How to Decorate the Dining Room for Christmas

Whether you’re hosting a festive Christmas dinner for family and friends this season or simply love decorating every room of your home, your dining room deserves a little extra attention.

There are so many fun, creative ways to decorate a home for Christmas. I love adding little bits of the season all over my home, so the dining room gets a dose of Christmas magic too!

christmas place setting in the dining room

The dining room is the place to host special meals, so make room for the holiday season with these dining room decor ideas.

My Dining Room Christmas Decorating Plans

While we’re here, I thought I’d share my Christmas decor ideas for the dining room too! You may remember the Christmas dining room from before the makeover when the walls were still a dark charcoal.

But now that I’ve redecorated it with the new blue and green traditional decor, I couldn’t wait to see it all dressed up for Christmas! This was my plan to help me picture the space before I started. See how I make design boards.

I’m using a lot of what I already have, but I could NOT pass up the beautiful urn tree stand I found last month. It fits perfectly in my dining room!

I even snapped a photo of the new urn tree stand with my phone so I could share it on Instagram the other day.

If you haven’t been following along for long, I inherited my great-grandmother’s antique dining room furniture. My parents and grandparents all had their wedding receptions at this dining table. It means so much to me, especially at the holidays!

I’m excited to show you how the room turned out this Christmas!

I love sharing fun ways to decorate a home for the holidays. I’ve shown how to add garland to a staircase and how to decorate the kitchen for Christmas. This year I added a new post all about Christmas card holders. I hope these posts inspire you to create a home you love!

Dining Room Decorating for Christmas Ideas

I’ll say it again and again: once you’ve fully decorated a space, you don’t need much holiday decor to make it feel festive. I’m not trying to redecorate for Christmas, just add a few touches of holiday fun!

blue and green dining room decorated for Christmas

Simply Decorate a Tree

I bought only a couple of new items this year, including the beautiful urn tree base. I know not every home has a tree in the dining room, but since this room is at the front of our house, it calls for one!

I wasn’t sure whether I’d fully decorate the tree this year, but I think it really shines with a few select ornaments and bows.

A Collection of Christmas Cards

I’ve started a new tradition of framing our Christmas cards each year. So I went back and found as many of our old cards as I could, then made a gallery of them on the dining room buffet. It’s a favorite little spot!

collected family Christmas cards in frames

A bowl full of ornaments is also a fun way to fill the space. You can always remove the ornaments and serve food in it when it’s time to host a gathering!

Display a Nativity Scene

No room is off limits for a nativity scene at Christmas. It’s the Reason for the Season, after all! I’ve had an inexpensive nativity set for years that I display in my living room, but I wanted something special for this corner.

So I found a sweet white and gold nativity scene that was very inexpensive. It’s the perfect little addition to this side table.

Add a Bow to the China Cabinet

Isn’t this big bow so fun? I draped some of my real-touch pine garland over the top of the china cabinet, then added a sweet bow to cover the spot where the garland meets in the middle. Sweet, simple and festive!

The garland is sold out, but be sure to set your alarms for October next year and grab some for yourself! It’s one of my favorite items to decorate with.

china hutch in dining room for christmas

Bell Place Card Holders

Isn’t this jingle bell place card holder the cutest? I’d say you could keep it out at least through the winter, if not longer! It comes with plenty of cards for you to fill out yourself.

Holiday Salad Plates

A great way to add seasonal decor to the dining room is with special salad plates. If you have simple white dinner plates, just swap in the salad plates and you’re all set!

I wondered whether the nostalgic Christmas salad plates I bought last year would work again in the blue and green dining room. I don’t have any other red in the room, but when I pulled them out I realized they have plenty of blue and green in them. I think they work perfectly!

And a little red in any room is perfect for the holidays.

Simple Tablescape

I don’t like making elaborate tablescapes on the dining table, because they aren’t practical for eating and conversation. And if you want something fancy, make sure it’s easy to move when it’s time to eat.

I used some dried limelight hydrangeas in a vase for my Christmas table centerpiece. It isn’t especially holiday-related, but it’s a beautiful focal point for the center of the table. I tucked some blue ribbon inside the vase to add color.

Then I added a few faux evergreen branches and these realistic battery-operated taper candles down the middle of the table. I love that they look so real, yet there’s no risk of starting a fire. The candles add a festive glow with no danger!

traditional blue and green Christmas dining room

Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed my ideas for decorating the dining room for Christmas!

I love that I didn’t need to add a ton of decor to make this space feel special for the holidays. My family is excited to host Christmas Day with my in-laws here. It’s always special to eat at my great-grandmother’s table and use her crystal glasses.