You've pulled out your holiday decorations and festooned the stairway, decorated the tree and hung a wreath on the front door. But looking around, you notice your home still lacks a certain holiday pizzazz. It needs more glitz, more bling.

"Christmas is the one time a year when you'll have a lot of friends and family over to the house so it's OK to go over the top decorating-wise," said Amy Merrill of Bed Bath & Beyond.

Jodi Chavez, manager of the Kennewick Pier 1 store, agreed, saying, "This is the time of year you have permission to go over the top. Go for sparkle, glitter."

Here are some ideas from Merrill and Chavez on how to dress up your home for the holidays.

Light it up

"Add candles, lots of them, use them everywhere," Chavez said.

Both women agree that groupings are more dramatic than single candles. Mix up the shapes and sizes and don't worry if your holders don't match.

"It's more charming to have an assortment," Merrill said.

Accent your arrangement with garlands, bits of greenery, artificial or real, and bright colored ribbon, Chavez said.

For an instant candle arrangement, buy a candle garden (above right). It's a complete kit with holders, candles and other decorative elements like glass marbles or stones. Some sit on glass plates, others are contained in round, square or rectangular dishes or are elevated on a stand.

"Set one on an entry table or use it as a centerpiece on the dining table," Merrill said.

Hallways and baths

Extend your decorating beyond the main living areas. Dress up the guest powder room with toilet seat covers and towels in seasonal colors and prints. Add a diffuser or candles to carry the season's scents throughout the house.

"It's fun going into the powder room and seeing it decorated too. A lot of people forget to decorate the side rooms and hallways," Merrill said.

Wreath it up

Think beyond the front door or above the mantle. Hang a wreath in the hallway, a couple in the stairwell, one over the headboard in the guest room.

A wreath, laid flat, with a hurricane lamp chimney over a fat pillar candle, makes a great centerpiece for the dining or coffee table, Chavez said.

Holiday scents

Choose candles in holiday scents like pine, cinnamon, even Christmas cookies.

"Yankee Candle has one that is scented just like sugar cookies and buttercream frosting. It's great for when you're having a party. It gives you that fresh baked cookie smell without having to pull out the mixing bowls," Merrill said.

Or, if you have young children or pets, scent the air with a reed diffuser (left), Chavez said.

These are small bottles of scented oil with long, wicking reeds sticking out the top. The reeds slowly diffuse the aroma into the air.

"These are safer than candles because there's no flame," Merrill said.

Cover up

Will you need to bring out the card table and folding chairs for dinner? Dress them up with table linens that match the main table and slip chair covers over the folding chairs.

"There's no reason it has to look like what my family called the 'kiddie' table," Merrill said.

Set a festive table

Add chargers -- decorative coasters set under the soup dish or salad/dinner plate (below) -- to your everyday dinnerware. Invest in festive, colorful glassware (above) and/or dinner ware.

Cover the dining table with a bright tablecloth in seasonal colors or prints. Add coordinating napkins and napkin rings.

"For texture, layer place mats or a table runner over the cloth," Chavez said.

Dress the house

Replace your drapes with lush, ready-made taffeta or chenille window treatments, especially those in seasonal colors of red, green or gold.

Add bright splashes of holiday color with accent pillows or throws draped over the back of the sofa or chairs.