Not sure how to decorate for Christmas? Follow these simple ideas and tips for decking the halls this holiday season!
Sometimes I take for granted that I’ve been decorating for a blog for 9 years, and it comes pretty naturally to me. Still, after moving into our new home in 2019, I’ve been reminded how challenging it can be to decorate a new-to-you space!
I guess Christmas decorating can feel overwhelming for many people. From the emails I get from my dear readers, I hear you! It can be an uphill climb.
So I thought I’d share how I like to bring Christmas into my home.
Does My Home Need to Be Magazine-Worthy?
But first, let me clear something up! One of my sweet readers asked me the other day how to make her home “magazine-worthy.” We all love a beautiful, pretty home, and a “magazine-worthy” home is exactly that: good enough for a magazine page or a Pinterest pin.
Listen, I scrub like crazy to get my home “blog-worthy” before taking pictures. I’ve also spent 9 years learning tricks to make a pretty picture with the holiday decor in my home. I can guarantee there’s clutter just outside the camera frame. Every stinkin’ time.
I can also guarantee that my home looks like it does on camera for about 15.2 seconds before the pillows end up on the floor, my kid has dumped popcorn under the Christmas tree, and 4 ornaments have been removed for playtime.
So, here are the two questions I want you to ask yourself when decorating your home for Christmas:
- Do you love it?
- Does it create a warm, inviting, and cozy haven for your family?
That’s all there is to it!
Don’t worry about looking like a magazine. Magazines are just there to inspire you! You can create a beautiful space you love without chasing perfection, unless Country Living calls. Okay? Deal?
Good. Glad we got that out of the way.
Decorating for Christmas, Step by Step
Step 1: Dress Up the Front Door & Entry
The first spaces I like to decorate in my home are the front door and entryway. If you have a nice Christmas wreath, hang it up! You can either make a simple burlap wreath and dress it up with faux greenery and berries, or buy one from the store, like I did last year. Here are some gorgeous handmade Christmas wreaths (click here).
If you have a console or entry table in your foyer, add a nativity scene or some pretty ribbon bows to the lamps. If you can’t make a pretty bow, the stores sell them. No sweat!
If you like to display pictures, add some free Christmas printables. My most popular one is O Holy Night (click here), but there are tons out there if you search Pinterest.
Step 2: Decorate the Christmas Tree(s)
Next, you can set up your Christmas tree. Or trees.
In our old house I set up 2 Christmas trees, one in the living room next to the mantel and one in the dining room because it sat in the front window. I like being able to see a tree when I’m watching TV or working from my recliner. And I like seeing one as I pull up to the house.
I now have 4 trees in our home: one each in the living room, bedroom, office, and girls’ room, and we love them all!
Decorating a tree can be as elaborate or as simple as you like. Growing up, we just put lights and handmade ornaments on the tree. We didn’t use any fancy garland, picks, or ribbon. I personally add all kinds of extras to my trees, and I love them!
Decorating a Flocked Christmas Tree
And if you’ve never added lights to make a tree really glow, you’ll want to read my latest post on How to Put Lights on a Christmas Tree (click here). You can even add them to a pre-lit tree. Don’t be scared!
Step #3: Decorate the Mantel
I find so much joy in decorating my mantel for every season. I start a couple of months ahead, thinking about how to work in items I already have and what I need to make or buy.
RELATED: DIY Christmas Lettered Pallet Sign + Free O Holy Night Silhouette Cut File
My winning formula is a large focal point in the middle of the mantel to ground the space. If you don’t have a TV above your mantel, it could be anything, like an old window frame or a pallet sign. I recently made a DIY cathedral window (click here) and love it with my magnolia wreath hanging on it.
Then I arrange items on either side of the focal point so they form a kind of triangle. I also think of each little grouping as its own entity and apply the rule of thirds to it. It isn’t perfectly in threes because we have 4 stockings, but I apply it wherever I can!
I don’t always create a triangle, though. Sometimes I like an asymmetrical mantel or tabletop. I wrote a post about How to Decorate a Console Table (click here), and the same ideas work for asymmetrical mantel decorating.
Step #4: All of the Surfaces
Once those three things are done, I add more merriment to all my flat surfaces (and some vertical ones too, haha)! I add pillows to the couch and chairs.
RELATED: Making an Easy DIY Giant Magnetic Chalkboard
I like to draw a cute Christmas picture or write a saying on my kitchen chalkboard. I add seasonal art around the rooms and string twinkle lights wherever I can get away with it. Hang mini Christmas wreaths on your kitchen cabinets with Christmas ribbon.
Wrap up some empty boxes in festive paper and stack them on a table or near the Christmas tree.
Adding greenery to light fixtures and little snow scenes in mason jars are some of my favorite ideas, too.
I wrote a post last year about How to Decorate a Console Table (click here), so those might inspire you with things you already have around the house.
See, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming! Try a couple of new things this year and add a few more ideas next year.
And remember, you don’t have to have a magazine-worthy home. Just use those images to get your creative juices flowing. That is, unless Country Living calls and wants to come over.
Happy Decorating!!
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