Simple Holiday Decorating Ideas

Decorating for the holidays is one of our favourite times to decorate because we can have a lot of fun with the decorations given the short time span of the season! This is a great time to introduce a lot of greenery, metallic tones, rich colours and mood lighting through the use of candles. What we love about decorating for Christmas in 2023 is the wide array of themes that your decorations can have. Gone are the days when only decorating with red and green or silver and blue are popular. Some of the colour schemes that we love most when decorating for Christmas are jewel tones, earth tones or classic shades of green on its own. Below, we sourced photos from Pinterest to show you how you can use these colours in simple ways when decorating your home this holiday season.

The Christmas Tree

We’ll start off with the centrepiece of it all - the Christmas tree. Decorating the tree can be a fun solo or family affair and is a great anchor for how you’d like your holiday decor to be themed. In the photo on the left, the tree is done in beautiful earth tones that are subtle, but very calming to look at. We love that the colours on this tree are rich and saturated without being too showy. To complement the warm colours, the tree has a layer of warm white lights that give it a bit of a vintage feeling.  In contrast, the photo on the right is a more modern take on Christmas tree decorating. This tree is decorated with dusty pinks, dried flowers and dried fruits with a bow to finish it all off in place of a star. The dried fruit and flowers give this tree a very fun, whimsical feeling. Plus, the dried fruit acts like stained glass, making it especially beautiful when the lights shine through them.

Decorating Your Mantel

Next to your Christmas tree, a mantel (if you have one) is a very popular place to decorate and hang stockings. For mantel decorating ideas, we were drawn to a more traditional set up like the photo on the left with all its brilliant greenery. We love the look of a big, lush garland that hang over your mantel. A lot of them that we’ve seen this year are even asymmetrical, which can give this type of style a more modern look. To add warmth to this set up, taper candles in brass candle sticks are added at varying heights for visual interest. In this type of set up, we’d recommend leaving the lights to a minimum so that the greenery and candles can shine. The photo on the right is a more modern approach to a mantel and features a beautiful muted palette of ceramic trees. The key to pulling this off effectively is to choose trees with varying heights, colours, textures and patterns. Having a good mix is key to allowing this to look fun and playful, yet still put together. You could even try mixing in trees made from different materials like glass to add some translucency.

Greet Guests with a Wreath

Hanging a wreath on your door is a great way to show some festive cheer on the outside of your home. Similar to Christmas trees, there are a great number of more modern wreaths that are available now in addition to more classic styles. In the photo on the left, this updated take on a wreath feels clean and fresh, with just a subtle nod to the holidays. The thin gold hoop feels very modern and the mix of greenery keeps this wreath relevant long after December 25th. We love that it’s a very subtle take on the holidays with small pops of red from the berries and less traditional greenery. The photo on the right is more of your classic wreath with a twist. It’s got all the beautiful greenery you’d expect this time of year - pine, fir and spruce - but with the addition of some beautiful deep crimson leaves to give it depth and richness. While we love that neither of these wreaths have lights to distract from their beauty, you can find packs of battery powered lights to include in your wreath if you’d like it to have a little glow.

Holiday Hosting

Lastly, your dining room table is a great place to add some festive decorations that all your dinner guests will appreciate. This type of decorating works best if food is served from a buffet on the side as opposed to family style from the table. The photo on the right is a shining example of a modern take on Christmas. The colours are bright and punchy with metallic blues and pinks complemented by subtle greenery. This set up feels fun and lively, especially when complemented by pink glassware and gold flatware. In the more traditional photo on the right, we’re especially excited about the classic scent of Christmas that this table setting would have! The mix of greens includes juniper which has a woody, almost cedar scent, complemented by the spicy cloves and bright citrus of the oranges. Combined with the candles, this setting creates a warm and inviting atmosphere where guests will be delighted to linger over a holiday meal.

Photo Credits:

Photo 1: Pinterest
Photo 2: Putnam & Putnam
Photo 3: Nest of Posies Blog
Photo 4: Homemakers Furniture
Photo 5: Mckenzie Sue Makes
Photo 6: The Rose Shed
Photo 7: 100 Layer Cake
Photo 8: Lauren Blesser House