The real estate world's art of staging is a skill worth cultivating this holiday season. Unlike redecorating, staging is all about making small, low-effort changes to your home, ensuring maximum impact for the minimum amount of work. Follow Style at Home's essential holiday tweaking tips and your home will acquire a warm, welcoming, guest-ready feel in no time!

1 Purchase simple holiday greenery arrangements and embellish them yourself for a unique touch.

2 Pot up and begin forcing bulbs like amaryllis and paper whites six to eight weeks before Christmas.

3 Have your best table linens professionally cleaned.

4 Install night lights in hallways and guest bathrooms so that when friends and family come to stay with you, they can find their way in the dark.

5 Give yourself a warm reception by adding a timer to a lamp in your entry or another front room so that it's lit up when you come home from work or running errands.

6 Buy new napkin rings for your holiday table.

7 If your dining chair upholstery is dated or stained, have chairs re-covered or opt for slipcovers.

8 Book professional service providers for tasks such as carpet cleaning, chimney sweeping and maybe even putting up strings of outdoor Christmas lights.

9 Replace chipper or cracked serviceware or add a new vegetable dish or platter to your collection.

10 Get folding luggage racks for your guest rooms.

11 Warm up the living room by layering floorcoverings. Add an area rug over broadloom, or a smaller Persian carpet over a large sisal or seagrass rug.

12 Save yourself the DIY effort and have a carpenter install crown moulding in the dining room.

13 Paint or wallpaper your powder room.

14 Buy new welcome mats for all doorways and add a boot scraper outside your most-often-used entrance.

15 Brighten up a dark corner with a new lamp.

16 Replace dated-looking window treatments like balloon valances or metal miniblinds with tailored valances, Roman blinds or drapery side panels.

17 Stock up on candles. You'll need tea lights, white and coloured tapers, and pillar candles in a few different sizes.

18 Move your artwork around; frame and hang all the pictures you've been meaning to display.

19 Clean chandeliers and pendant lights.

20 Create a natural home fragrance by placing a few orange slices, some cloves and a cinnamon stick into a saucepan with some water, and letting it simmer on the stove for about 15 minutes before company arrives.