform. Experiment with your fairy lights and try mounting them on hazel wood branches to create a novel effect. Mix up your fairy lights with paper lanterns to give a further level of depth to your guest room’s lighting scheme.

Bedside Cabinets.

Spruce up your bedroom’s bedside cabinets with some candles or a couple of pine kernels. If you don’t want to have any other Christmas decorations in your guest bedroom, a couple of items on the bedside cabinets is enough to give the room a festive lift. Try making some mini Christmas wreaths from holly, mistletoe or other evergreen plants and set them around your bedside lamps.

Brightening Your Room With Garlands.

Garlands are not just for your home’s front door. Why not use them in your guest bedroom to give a Yuletide boost? Hang them over a wardrobe door or from a door jamb. Green garlands look great if they used alongside the deep red of a poinsettia. Nothing says Christmas quite like the cheery red of poinsettias, so even if you don’t want to use garlands buy a potted poinsettia to brighten your room.

Soften The Style With Pillows and Cushions.

To maintain the bedroom feel of your Christmas decoration project, seek out festive soft furnishings. Replace your cushion covers for decorative ones that give a sense of the holiday spirit. Pillow covers are available from many retailers which have a Christmas theme. These soft styling elements can be used year after year, so the costs are not that great if you reuse them.

Picture sources: 1&2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.