This post was originally published on DIY Network’s blog Made + Remade in December 2012.

In many ways, the holiday season for me is a mass effort at creating a harmonious balance between the decor that occupies my home 11-months of the year, and the explosion of seasonal assorted-ness that happens right around December 1st. It’s my own struggle – I don’t like to have to put away my favored home decor to make room for holiday accents, so instead, I find accents which tastefully complement what we already have.

Things like custom silver garland strands can add detail to an otherwise plain entryway, furry tree skirts pair nicely with our dark paneled shiplap walls, and white lights have the power to transform everything.

I have a feeling that a lot of you can relate to this. Maybe we join together and call it Seasonal Decor Displacement Disorder, and then meet regularly with Christmas cookies to talk about our holiday decor woes. And hold hands. I digress. There are ways to cope with seasonal decor displacement disorder, and I’m here to share a few suggestions taken straight from my own home.

Looking for all kinds of assorted Christmas crafts? Check out this section of DIY Network, and then keep on reading to see a few of my classic, practical, and crafty ways to approach your holiday decorating.

I find myself veering instead towards natural accents like pine garland and crisp, white poinsettias. Last year, I trimmed pine branches and “planted them” in clay pots with soil. They lasted strong (without dropping needles, miraculously) into early January, standing as proud as a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree and bringing an organic cheer into our little mantle.

This year, I’m taking a similar approach by using trimmings from our home’s winterberry, cardinal dogwood bush, and inkberry (so much like a boxwood that it’d fool a-many). Small votives and cups make for a great, miniaturized display, and I have them scattered by both our kitchen and bathroom sinks to spread the holiday appeal around the house without taking up a lot of space or displacing the soap dish. They’re also small enough to serve as dinnerware accents, or on the ledge of a windowsill.

If you’re looking for a different idea to incorporate your everyday decor, add a strand of lights onto your everyday houseplants. Wrap tightly to the strongest parts of the plant because just like a Christmas tree, too much ornamentation on the leaves or weaker branches will bend – or worse, break – the innocent plant.

 What are some out-of-the-ordinary ways you adapt your home for the holiday?

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