Selling a home during the holidays is an invitation for beautiful holiday home staging! After all, what’s more welcoming and charming than a home dressed up in the cheer of the season? A little themed decor can definitely take typical home staging to the next level, but there are a few rules to ensure you don’t go overboard.

Here are some dos and don’ts to holiday home staging.

DO: Keep it simple

One of the most important things to keep in mind when staging a home for the holidays is that a little goes a long way. A few accents here and there—an evergreen bough, a red bow, simple white candles, a sprinkling of pinecones—can add a lot without you having to literally add a lot. Remember, you want buyers to be impressed with your home, not your decorating skills!

DON'T: Supersize

In the vein of keeping things simple, you’ll want to keep decorations small and unobtrusive, too. Inside, make sure your decor doesn’t take up too much space, giving rooms a crowded or cramped feel. Outside, you’re better off sticking with simple white lights (nothing blinking or flashing), and maybe a wreath; leave the inflatables in the attic this year.

DO: Complement your color scheme

Instead of sticking to more “traditional” holiday colors (e.g., red and green for Christmas), try instead to choose colors that complement your current color scheme. In other words, if your living room is painted light blue, red bows might not be a great choice. Lighter colors and pastels do well with whites, silvers, and glass. More earthy tones handle rich colors like red, forest greens, and gold wonderfully.

DON'T: Choose a religious theme

Even if it’s simple, you might still want to consider steering clear of any religiously affiliated decor, simply because it’ll make it easier for your buyers to imagine their furniture and holiday decor—their lives—in your home if it’s neutrally decorated. Trees are fine, as long as they’re decorated simply and don’t take up too much of the room.

DO: Accent your home’s best features

The key to really making your home staging work for you is to strategically place accents and ornaments to highlight your home’s most noteworthy features. Have a beautiful stone fireplace? Hang some garland. An elegant arched doorway? Add some mistletoe!

DON'T: Cover or clutter

There’s a fine line between accenting… and covering! If your fireplace is ornately carved wood, a giant garland might not be the best accent piece. Likewise, if you already have some kind of decor on a feature or in a room, don’t cover the initial piece. Instead, either make your holiday decor work with existing accents, or have them replace current pieces.