Our big Rubbermaid bin of holiday decorations is sitting in a storage facility, so I’ve been looking for a few ideas to make our boring temporary apartment sing “fa la la la la.” After spotting a 2,300-foot spool of red-and-white bakers twine at Crate & Barrel for $7.95, the light bulb in my head went off: DIY garland and bunting! Gifted Magazine’s holiday issue has a free template for reindeer paper bunting (p.83), while d.Sharp Journal offers a free template for snowman garland. I also love Katie Did’s idea of stringing up favorite holiday song lyrics — perfect for New Year’s Eve parties. And, since simplicity is key for me, I’m thinking I might buy this Martha Stewart snowflake paper punch and some red construction paper (cut in circles) for tree garland. Hooray for inexpensive holiday décor … and a great excuse to get crafty with my toddler! –Ginny F.

While it’s certainly up for debate, the only thing better than waiting in line in the freezing cold among the throng to catch the annual holiday windows in New York City may in fact be not waiting in line, ditching the hustle and viewing them from the comfort of your easy chair, hot toddy in hand. This year, Nymag.com takes the cake with their 54-slide virtual tour of New York City’s holiday window displays. From fantasy travel at Bergdorf Goodman to the “Foodie Holiday” at Barney’s the show offers a blissfully crowd-free glimpse at the holidays for everyone, native New Yorkers included. – Sarah C.

pictured above: a Bergdorf display. Photo by Melissa Hom

December is upon us, and the holidays are here again! As we prepare for another season of merrymaking and good cheer it’s fun to revisit décor of years past, so we’ve included some of our favorite holiday posts below. We dug deep in the archives for a few of them, so while the links may be stale, the inspiration is as fresh as ever. Bring on the holidays!

Trees:
A minimal Christmas tree
The Tannenboing
A recycled cardboard Christmas tree
Black Christmas trees
A real live Christmas tree
An untraditional Christmas tree
Aluminum Christmas trees
Which do you prefer: real or fake?

Cooking:
Adventures in Tom and Jerry making
Pizelle cookies
Bourbon balls
Chocolate mousse
Buche de noel
The BEST chocolate chip cookies
Mint chocolate brownies
Jamie Oliver’s apple pie
Healthy gingerbread truffles
…or get an idea from Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book

Decorating:
DIY chalkboard ornaments
Decorating with cookie cutters
CB2 holiday hacks
A living wreath
Do you decorate outside?
Oh Deer art
Help! I need stocking holders!
Angelic mugs for toasty drinks

Etiquette & Correspondence:
What’s your holiday greeting style?
What’s the proper food gift etiquette?
How to make your bubble-ly go pop
More holiday card sources

Gift wrap:
Tags, tags and, yes, more tags!
Holiday touches from Anthropologie

Organizing:
Holiday prep: cleaning up and setting up

Giving:
Do you buy gifts for your pets?
Sites that will turn your jpgs into gifts

impeccable tree trimming by our very own Megan B.