Fresh Christmas Look with Classic Red and Green

When it comes to holiday decorating, you can add a little or a lot depending on your style. Toss some red pillows and throws on the sofa and a pair of wreaths on the wall (mounted over existing mirrors) for little touches. Take it a step further by swapping out the area rug for one with red (or green) stripes and trading lampshades to a Christmas color, too.

Swap out a few everyday accessories on the side table for family photographs framed in red or green wrapping paper. Cut a photo mat from the paper (or wrap an existing mat), then remove the frame's back and slide the wrapping paper and photo into place.

Instead of a candle, place a tiny evergreen or artificial tree in a silver lantern. Dust the tree and glass sides with artificial snow.

Make your living room Christmas-ready with little effort: On shelves already displaying everyday collectibles, mix in a few containers filled with Christmas cards and ornaments, dress up existing window treatments with holiday embellishments, and trim the tree in a red and green color scheme with shimmery accents of silver or white. (For more details on each of these ideas, see the following slides.)

Hang strands of red ball garlands from curtain clips to add instant flair to white window panels. If you have young kids at home, swag garlands along the top of the curtain rods to keep them out of reach.

For simple window decorations, suspend red glass ornaments with ribbon from the curtain rod.

A holiday decoration in an unexpected place has added charm. Use a safety pin to attach a ribbon-tied red ornament to the back of an upholstered chair that isn't arranged against a wall.

Slip just-arrived holiday cards inside glass canisters, and safeguard favorite vintage tree ornaments by tucking them inside another canister, then display the containers on an open shelf.

Small Advent gifts wrapped in papers and tagged with numbers mark the days until Christmas. Display the gifts along with ornaments on stacked cake stands. To emphasize the holiday color scheme, choose your papers and ribbons in reds or greens.

Continue to enjoy memories from Christmases past by displaying photos of previous holidays. In a larger picture frame, mount a photo on the center of a piece of holiday gift wrap or red or green fabric.

Even within a traditional red-and-green decorating scheme, don't shy away from accents of other colors. White and pink paper doves, silver garland, and gold starburst ornaments softly complement this evergreen dressed in red glass balls.

Dove ornaments cut out of pink patterned paper add an unexpected touch to the Christmas tree branches. The pink hue is a quiet compliment to the traditional color palette.