I find that at this time of year I’m moving stuff around my apartment to make room for Christmas. The occasional upholstered chair with the splat back that stands near the north end of the couch in front of the bookcase needs to be moved into the hallway to make way for my little 3-foot artificial tree. But first, the large round wicker hamper must be wrestled into the bedroom. The top shelf of the low bookcase in the hallway must be cleared off and re-accessorized with various Christmas collectibles I have acquired over the years, including a Santa Claus mug that sat on the coffee table of my childhood home. Everything must be removed (and have a temporary home found for it) from the top of the china cabinet so that I can set up my gingerbread house and Christmas candlesticks. 

Preparing your home for the holidays, whether it’s Hanukkah, Christmas or Kwanzaa, is a great opportunity to rethink how you have accessorized the rooms of your home. Especially if there will be young children visiting, and you don’t currently have young ones yourself, reorganizing accessories will also give you the opportunity to “childproof” your home (or at least move the antique vase that’s been handed down for a few generations out of reach of exploring little fingers). Photographs, ornaments, trophies, a collection of dolls, antique jugs and other family treasures are important additions to interior design because they give our homes personality as well as a comfortable, lived-in look. 

While these very treasures can transform a room into a warm, inviting place, accessories can also make the space appear cluttered, cramped or untidy. To avoid this decorating pitfall, there are some things you can do when accessorizing or reorganizing your home for the holidays that will draw your family and your guests into the room. 

• When placing items on a bookshelf or in a curio cabinet, don’t cram in your entire collection. Be selective and give each treasure some “breathing” room and the viewer a chance to appreciate each one individually.
• Collectibles should be arranged in groups by type; jugs with jugs, porcelain cats with porcelain cats, etc.
• Collectibles should also grouped by color.
• While you don’t want everything in the grouping to be the same height, color, etc., you will also want to stay away from extreme contrasts, like paring a very tall vase with a very short one. Such extreme contrasts tend to jar the eye.
• Accessorizing in a particular way can create visual interest or a focal point in the room. For example, placing a collection of antique ornaments on a contemporary style sideboard will make them standout. 

How you display your collectibles and other knickknacks makes just as much of an impact as what you display. 

Even if you don’t celebrate any particular holiday at this time of year, reorganizing the accessories of a certain room in your home, such as the dining room or the living room, and introducing seasonal elements can breathe new life into your living space. A display of silver and white candles paired with an oil lamp or a vase filled with twigs or seasonal flowers are ideal ways to accessorize a room with a winter theme.