Welcome to Blog Profiles! Each week, we select a topic and handful of blogs that do a great job contributing to the conversation. Do you have a blog that deserves recognition? Tweet our writers at @BeyondBylines.

While holiday gatherings may be smaller this year due to COVID-19, holiday decorating has become a big way to make up for some of the joy lost in 2020.

I know people who finished decorating weeks prior to Thanksgiving (!) and I will be indulging in some pre-December decorating myself. Most years, the spirit of the season comes to me later (mostly because of work), but this year I need a little Christmas (the holiday I celebrate) now!

So we’re updating the Holiday Decorating Blogs post we did a few years ago because 2020 needs its own version. There are some amazing interior designer and stylist blogs for home decorating. Their holidays are beautiful fairy tales. For me, that aesthetic is too clean and a bit out of reach given my eclectic style and love of things passed down. The blogs I love and have chosen for this list are more DIY than professional. I hope you enjoy this selection.

In My Own Style

In her blog, In My Own Style, author Diane Henkler is all about being true to yourself in design. If you were to tell her that something in her house “is so you,” she would receive it as a huge compliment. Henkler values authenticity and so do I.

Coincidentally, I wrote my introduction to this post before reading Diane’s “Easiest Christmas Decorating Idea Done in Minutes,” but you can tell right away that she and I are sharing a vibe. Her holiday decorating ideas are very simple and, for me, often become an inspiration for another decorating idea. Her suggestion of using wrapping paper on a tabletop is unique and had me thinking that the best holiday decorations are wrapped gifts, so I am going to start wrapping what I have sooner rather than later.

Speaking of wrapping presents, her post on “Wrapping Presents in Elegant Ease” provides really good tips on creative wrapping. Diane, I will be ordering some tulle for bows on Amazon tonight.

Follow @inmyownstyle on Instagram.

Thrifty Décor Chick

The next blog, Thrifty Décor Chick, made our 2017 Holiday Decorating blog post as well. The ideas are even better in 2020. Sarah, who had a career in journalism and public relations, made the transition to decorator and home décor blogger years ago.

She is obviously professionally trained, but her focus on budget brings it all back down to earth. I know because in her post “Decorate for the Holidays with These Pretty Tiny Trees!” the tiny trees from Target she mentions were the same tiny trees I was eyeing at Target this past weekend (FYI – the glitter trees shed a lot of glitter).

I also loved her post “Easy, Quick Holiday Card Display.” I started doing this on my staircase a few years ago and it is a very inexpensive and personal way to decorate for the holidays. I am also ordering the mini clothespins on Amazon later.

Follow @thriftydecorchick on Instagram.

Happy Happy Nester

The last blog I’m profiling is the Happy Happy Nester. Blogger Janine explains that she started her decorating as a child with extra boughs from the Christmas tree cut down by her dad. Given this promising start, holiday decorating was bound to be her forte.

The blog offers lots of holiday decorating crafts from the minimal effort, like the “Easy Garland DIY – 5 Minute Project“ to the more complicated “How to Make a Fleece Cone Christmas Tree.” As someone who grew up with a mother who was in a weekly crafting group, Janine’s holiday crafts remind me of a simpler time.

Follow @happyhappynester on Instagram. 

I hope you all have a happy holiday and decorate with love and joy of the season.

P.S. Ever wonder how we come up with ideas for our blog profiles? Our handy list of industries and subjects on PR Newswire for Journalists stays top of mind. If you’re a blogger or journalist looking for holiday or home decor news, let us know. We can customize a newsfeed for you.

Sandra Azzollini McKinley is Vice President, Audience and Marketing IT at Cision. In her role, Sandy oversees the technical development of several of the company’s owned properties, including Cision.com and PRNewswire.com, ensuring a seamless, useful, and engaging experience. The websites have been honored with several industry awards, including two CODiEs, Best Online News Service, and Best Online Business Information Service: Non-News; Bulldog Awards, Best Website; and Web Marketing Association’s Best Public Relations Website Award. Sandy holds a BA and an MBA from Rutgers University and has served as President of the Rutgers Executive MBA Alumni Association. She was the recipient of Rutgers’ Joel E. Kelly Leadership Award. She has also written articles on digital experience for several publications, including PR Daily, the Cision blog, and Beyond Bylines.