Christmas decorating is a must, to some degree at least, for most of us who celebrate the holiday season. For some there is no such thing as too much. The more lights and glitter the better. Others prefer a more limited display of Christmas holiday decor, but rich colors and a bit of shimmer usually still prevail.

In many neighborhoods the displays, lights, and sounds grow larger and more complex every year. If that is what you enjoy, go for it. But Christmas is a time of joy and good will and not a competition for the grandest display, so there are lots of ways to decorate your home beautifully without the expense and time involved in large displays.

The most important thing is that you choose Christmas decorations that have meaning to you and that suit your family's lifestyle. If more formal or traditional holiday decorations are not your style, go with what you love. Christmas is a time of celebration with family and friends, so if snow globes, a riot of color and a mass of glitter are your cup of tea, go for it.

Of course Christmas is fundamentally a celebration of faith, so if the nativity scene is central to your Christmas, then by all means be sure to include it. If you decorate around your preferences and convictions, you might find that the process is a joy rather than a chore.

Christmas decorating usually involves adding color to your home. Personally, I am a fan of colorful Christmas decorations and love the multicolored lights and the beauty of the greenery mixed with bright shades of red and gold. I love the fact that 200 houses can be decorated for Christmas, and no two will look the same.

Here are some holiday decorating ideas and tips to get you started:

First of all, think about what you most love about Christmas holiday decor. Do you love the monotone themed look, where all of the decorations in the home follow a color scheme, or do you prefer the riotous mix of wonderful colors that comes from decorating using a variety of Christmas colors?

If you prefer the more toned down look, choose your color scheme first, then shop for just those colors. Red or blue, mixed with gold or silver as accents, all gold or all silver are popular choices. Pink is a lovely color to choose if you want a soft allover look in your holiday decor and looks great with silver. Burgundy works well for a more dramatic look and is best paired with gold accents.

If you are looking for that pulled-together, uniform look, make sure that you stick to the color palette that you have chosen, rather than starting to mix in other elements. For example, if you have chosen soft blue and silver, maybe the bright red ribbons on the fireplace could use a change to the a color that blends with the new theme.

Some ideas for traditional Christmas decorating themes and decorations can include cherubs, angels, Santa Clauses, snowmen, birds, candles, wreathes, grape clusters, snow globes, and ribbons. Childrens favorites include cartoon characters, gingerbread men, gingerbread houses and stockings hung on the fireplace mantle waiting to be stuffed with goodies.

Here is an example of using a theme to decorate you home for the holidays. Make or buy a gingerbread house, complete with candy roof and windows. Add gingerbread men and women to the Christmas tree decorations (either real or made to look real), then sprinkle a few gingerbread people throughout the house to tie it all together. If the gingerbread people are "dressed" in green and red, pick up those colors for the rest of your decorations, throw in a bit of gold for shimmer, and your house will look beautifully pulled together for the holiday season.

There are so many gorgeous Christmas decorating ideas and items around that choosing can seem confusing and you can end up with a mixed bag of elements that you don't think work together. Selecting your theme and color scheme first, then shopping takes much of the guess work out of it.

The greatest thing about decorating your home for Christmas is that nothing is set in stone. You can take what you love from previous years and build on it to create a beautiful new holiday decorating look for this year. The most important thing is sharing it with those you love.