Classic and charming for a farmhouse holiday look, Christmas bells are one of my favorite secrets for decorating during the season! Try these 7+ easy bell decorating tips to create timeless holiday decor you'll love.
“Hear the bells ringing through the cold winter air…”
Along with angels, stockings, garlands, and trees, bells are among the most iconic Christmas images. If an entire holiday song is written about them, they must be a prominent symbol of the season, right?
Unlike decorating with ribbon, though, people often don't think to use Christmas bells in their holiday decor.
Still, the humble Christmas bell can add a perfect classic, timeless touch to your holiday decorations. Plus, bells not only look lovely, they sound wonderful too!
I love sharing all things Christmas decor! I've covered the best Christmas tree collars, how to decorate a bedroom for Christmas, and how to hang garland on a mantel. My hope is that these posts help you create a home you love for the holidays!
Timeless holiday decor
Anyone can hang a wreath on the front door and set up a Christmas tree with lights and ornaments. But often that just looks like a festive, cluttered mess if there's no cohesive design.
With a little planning, though, your seasonal decor can turn your home into a holiday oasis away from the chaos of the world!
The secret to great holiday decor is choosing a theme and tying all of your decorations into it.
That may sound odd, since the whole focus is Christmas. But choosing a more specific concept, such as ‘white Christmas’ or ‘plaid,’ actually makes decorating easier and gives you a cohesive, whole-house look you'll love.
I've tried several themes over the years and loved each one for different reasons. Take a look at a few of our past designs:
- Blue and White Christmas Styling
- Traditional Christmas Decorating
- Plaid Christmas Styling
- Navy and Green Holiday Styling
- Farmhouse-Fresh Christmas Styling
Most of my seasonal designs feature Christmas bells because they add a touch of both old and new, plus a fun bit of sparkle.
Whether you want antique, rustic, classic, or sophisticated, there are Christmas bell decorations for you! Today I'm sharing some of my favorite ways to decorate with bells.
7 Beautiful Ways to Use Christmas Bells in Your Holiday Decorating
As you think about using bells in your Christmas decor, consider what you want them to do. Do you want a subtle shimmer among your decorations? Do you want the bells to stand out? Would you like to hear them ring when you open or close a door?
Note: You can easily find Christmas bells that are purely decorative and don't make a sound.
Here are a few ideas that cover the bases for decorating with bells.
1. Add bells to a Christmas wreath
No matter what style of decor you love or what your home looks like, there's a beautiful wreath design for everyone!
This wreath could easily double as a simple winter wreath. But tying on Christmas bells with rope gave it the rustic holiday look I was after.
Note: When I add bells to wreaths, I usually have them hang down from the top because I prefer that look. If you want something different, you could let the bells hang from the bottom of the wreath for a longer, more extended design.
2. Layer Christmas bells into other elements
It's probably no surprise that stars are another popular and lovely Christmas symbol. There are many ways to use them, but I chose to hang these oversized wooden star ornaments on my mantel shutters.
Of course, I couldn't leave those stars bare!
Layering in a simple greenery wreath and a Christmas bell gave me the perfect holiday feel. Now the holiday stars and bells look festive, and the blue Christmas ribbon adds a nice pop of color.
3. Hang Christmas bells with the stockings
This may not be the best choice if you have young children who like to play with the hanging stockings. But if you include stockings in your holiday decor, consider hanging a bell from each one.
I love how these stockings look with bells on top! The touch of gold was the final detail this design needed.
4. Tie Christmas bells to garland
Many people hang garland during the holidays, and there are almost endless ways to style it. Have you ever thought of adding bells to it?
One option is to make a garland entirely out of Christmas bells.
Or you could do what I did and tie a bell (or 10!) onto your evergreen mantel garland. A few evenly spaced small or medium bells tied to draped garland make a lovely accent.
Another idea is to tie a couple of large, chunky bells onto the garland at each end of the mantel and weave in some wide plaid or burlap ribbon.
5. Jingle bell ribbon
This burlap ribbon has mini jingle bells on it! I used it on our plaid and burlap tree, but you could add some to your garland too. Or add jingle bell ribbon to your door wreaths for a little tinkle every time you open the door.
Another option is to use a ribbon like this to hang ornaments from a chandelier or in your windows.
6. Hang Christmas bells from a large bow
Bells are a great way to bring a little sparkle to your decorations. If you go with simple farmhouse decor, as I did with this burlap mantel, bells add just the right amount of shine so the palette doesn't look flat.
Plain shiny bells work well, but I went a step further and used glitter Christmas bell decorations for extra sparkle. I love how they look against the burlap bow, with a pop of red from the berries!
7. Display bells in a basket
I filled this basket with an assortment of ornaments. I didn't add any Christmas bells to this particular display, but looking at it again, I wish I had! There are many ways to do this.
Create a display with bells and set it on your coffee table, end table, or even your mantel. Not sure what to display them in? Try a basket, a tray, a potpourri dish, or a pretty holiday bowl.
Or simply place a few loose bells on the table or mantel.
Even more Christmas bell decorating ideas
Believe it or not, you can use bells throughout all of your holiday decorating! If none of the ideas above caught your eye, here are a few more to spark inspiration:
- Hang them as ornaments on the Christmas tree (this works well on both real and artificial trees!).
- Use bells as place card holders in your holiday table setting.
- Tie a Christmas bell onto your wrapped gifts.
- If you have an old wooden sleigh in your holiday decor, you could tie frosted greenery, berries, and bells onto the sled.
- Create a lovely centerpiece and add bells to it. Ideas include a bowl of greenery and bells, a candle set in a dish (or bowl) surrounded by bells, or a wreath with bells, bows, and berries.
- Hang a string of bells on your front door with a bold, festive ribbon (and skip the wreath).
- Use ribbon or twine to hang a few bells on your Christmas kitchen cabinets.
Christmas bells add a special touch and holiday charm that other pieces just can't match. With a little inspiration, you can weave bells into your holiday decorations to create a beautiful look that suits any style of home.
Christmas Bells We Love
Hanging Iron Bells, Set of 4
Bell Place Card Holder
Cast Brass Bell Figure
Hanging Harmony Bells, Set of 3
String of Brass Bells, Set of 4
More Christmas posts you'll love:
- Top Christmas Tree Collar Ideas
- Lovely Christmas Printables for Your Home!
- Christmas Decor for the Primary Bedroom
- The Loveliest Flocked Christmas Trees
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