How To Decorate Your Home For Christmas: Top Tips

By Jon Araten

Updated January 3, 2023.

Chritsmas in Israel the Holy Land Galilee Nazareth Jerusalem Bethlehem trees

Need ideas for how to decorate your home for Christmas and make it feel festive and merry whilst centered around the biblical meaning and celebration of Jesus?

Getting ready for Christmas? Here's a list of how to decorate your home, and what the symbols mean for the holiday. Decorating is the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit, cheer and joy.

A few tips to begin: Before you begin decorating your home for Christmas, you will want to choose a color palette and theme. Planning your Christmas decorations in advance is the best way to make sure that your color scheme is consistent around the home. With so many creative ways to add accents to your home this time of year, you need a focal point centered around Christ.

  1. The Christmas Tree - “They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” - Jeremiah 17:8. The Evergreen Fir tree was used for thousands of years in winter festivals. It symbolizes everlasting life with Jesus and is thought that this kind of life was made possible by the birth of Jesus.
  2. The Wreath - Using a wreath dates back to the Roman Era. An Advent wreath has no beginning or end and reminds us of the eternity and the everlasting love found in Jesus.
  3. Christmas Lights - “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 (NIV). Giving your Christmas tree a gorgeous glowing look by adding brightness to the dark and long winter days during the Christmas season is the easiest way to bring a festive glow to your home and remember the light that was brought to the world by Jesus.
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  5. Nativity Scene – The nativity scene shows Jesus as he came into our world. “So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.” - Luke 2:15 (NIV). This Christmas, Artza has partnered with a family business based in Bethlehem where they create nativity art, hand carved from an olive tree that is over 300 years old.
  6. Advent Candles - “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5) The use of candles during Advent is a longstanding tradition. The candles of Advent are named hope, love, joy, and peace, representing the virtues Jesus brought, with some choose to light a white candle on Christmas to represent the birth of Jesus.
  7. Mistletoe - The tradition of hanging it in the house goes back to the ancient Druids, using a mistletoe to ward off evil and bring good luck, love, and friendship to the household.
  8. The Candy Cane - The tradition of using candy canes for Christmas dates back to 1874. The "J" shape of the candy has two meanings. This object is symbolic of Jesus for two reasons: it is shaped like a shepherd's staff, and it represents his name. The white of the cane represents Jesus' purity and the red represents the blood he shed on the cross.
  9. Christmas dinner decorations - Decorating the Christmas dinner table really brings the festive spirit and joy when sitting around with loved ones at the dinner table. Included in our Artza Blessing Box is a beautifully crafted, heat-insulating Blessings Table Runner that is exclusively designed with a Hebrew ‘blessing over food’ at its centre. Bring the blessings of the Holy Land to your Christmas table.

If you’re looking to make Christmas that little bit extra special this year at home, Artza has collaborated with artisans from around Israel to help you celebrate with gifts and decorations which can be found in our Christmas Blessings Box.