Nobody wants to be the Grinch who stole Christmas but when you’re trying to sell a home, too much holiday spirit can turn off some potential buyers. Buyers are there to look at the house and all of its wonderful features, not tippytoe over the giant blow-up Santa impeding the front door or squint to see the roof over the nine reindeer poised upon it.

But before you stick a needle in your inflatable Santa, some real estate and staging professionals say home owners can still add a few decorations for the holidays when selling a home and don’t assume buyers won’t appreciate it too. Holiday decor can lighten moods and warm up interiors, so you don’t have to swear it off completely because you’re afraid of offending those who don’t celebrate.

The key to holiday decorating is to keep the decor high quality and color-coordinated. If you plan on staging a home for the holidays, here are some suggestions:

The same staging principles apply during the holidays: Don’t overwhelm the space with clutter. For every holiday decor item put on display, temporarily pack something you keep out all the time. That way you can avoid over-decorating. Instead of a large Christmas tree dominating the living room, you might opt to have a smaller tree display on a table top -- particularly if the space is small. Your decor doesn’t have to be supersized or scattered everywhere: Mix in small centerpieces on dining room tables, bookcases, bathroom sinks or end tables – simple touches such as pine cones or ornaments in a glass bowl. You might want to hold off on the Christmas stockings hanging from the fireplace. You want buyers to notice and appreciate the permanent features of the home and if your fireplace is almost impossible to see because your highly personalized stockings are blocking the view, then buyers will not appreciate this focal point for what it is. You can always hang then on Christmas Eve and remove them after Christmas day.

It doesn’t have to be bold holiday statements: Add greenery to fireplace mantels or as a base for the dining room table centerpieces; Bows and ribbons can add splashes of color – tie them around candles, wreaths, and basket handles throughout the house for extra pops of color. Don’t underestimate the power of neutral palettes too in your holiday decor, such as silvers and classic whites. Try repeating colors from room to room and using similar ribbons, ornaments, patterns or decorative items that can add to the consistency of your holiday look.

But when bringing in holiday colors, be careful not to clash with your home’s current color scheme. For example, if turquoise is the room’s dominant color, you might want to hold off on adding bold holiday reds; try silver instead.

Other tips:

If your tree is larger than six feet, consider removing a piece or two of furniture so the space doesn’t feel crowded.

Use ornaments all in one basic color palette with “show piece” ornaments mixed in that add extra style.

As a general rule of thumb, use about 20 filler ornaments (such as one or two tone bulb ornaments) for every two feet of Christmas tree and then mix in those special “show piece” ornaments between the filler ornaments, using about 10 for every two feet of tree.

Hang ornaments on the tips of branches as well as inside the tree to add depth, and mix in various size of ornaments.

Make sure ornaments that are overly personal -- such as those marking milestones like “Our First Christmas” or “Baby’s First Christmas” -- are not in prominent locations on the tree or keep them packed up for next year.

Winter months are usually less than attractive outdoors and some well-placed and tasteful holiday lights or yard ornaments can go a long way to adding a festive and welcoming touch. But remember that many potential buyers may either cruise by your home during the day or schedule a showing during the day when outdoor lights are more likely to be an unsightly bunch of wires (such as icicle lights) rather than a cheerful display of color or white lights. Do your best to make your home show its best during the day and night.

Here some holiday curb appeal tips:

Add poinsettias: Plant several poinsettias in groups of three or five close together in the garden.

Hang a wreath on the front door (and make sure it’s clean!)

Have battery-operated candle lamps in each of the windows for extra glow and to show off all of those windows at night.

Make the deck sparkle. For example, a weather-proof, tip-proof tree with lights or a simple string of lights along the deck’s railing can go a long way in adding charm to your showings after dark.

Remember, the goal is to sell your home. So, don’t feel cheated if you can’t put out all your holiday decorations.