How to Decorate with Winter Decorations for Christmas
Are you looking for tips on how to decorate for the holidays with less stress? Use these tips for using winter decorations at Christmas. Then you can leave them up long after December 26th!
I love, love, love to decorate my home for each and every season. But I’m also a busy, working mama of two little girls and don’t have time to go all out for every single thing. Maybe when they are grown I’ll really make a big fuss over the 4th of July, but for now I try to “kill two birds with one stone” whenever I can.
One way that I love to “kill two birds” is by decorating for Christmas with winter in mind. I try to think about my purchases and see if they would also be appropriate to leave out for the whole season.
For a few years now, I’ve gotten to the point in my decor that I can just take away all of the really Christmas-y stuff, and it’s already decorated for winter. I don’t have to touch it until Spring!
And then of course when I’m decorating for spring, I think about how it could carry over into summer. See how that works?
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A great example of decorating for Christmas with winter decor is my farmhouse shelves. I honestly will probably only change out the “merry little Christmas” print (for one of my winter printables) and take away the little spool of ribbon. (And the pillow and poinsettia below it, of course.) That’s it!
Everything else will stay the same and it’s all done. I’ll take the red and green away in March and add pink and turquoise again.
I love sharing my winter decor ideas with you! I’ve made these beautiful free winter favorites printables and have created a winter wonderland dining tablescape, and this hot chocolate station is a fun way to celebrate all season long! My hope is that these ideas will help you create a home that you love!
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How to Use Winter Decor Ideas for Christmas
1. Display a Winter Wreath
Any greenery wreath embellished with bells is going to be beautiful all winter long! I’ve shared an easy DIY Winter Wreath tutorial. And I’ve bought several evergreen wreaths and added bells for my front door and around the house. It’s such a simple way to decorate for Christmas and beyond!
2. Magnolia Leaves
These are my latest obsession! I know that people have been using magnolia leaves in winter and Christmas decor for years. But I’ve never had a magnolia tree to use the leaves from, so I finally bought a Magnolia leaf wreath. I’m obsessed!
Magnolia Wreath Christmas Mantel
I will be leaving my cathedral window and magnolia wreath out long after December 25th is over. I’ll take the “joy” sign, the stockings and Christmas art down and leave the rest in a simple, winter mantelscape.
In my Christmas dining room below, the magnolia garland centerpiece and brass candlesticks are perfect for winter. I can swap out the plaid runner and Santa plates for something more neutral my winter dining room decor is done!
3. Greenery Accents
I always love to decorate my home by bringing the outdoors in. And in the winter, evergreen branches make a beautiful statement with a natural element. I use a combination of real and faux greenery, but it’s all gorgeous!
I cut some greenery from the yard each year to hang on my kitchen chandelier. I’ll remove the ornaments after Christmas, but leave the greenery until February!
Tip: Go by your local hardware store, where they sell Christmas trees. Most stores have a box out front with free scrap branches. I will add them to my faux greenery garlands to make them look full and real. It works beautifully!
And the bonus is that I can leave them up after Christmas. My above fireplace mantel is a perfect example of a wintery mantel that would work for Christmas and winter. Just change the art, remove the stockings and bows after Christmas, and you have a winter mantel!
4. Winter Printables and Winter Art
Instead of making all of your art specifically Christmas related, put up some winter printables instead.
I’ve got some FREE winter printables here just for you!
And if you’re buying art for the holidays, get something that can transition into winter, too!
I love this Cedar Berries and Snow canvas art for my entrance to the living room.
And these Petite Pano Pines art will hang above the bed until March!
5. Add Some Sparkle
A few years ago I bought a bunch of glittery & gold plastic ornaments. They have been one thing that I have used over and over again every year.
I put them in a tray or a bowl or add them to a lantern with a candle. They are perfect for New Year’s Eve decor and really cheer up any decor while it’s cold and dreary outside.
I leave the sparkly decor out all winter long. The same could be said for glittery snowflake ornaments, of which I have a few. I may add them to my DIY abstract art once I take down my “O Holy Night” sign.
6. Buffalo Check and Plaid
Honestly I love these buffalo check and plaid all year long, but they are especially appropriate for Christmas and winter.
A plaid blanket just shouts warm and cozy. I love my buffalo check pillows and will leave them out through the winter months.
7. Use Mini Tabletop Trees for Winter Decorations
I have a whole collection of tabletop trees because it’s such an easy way to fill up a space – for pretty cheap! In the photo above, I added the plaid ribbon to the tree baskets to give them some holiday flair. But then it’s time for winter decor, I’ll simply remove the ribbon and we’re all set!
8. A Flocked Tree
A winter wonderland can be experienced all winter long! You may not want to leave all of your ornaments on the tree (or you might, I don’t know), but you could certainly leave your pretty flocked Christmas tree up all winter long with some gorgeous lights that glow! (Find out the best way to add lights to a tree to make it glow HERE.)
9. Add Pine Cones
Usually a free decor item, pinecones are beautiful for Christmas and beyond. This time of year you can find them in the yard or park. Or find them for really inexpensive at the craft store!
I love putting them in a bowl with candles, ornaments or pomegranate stems!
10. Break Out the Faux Fur
In the beautiful bedroom above, Ella Claire uses a cable knit and faux fur throw for her wintery, Christmas bedroom. I love the touch and it will look perfect for the cold months ahead. Not to mention keep them extra warm and cozy!
I love this DIY faux fur letter tutorial from my friend Aniko at Place of My Taste. She just used items from the craft store to make them. If you spelled out the word “Snow” then you could keep them up for January and February, too!
11. Cotton Stems for Winter Decorations
At one point I thought these cute little cotton boll stem decorations were only for fall, but I see them now a lot in Christmas and winter decor. They are reminiscent of fluffy snow, so I think that may be part of the wintery appeal.
One year I went to a holiday home tour with 18 decorated Christmas trees and the whole kitchen was decorated with cotton stems. It was stunning! I snapped a few pics, but they don’t do it justice. Hopefully, you can still see how it works with Christmas and winter. So cute, huh?
This was my favorite tree and favorite room in the whole home tour. This little sitting area and fireplace were right in the kitchen and next to the eat in kitchen area. I just loved it!
The whole house was gorgeous, but this was the heart of the home and my favorite spot! You could definitely leave this tree up after Christmas has come and gone.
Final Thoughts
As you can see from these photos, a big key to adding winter decorations is to keep things neutral. You’re not going to be able to carry a bunch of red and green decor into January.
So, limit the use of red when you’re decorating. I only try to use red in very small doses. It’s not my favorite color, but I will make exceptions for it for Christmas. But keeping things neutral will help minimize the need to change anything out after the holidays are over!
I could probably go on forever about how to decorate for Christmas with winter in mind, but I’ll stop here! Do you have anything that you love to use all season long? Do tell!
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I’ve been following the Nester (Cozy Minimalst) and that is exactly
what she teaches, to “winterize” your home before adding Christmas decor! That was such a revelation for me! Also, I’m from Oklahoma and grew up hearing the phrase “kill two birds with one stone” a lot! (Along with a lot of other phrases, lol). I think the modern version of that phrase would be “work smarter, not harder”, am I right?😆. Hope you have a Merry first Christmas in your gorgeous new home!
Your home looks lovely! I had a Monday like you described and just when I think I am done, a few more things get added to the list! Thank goodness I have the help from my family! Wishing you and yours a blessed Christmas and the happiest of new years!
Like you, I mix winter & Christmas. Winter goes in then Christmas. After epiphany, I take away the holiday, and leave the clean empty spaces. I prefer spare look for winter.