Are you ready to display your holiday decorations? Over many years of holiday decorating, I've found there are certain gadgets I need in my toolkit. Maybe gadgets isn't the right word, but this post is a list of the must have little accessories, doodads, and thingamajiggys that will have your actual holiday decor looking it's best - without causing permanent damage to your home. 

Zip ties are an all-season handy helper. Whether you use it to tie twigs together for an outdoor arrangement, or use it to tie fresh garland to your fence, it is the thing you need to secure one heavy or awkward thing to another. We used it at Halloween to hold our skeleton upright and sitting on our porch bench. I've also used it to secure a tarp around an outdoor table. Pro tip: grab a pack with multi-sized zip ties so you'll be ready for any situation. You can also lock one to another for greater size requirements.

Twist ties are amazing, aren't they? Smaller and prettier than a zip tie, they do a good job of binding lightweight items together. I especially love these garland ties which look like evergreen branches. They fit right in with holiday decor. I used them to hold our garland to our bannister last year.

Last year, I tried a variety of methods to hang our wreaths on windows. We ended up using these large and clear Command Outdoor Hooks and I'm thrilled to report all of the wreaths stayed up throughout our Canadian winter. One of the wreaths was blown off by the wind but the hooks themselves stayed in place. In fact, they're still on our windows... since they're clear, we decided to just leave the hooks in place year round. It's not a very noticeable distraction and it beats having to rehang the hooks year after year!

Pro tip: clean the window and apply rubbing alcohol to the window before affixing the hook. It makes a huge difference!

4. Floral Wire

Floral wire is one of those things I'm always looking for in the house. From small crafts to floral arrangements, this strong wire has myriad uses. During the holidays, I've used it for things like making ornament hooks, tying evergreen and pinecones together to create floral picks, and to securely attach ribbon garlands to the tree. We also used it to create an adorable Grinchmas tree and attach ornaments to our giant wreath:

5. Velcro Hook & Loop Fasteners

Velcro fasteners are always handy but I find them exceptionally useful in the coin size. You can use them in making crafts, to attach ribbons or cards to packages. Basically anywhere you would think to use a glue gun, you can use a Velcro dot. I've made mason jar snow globes and used the coin size fasteners to attach mini trees to the inside lid of the jar.




These are the things I'll be reaching for in the next few weeks. Have I missed anything? Are there any special gadgets you use over the holidays