Christmas Decorating: Ideas for your Festive Interior

 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – and yet, there is so much to do in order to be prepared for the big day. If you’re starting to think about decking the halls, and you’re looking forward to welcoming guests again this year, then you’ll want the holiday spirit to be felt throughout your home. If you have children, their excitement is often contagious – especially once the advent calendars come out! So, with that in mind, this year is most definitely the year to go big with your Christmas décor – and we’ve got some wonderful ideas lined up for you in this post. 

The Tree

Does your Christmas tree tradition mean going out to choose the perfect Nordmann Fir, Fraser Fir or Norway Spruce at a farm, with a hot chocolate? Or perhaps getting your Christmas tree sorted means a quick trip into the loft to get your artificial tree down. Either way, the Christmas tree is such a big part of the decorations that we can’t possibly publish a post about decorating for Christmas without the tree featuring heavily. If you can’t have a tree this year, for whatever reason, we’ve got ideas to help you to decorate and to bring a festive feel to your home at the end of this section.

 

Classic Tree Décor

Red and gold are perhaps the most traditional colours for a Christmas tree – and because of that, we don’t see it going out of fashion any time soon. It is a great colour pairing, and whether you go all out with decorations, or just have simple baubles, red and gold stands up well to additions like candy canes and festive chocolates too. Whether you decide on an angel for the top, or a golden star – that’s up to you, but both look great.  

 

Choose An Unexpected Colour Scheme

Despite our last suggestion, there really isn’t anything to say that you have to go with red and gold, nor disorganised mix of colours. You might decide to find decorations in your favourite colours, to choose a sophisticated combination, or simply to go for something a little bit different. There are no rules, and there are definitely a lot more ideas than this to be found, but a few colour combinations we love include: 

  • Black and gold 
  • Pale pink and grey
  • Turquoise and white
  • Orange and blue 

If there is a colour combination that is personal to you, that’s a great place to start. Consider the colours from your wedding, or the colours that your parents used to use at Christmas, or maybe your children’s favourite colours.

Theme Your Christmas Tree

If your family are huge fans of a certain type of show, or a movie franchise, then why not centre your Christmas tree décor around that for something a bit different? Whether you’re Marvel mad, prefer DC or you’re Star Wars or Doctor Who buffs, do a search online for some incredible themed ideas – we’re certain you’ll love the ideas! There are themed baubles available too – if this idea appeals to you, check these packs of baubles out. 

 

Get Creative With Your Christmas Tree Base

If you’ve got a traditional sled, then why not position your Xmas tree on it – it’ll look festive as well as giving a bit more height, which can help if you’ve chosen a smaller tree, and will help to give you a bit more space to stack presents underneath. Pair this idea with our next idea, and you’ll have created a winter wonderland scene that is 100% worthy of an Instagram post – whether it is yours, or your teenager’s!

 

Use A Fluffy White Rug Under The Tree

There are so many different Christmas tree skirts that you can use to make your tree look amazing – but there’s nothing more Christmassy than a snowy effect. If you have a fluffy white rug or blanket, or even perhaps a feather boa, then simply drape it around the bottom of your tree to await Santa’s arrival. We love how this example has used white tinsel, as well as white stockings – a refreshing, yet still decorative take on Christmas decorations. 



Use Simple Ribbons To Adorn

While tinsel, baubles and so on can look fabulous, if you prefer a simpler look – perhaps the rest of your Christmas décor is taking the lead this year – then use ribbons to decorate your tree. Wider ribbons wound around the tree really make a statement, and if you’ve got the knack of tying bows, then it is easy (and relatively inexpensive) to create a lovely festive look with bows up and down your tree. 



Use Coordinated Wrapping Paper With Your Christmas Décor

This idea takes some forward thinking, but it does mean that you’ll be able to use your Christmas gifts as décor before the big day – and you’ll definitely want to take photos before the presents are opened, since it makes for a gorgeous look. If you’re not one for being bothered with writing tags, then you can make it really easy to identify who each gift is for by using the same wrapping paper for all the presents for each person – although you’ll need to be organised and make sure you have enough of each! 

For example, if you’ve gone for a traditional red and gold tree décor, then you might use red paper for one person, gold for another, red tartan paper for another and gold and white for another – you get the idea. 

Of course, where other people have bought and wrapped presents, it isn’t likely that those gifts will coordinate – so you might want to have a strategic ‘Santa sack’ or other way to store those gifts, so that they are on hand for when the gift opening commences. 

 

Use Candle Lights

Traditionally, lights on trees were made by fixing candles to them – and they look beautiful, which is why so many of us love the flicker effect on our fairy lights. However, they’re not exactly safe in most homes, and the risk of accidental fire is definitely not part of the Christmas spirit. Luckily, there are some amazing battery powered LED versions of candle lights that you can fix to your tree and create that gorgeous, traditional look without the risk. 

 

Use Edible Decorations

There’s a lot of plastic on many Christmas trees, and although you might have bought decorations intending them to last a lifetime, sometimes a change is good. If you’re in the mood for something a little different for your tree this year, and that won’t be wasted, then why not go to town on creating edible decorations for your tree? Between the candy canes, gingerbread creations, biscuits with boiled sweet centres, chocolate treats in handmade boxes, and garlands of popcorn and cranberries strung together, there’s a lot of potential. 

The great thing about decorating this way is that if any gets left behind and not eaten, most can be put out for the birds or onto the compost heap – just be sure there isn’t any glue, glitter, or anything like that involved if you’re composting or giving it to the birds. 

The only issues with this idea are if you have pets, and if you and the family can resist the treats! If you decide to use edible decorations, be sure to keep some in reserve (or be ready to make more!) to restock the tree for Christmas eve – or before, as the case may be.  

 

Minimalist Designs

Although most of us love a decorated Christmas tree, you don’t have to go all out on hundreds of bright lights and colours. If you prefer simplicity and a natural look, then go with it. A barely-there string of white lights, a string of beads and maybe a few white baubles or icicle shaped decorations might be all you need. If you’re a fan of minimalist Christmas décor, search for Scandinavian Christmas tree decorations online – there are some wonderful ideas to make the most of. 

 

Alternatives To Christmas Trees

There are loads of reasons that you might decide not to put a tree up – allergies, pets, and young children, or simply a lack of space. Luckily, there are some absolutely cracking ideas if you don’t want to put up a traditional tree, or you want to make a room look and feel so much more festive.

 

Chalkboard Wall

In rooms that have a wall that has been painted with chalkboard paint, drawing a Christmas tree with chalks is a super-simple way to up the festive factor. If you’re not all confident in your artistic abilities, look for ideas online – there are so many super-simple ones, whether you’re using coloured chalks, or just plain white chalk. 

 

Driftwood

If you live near a beach, then a lovely way to create a tree is to use driftwood you’ve collected to create the look. There are lots of different ways you can use driftwood to make a Christmas tree, from simple stacking and gluing, to making a wall hanging using string or twine. Once you’ve created the tree, decorate using an ornate look, or keep things simple. Search online – there are way more ideas for using driftwood to create a tree than we can include here. 

 

Fairy Lights

If you’ve got an empty wall space, but not much floor space, then why not make a space saving wall tree? There are several ways to do this, but tacking a string of fairy lights in a triangle shape is the simplest. If you prefer a bit more of a traditional look, get some lengths of green tinsel and work those in – and then you can add baubles and other ornaments too. 

 

Book Tree

Space not a problem? If you’re avoiding using a real tree, and you’ve got stacks of books, why not create a tree from them – all that paper came from trees, after all! Search for Christmas book tree online for ideas of different shapes, but you can add garlands and fairy lights much as you might a regular tree. 

 

Collect And Arrange Branches

If buying a real tree in every room isn’t in your budget, then collecting and arranging branches to look Christmassy most definitely is! Depending on what you have to hand, you might wind fairy lights around them, add mini baubles, make your own garlands, or string together natural bits and bobs to make them look festive. 

 

Christmas Décor 

Once you’ve decided on your tree, and the colour scheme, then you’ll be thinking about how to decorate the rest of your living areas. In this next section, we’re looking at some of the most wonderful ways to decorate different areas of your home. 

 

Decorate Your Mantel And Fireplace

Since the fireplace is the focus of many living rooms, it makes sense to decorate your fireplace and mantel piece – whether you actually use your fireplace for fires or not! Decorating your mantel piece can be as simple as placing candles in candle sticks, all at different heights, or placing festive greenery along the mantel. 

If your fireplace is in use, then setting a fire is almost certain to create a cosy, festive feel – especially if you have made a pan of lovely mulled wine to sit and enjoy while the fire roars. There are plenty of fireplaces that aren’t in use, and if yours isn’t, there are loads of ways to cosy up your fireplace. Grouping candles in the fireplace, or filling lanterns or empty bottles with string lights are both wonderful ways to create a warming glow.  

Finally, when you’re dressing your mantel and fireplace, don’t forget to decorate the area immediately around it. Place firewood in a scuttle or a wood cradle, and have decorative fireplace tools to sit alongside – even if you’re not using the fire, these will make it look as though you are, and just the thought of it is warming! 

Incorporate Natural Elements

Whichever area of your home you’re looking at decorating for Christmas, you can’t go wrong by bringing natural elements in. Collect pine cones and place them in a decorative bowl on a window sill, add sprigs of holly along shelves and hang bundles of mistletoe above doorways (any opportunity to kiss your loved one!) or create wreathes from locally foraged greenery to add to the ambience of your home. 

 

Create A Christmas Display

Creating a miniature Christmas scene – whether on a book shelf, a window ledge, on a mantel, or on a hearth – can be a really festive thing to do. You might take Christmas back to where it began, and create a nativity scene, but if that isn’t your thing, try creating a miniature snowy village scene, or collect festive figures so that you can set up a different look each year. Absolutely no ‘Elf on the Shelf’ required – unless you want to, of course. 

 

DIY Ideas – With Or Without Children

If you have children in your family, then getting them involved in creating your Christmas decorations is a fantastic way to harness their excitement, and to make them feel proud of what they have created when you display it in your home! There are some wonderful DIY Christmas décor ideas that we’ve found, and there are countless more too – many of which use recycled, or natural items. A few ideas we love: 

 

  • Creating mini trees from paper cones – adding battery-operated tea lights inside makes them twinkle
  • Make origami trees – weighted paper is all you need
  • Create garlands and decorative strings from different materials – baubles, pine cones, cranberries and dried fruit, popcorn, and candy canes
  • Line candle jars with seasonal fruits 
  • Make snowflakes from lolly sticks and paint them to hang on the tree or on a mirror
  • Make and hang paper chains – we haven’t done this since we were children ourselves – maybe this year is the year!

 

Don’t forget, if your child is decorating their bedroom for the festive season (which we’ll talk about in a moment), that’s the perfect place for them to display all those Christmas makes that they’re going to bring home from school or nursery. 

 

Choose Your Decoration Colour Scheme To Match Your Art

If you’ve gone to the effort of choosing wonderful artwork in your home, then you’re almost certainly going to want to show it off to your guests over the festive period. In rooms where a large piece of artwork dominates, linking your Christmas colour scheme to the painting, print or photo will help it to stand out beautifully. If you don’t fancy the colours coordinating, then simply adding fairy lights around it will increase the festive factor – and might even help you see your artwork in a whole new light!

 

Add Natural Garlands Around Windows

Your Christmas decorations don’t have to stop at the tree – adding natural garlands to your windows can look incredible, whether you frame the window completely, or you place the greenery along the window sills. Add oranges, cinnamon sticks, and star anise throughout, as well as gingerbread shapes to really increase the festive scents in your home naturally – no artificial scents here. 

 

Use Christmas Cards To Decorate

Sending Christmas cards has been on the decline for a while – especially at work – but there are still many that we receive, and it is a shame to not display them properly, or for them to just pile up once they have been read. There are so many ways to show off your cards, but here are some great ideas that don’t involve cluttering your mantel piece: 

  • Tie Christmas cards to bannisters – you just need a hole punch, and a little string, or ribbon on hand to make this easy
  • Create a festive cork board – use glitter glue, an offcut of tartan material, or tinsel wound along it
  • Blue-tack them to a wall, with fairy lights strung in between 
  • A traditional idea that has been used for years – hang string from corner to corner in a room, and hang the cards from them 

 

Table Décor 

The Christmas dinner is perhaps the biggest event of the day (after opening presents, of course) – and if you’re hosting family or friends, you’re likely to want to make a great impression on your guests. Like everything else for Christmas, you can go as elaborate – or as simple on your festive table as you like.

 

Choose Your Tablecloth

Is there anything as Christmassy as a red tablecloth for a Christmas table – except maybe a tartan one? If you already have a tartan blanket, that can be a great stand-in, especially if it is easily washed.  

You don’t have to go with a tablecloth though – a simple red, or deep green table runner can look wonderful too, or you might decide to go with a recycled, biodegradable paper table cloth in a single colour, and use a sharpie pen to create a completely bespoke design for your guests.  Write their names in decorative styles, and add a drawing of a piece of holly or a miniature Christmas tree – even the least artistic amongst us can manage that.



Centrepieces

The possibilities for a centrepiece of a Christmas dining table are endless – and we’ve seen so many incredible ideas that we just love! 

  • Fill glass vases and bowls with water and add festive sprigs of holly, then top with a floating candle
  • Fill glass vases, jars, and bowls with nuts, clementines and berries 
  • Use a wreath (or more than one, depending on the size of your table) laid down, with a candle in the centre
  • Lay greenery along the centre of the table, with oranges and pomegranates dotted throughout
  • Use decorative string lights along the centre, wound around candles and so on (just hide the power pack!)

 

Place Settings

Gorgeous table mats and coasters make a great addition to your festive table, and they can be an inexpensive way to dress up your table each year – especially if you change your festive colour scheme from year to year. We adore this Snowflake Christmas Table Place Mat & Coaster Set – and we have multi buy available, so however many are at your table this Christmas, you’ll have enough. Don’t forget napkins – cloth ones mean you’ll be able to launder them and bring them out year after year, which is much more sustainable, and takes the stress out of remembering to buy paper ones!



The Rest Of The Home

Once you’ve made your plans for the tree, the table, and the Christmas décor, then it is time to consider the rest of the home. Considering how few of us were able to have visitors last year owing to coronavirus lockdowns, many of us are really looking forward to getting together with family members and friends this year and having a huge celebration. If you’re hosting, you might be feeling the pressure – but we have some stylish, and easy to implement ideas for your festive décor throughout the home. 

 

Decorating The Porch

When you’re expecting visitors at Christmas time, you want them to feel your home is welcoming – and dressing the outside of the house can really do that. If lots of flashing Christmas decorations aren’t your thing (and you don’t want the electricity bill!) then dress your porch accordingly. Wreaths are an obvious choice, and we’re sure you’re already planning to add those, whether you plan to make them or buy them. 

Decorative planters with seasonal shrubs and bushes are a great way to inject your porch, or just outside your front door with the look and feel of Christmas without too much effort. Some simple galvanised steel buckets spray painted can hold bushes in pots, or even simpler – wrap tubs in a strip of hessian and add a decorative ribbon.  

After that, think about whether you want to add outdoor LED fairy lights or not (solar powered ones are really good, even in the winter!) and you’re done – your neighbours, and your guests will admire your house from the moment they pull up outside. 

 

Entryway

First impressions count, and that doesn’t just apply to the exterior of your home. As you get through the door, from the cold to the warm, it is important that your senses feel that your house really is a home. During the festive period, that means making festive little touches in your hallway. Whether you add small accessories, like a bowl of festive treats and a festive scented candle, or you add bigger decorations such as framing your door with a garland of seasonal greenery, be sure to decorate to delight. 

 

Decorate Your Guest Bedrooms

If, like so many of us, you’re having guests to stay throughout the holiday period, why not make your guest bedrooms feel like a Christmas hotel? A few ideas that we love to make guest rooms the most memorable: 

  • Switch out bed linens for tartans and plaids in rich reds – then layer up blankets and throws
  • Add a decorative wreath above the bed
  • Place a poinsettia or a small bouquet of seasonal red flowers on the bedside table 
  • Create a miniature Christmas scene on the dressing table
  • Put a scaled-down Christmas tree in the room
  • Hang garlands around the window 
  • String carefully made paper chains from corner to corner – using recycled paper, of course



Plants And Flowers

Poinsettias are everywhere at Christmas, and many of us adore the gorgeous deep pop of red that they bring to our homes. However, they aren’t naturally Christmas plants, and they can be problematic for pets as they are poisonous – and some people simply don’t like them. There are some wonderful alternatives to poinsettias, including Christmas cactus, kalanchoes, amaryllis and anthurium – which can last up to eight weeks, so if you look after it right, you’ll still have gorgeous colour by Valentine’s Day! If you don’t want to buy festive plants, just dressing up the pots that your house plants are in with ribbons, or winding a length of tinsel around them might be enough to create a festive look and feel. 

If you prefer fresh flowers for your Christmas décor, then seek out deep red flowers. Carnations are relatively inexpensive, and with a little gypsophila (baby’s breath) they look perfect for the Christmas week celebrations. Otherwise, amaryllis is a traditional choice, as well as traditional greenery like holly and mistletoe. If you’re incorporating cut flowers into your Christmas decorations, think about how the containers can be made more festive. Vases, bottles, and bowls can look great by adorning them with cranberries or red beads at the bottom before arranging flowers on top – or if your décor is different colours to the traditional red and gold, find other ways to work those colours into whatever is holding your flowers. 



Wreaths

Although seasonal wreaths are found all year round in the US, here in the UK, they tend to only appear in December, as we’re preparing for Christmas. Of course, you can buy them, but they’re really easy to make yourself, and there are no end of how-to guides online, whether you want a polished, sophisticated look to your wreath, or you want a rustic, country-inspired look. Maybe you decide to double up on wreaths, by hanging one above the other, or two smaller wreaths side-by-side – there really is thousands of ideas! 

When you’ve decided on the style of wreath that you want for your front door, think about the rest of your home. You might decide to let your children make wreaths for their bedroom doors, incorporating leaves as well as festive scents by including cinnamon sticks, star anise, candy canes, and clementines. 

If you don’t want to have to make wreaths each year, and you’re feeling crafty, consider making wreaths from:  

  • Baubles 
  • Tinsel
  • Faux leaves 
  • Ribbons and bows – allowing you to show off your ribbon tying skills for more than just gifts
  • Pom-poms – white ones look like snowballs, and they’re really easy to make
  • Using inexpensive cookie cutters
  • Recycled items, like toilet paper rolls

These are just a few ideas – and we’re sure you can find plenty more inspiration around your home! 

 

Dress Children’s Bedrooms For Christmas

If your children love to decorate a Christmas tree, but you love a carefully thought-out, beautiful tree, then you might not love the idea of allowing your children to decorate the family tree. If that’s the case, then why not allow them to decorate their bedrooms, and so they can decorate – and redecorate – their own artificial Christmas trees as often as they like? They’ll love the excitement of being able to have a tree in their bedrooms, and to know that Christmas is coming. If there isn’t much space in their room, or you don’t want to go all-out, why not try one of our Christmas tree alternatives? Fairy lights strung along the walls might be just enough to create the magic that they crave. 

 

Dress Your Bar Area

If you’re lucky enough to have a bar area – whether it is a large area, a tiny bar cart, or even a section of a book case – then get it ready for plenty of drinks, because baby, it’s cold outside! You’ll almost certainly have a stock of wines, ciders, and beers, but there’s something nice about a Christmas cocktail too. Decide on one or two signature recipes for this year, so you don’t have to spend out on ingredients that won’t be used. Just be sure to test them ahead of guests arriving – you need to be sure they’re to your liking! 

Don’t drink alcohol? No problem. Dress a drinks trolley to make a festive cocoa station instead, complete with flavoured syrups, marshmallows, and a fully stocked biscuit tin. If you’ve got children, or younger family members visiting, they’ll love being able to create their own cocoa, and trying all the different combinations! The great thing about this is it can be adapted for all types of diets too – gluten free and vegan included. 

 

Decorate Your Mirrors

Dressing up a mirror is a super easy way to make a room feel a little more festive. Tie a ribbon on it, wind some fairy lights around it, or cut out paper stars or snowflakes to blue-tack to it – they’re all perfect ways to dress up your mirrors in a subtle way, but without much effort or expense at all. 

 

Our Final Thoughts 

Decorating your home for Christmas should be fun, and bring you joy, rather than being a job you feel you have to do. You might be full of ideas and inspiration now, but keep things manageable! It is important that you don’t overdo it and end up feeling stressed – there are more important things in life than cutting ribbons and making wreaths by hand, especially if you don’t enjoy it. Your loved ones will still love you if you take short cuts with these ideas, and take this post as it is intended – as ideas you can try if you like. 

 

All that’s left for us to say is – whatever your festive home décor looks like – we hope you have a very merry Christmas, and a very happy new year.