I’ve always liked simplicity when it comes to decorating for Christmas. For me, less was more. My minimalist/Scandinavian decor is proof I don’t like things overdone. I’d do garland around the staircase, put up the tree, and hang a wreath on the door. I’ve been starting to do more every year, but still kept it pretty simple. I hung wreaths on the exterior windows and put candles in windows before, and that was enough to bring me joy. My focus for Christmas was always about making it magical for my kids (see other blog posts about some things we’ve done). Now that they’re older and I no longer make Santa’s footprints or use Santa’s magic key, I’ve decided I want to make Christmas magical for me.
Since our furniture and decor is monochromatic and light, I thought it would be fun to add a pop of red because it would really stand out. I bought a new tree skirt that is a sweater design with deer, snowflakes, and trees, and it goes with our tree’s theme perfectly. Then I thought pillows on the sofa would make the biggest difference because our couch is HUGE and beige, walls are light gray, and our rug and ottoman are white/cream.
While they did make a big difference, I still wanted more “magic”. I swapped out the gray and white-striped curtains for red and white-stripes and got a few red décor pieces to sit around like a cute truck that lights up and a large glass tree. Fuzzy blankets with red and green replaced the beige and cream blankets. Now it was beginning to look how I pictured it.
I already had wreaths on the interior doors and cranberry garland above them, along with red and white stockings hanging from the staircase railing with garland and lights. My wall art is extremely minimal in this house, but I took it down and added fun holiday signs in their place. A few red candles to replace the gray, and the room was complete. It turned out just how I wanted it; not over-the-top or cheesy, but fun. I still managed to keep the Scandinavian look but with a bright red for the holidays. Then I noticed that my dining room looked too bare, so I had to bring Christmas there, too. Look for that blog post next.
How do you decorate your house for Christmas?
It looks beautiful!