Here are some great tips and ideas to make your home festive and merry for Christmas this year.

Change the everyday into the special...remove all regular pictures, knick-knacks and plants, etc to make way for all your holiday pictures, treasures and decorations.

Add magic and sparkle to the inside of your home by putting strands of white or coloured lights on the ceiling, windows, mirrors, pictures, shelves and the mantel. Be sure to put an extra amount of lights on the tree so it is the main focal point.

Speaking of trees, don't stop with just one. Put smaller, extra trees in the kitchen, bedrooms and even bathroom. In the kid's bedroom, let them have fun decorating their own tree. They can even make their own ornaments.

To build your collection of decorations, ornaments, lights and trims, don't miss the after-Christmas sales when everything is half price (or even better). Also, you and your family may enjoy making your own hand-made decorations.

As part of your decorations, display throws and fluffy Afghan blankets on sofas, chairs and beds. It really adds to that homey look. n Take extra care in gift-wrapping and give special thought to how they are placed under the tree. They are a wonderful holiday decorating addition for the time before the actual day they are opened, besides being a present to a loved one.

Use garlands on more than just the tree. Try them on windows, over doorways, draped over mirrors, mantels and pictures. You can also wrap it around banisters, or loop it along the ceiling. There are a lot of different varieties of garlands: tinsel, paper chains, greenery, foil links, beads, ribbon, and the string-your-own garlands of cranberries, popcorn or marshmallows.

Turn your home into a winter wonderland with lacy looking snowflakes that you and your kids can make. Tape them in groups to doors, windows, kitchen cabinets, etc. They are fun and easy to make with any white paper.

To make a paper snowflake: Cut white paper into an exact square (any size). Fold by half, twice, forming a square. Then fold corner to corner, once, forming a triangle (leaving one long side of the triangle with all the loose sides and the other long side as one single fold). Cut along all sides, leaving enough places uncut to hold the snowflake together. Be sure to make at least a few cuts deep into the centre of the triangle. After it's cut, unfold the snowflake to see what you have made. Store them flat in a single pile, until you are ready to put them up.

Get the whole family together to create a holiday picture. Use poster board, or large paper, and combining scenes cut from Christmas cards, wrapping paper, catalogues and magazines sketch, draw and colour to blend them together, making a panorama holiday scene to put on the wall as part of your decorations.

Decorating for the holidays isn't limited to things you can see. Christmas is a time of wonderful smells and memory-evoking aromas. To fill your home with a wonderful scent, make this easy simmering potpourri: Combine orange peel, cinnamon, and whole cloves in a small pan, half-filled with water. Simmer on low heat, refilling water as needed.