Decorate Your Staircase for Christmas

Give the traditional staircase evergreen swag a burst of fresh color and style by adding a bright green layer of bells of Ireland and complete the cheerful package with big red bows.

To dress your staircase for the holiday season, embellish a handmade garland of evergreen roping with additional greens and sprigs of pepperberries, then hang a couple of stockings with care.

Red ribbon encircles this garland, ending in a large bow with long streamers. A pineapple adornment, a traditional hospitality symbol, sits on top of the post.

Orange ribbon is the single adornment on the bay leaf garland trailing down this staircase.

Instead of swags of greenery trailing down the banister, try these greenery bunches. Natural birch branches form the backbone, but red twig dogwood or other branches would work just as well. Use thin florist's wire to lash them to the banister posts along with evergreens and sprays of bright red winterberries. Matte and glossy chartreuse ornaments add pops of color. Tie it all together with a chartreuse velvet ribbon.

White twigs dipped in mica, glittery snowflake ornaments, and old-fashioned ice skates add a frosty touch to the traditional greens-and-ribbon garland on this staircase. Don't forget to adorn the steps, too, with a couple of pretty wrapped presents and a pail of ornamented greens.

Create a country garland by adding a red-and-white checked ribbon to loosely swagged pine roping.

Incorporate a vibrant orange or another color accent from your home's usual decor into your seasonal decorations. Tie shiny magnolia leaves to an evergreen garland, and loosely arrange opalescent bows in complementary strands for a casual feel.

Put wreaths on display beyond the front door. Here, they form an exuberant showcase of evergreens and berries on a stairway. Intertwine glass ball ornaments, additional leaves, and berry clusters for increased festivity.

Pinecones, usually a holiday understudy, mix with ribbon and beads as an unusual stand-in for a traditional garland.

Elegance is often found in simplicity. Pull the poinsettias out of their pots to add a splash of blooms along a garland. You can put their stems in tubes of water to make them last longer. Accent the top and bottom of the arrangement with large bows that complement the flowers' color.