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Decorating your home for Christmas should be a fun activity that involves the whole family. While it’s a good idea to put your heads together a few weeks in advance to decide what this year’s Christmas is going to look like, it’s never too late.

Architect and interior designer Mira Siregar-Meulia says that while everyone is likely to hold onto Christmas decorations and ornaments from previous years, you can always create a new look each season by deciding on a new theme. You can choose a traditional look with pines and holly, or maybe something more modern with a bit of sparkle. You don’t have to have a Western-style Christmas either — a batik or ikat collection on the table or sofa can help to give the unique look of an Indonesian Christmas.

Once you have decided on a theme, the next step is to collect items that go with your idea. Mira’s tip is to sort your old and new decorations by color.

“A traditional Christmas is normally supported with a mix of red and green, but if you want a more modern look, you could use fuchsia and turquoise,” she said, adding that gold and silver are also good picks for a modern Christmas look. When it comes to picking colors, Mira finds herself inspired by fashion magazines.

This season, the dominant colors on the runway have been orange, red and yellow. Mira said the important thing was to choose one or two theme colors and a centerpiece to put a look together for your home.

There are some decorations that we just cannot pass on for a holiday celebration, such as the traditional Christmas tree and wreath, both of which make great centerpieces for the festive season. But keeping with tradition doesn’t mean you can’t be a little bit creative with the basics.

The classic Christmas tree is green, but artificial trees are available in a host of other colors such as white, silver and pink. They can be quite expensive, but a good shopper knows that the time to buy affordable Christmas decorations is, well, right after Christmas, so it doesn’t hurt to think ahead for next year’s theme.

If you haven’t had that kind of foresight, there are still other ways to put together an affordable Christmas tree centerpiece. Mira suggested using unusual objects such as books, vintage suitcases or cardboard boxes to create a different kind of tree. Anything that can be piled up into a cone shape and decorated with colorful ornaments and lights can take the place of the traditional tree.

As for decorations, Mira said it was better to buy things that do not look overly Christmas-y, so that they can be used for other parties and special occasions at home. We took a look at the Metro and Debenhams department stores and picked five great buys that can freshen up your home this Christmas.

Gold wreath

As Mira said, a wreath does not have to be a green artificial one with red ornaments. This gold wreath from Metro will cost you Rp 400,000 ($44), adding a touch of sparkle to your Christmas theme. It could also be a starting point to inspire a more modern look for your home this season.

Winter tree ornaments

Although you cannot have a white Christmas in Jakarta, snowflakes and snowmen ornaments will always remind people of the holidays. These tree ornaments from Metro are less than Rp 100,000 each. The blue snowflake will look appealing and daringly different for a modern Christmas look, while the candy canes with snowman and Rudolf motifs are perfect for a traditional look. If you don’t have time to bake cookies or find some candy canes, maybe it’s better to buy a few and serve them to keep the Christmas mood alive.

Multiple frames

For many people, Christmas is a time for the family to get together and celebrate. What better way to revel in a feeling of togetherness than collecting photographs of all the family in this multi-photo frame? Selling for Rp 699,000 at Debenhams, the frame can fit 10 photos in a variety of sizes. Make time to sort through some of your family’s best and funniest portraits and put them together in one frame to show off on Christmas Day for everyone to see. You could even create a review of the year that was in pictures, picking photos from memorable family moments throughout 2011 such as birthdays, graduations or the birth of a child.

Candle holder

Candles are an essential party tool to create a warm and intimate mood. But novelty Christmas candle holders can be very expensive, especially this time of year. Mira suggested choosing something that is not overly Christmas-y, but still suits your chosen theme. This birdie candle holder comes in an unusual shade of lime green that will blend with your Christmas theme, but can also stand alone as a unique home decoration year-round. It also comes in pink and white, and will only set you back Rp 89,000.

Party paper and ribbons

These are affordable party items that you can easily find at the stationery store or at your nearest bookstore. Mira suggests picking one color that will stand out, such as red, orange or yellow. You can use the paper ribbons to tie napkins, curtains and even doorknobs. If you’re feeling creative, you can make a long ribbon using the party paper to brighten up dull items in your home, such as cupboards or mirrors.