72 Christmas decoration ideas for the holiday season.
Christmas decoration ideas at home fill your hearth with stockings and your heart with joy.
Beautiful Christmas decoration ideas to make every moment magical.
It’s the same every year. Social media feeds are flooded with picture-perfect Christmas décor ideas. Trees gleam, table settings sparkle, and front porches twinkle with lights.
Classic Christmas decoration ideas have their place. They’re beautiful and nostalgic, seemingly untouched year after year.
What other Christmas decoration ideas could you add to the mix, though? How could you create a new kind of magic this year?
The indoor and outdoor Christmas decoration ideas you choose this time can be something special. Start with this list of Christmas décor ideas. Instead of scrolling through pretty pictures styled with who-knows-what-products-from-where, these ideas are actionable and can transform your home into a holiday wonderland.
Outdoor Christmas decoration ideas for the house and patio.
The outdoor Christmas decoration ideas you search for will depend on your home and the climate you live in.
If you’re looking for ideas to decorate the exterior of the house itself, for example, with doorway swag and wreaths by the mailbox, you’ll find plenty of those ideas below.
Or, if you have an outdoor patio or space where you entertain during the winter months, you might be looking for hanging lanterns and fireside blankets and other outdoor Christmas decoration ideas. You’ll find that here, too.
- Hang wreath trios in front-facing windows.
Hang a trio of wreaths in front-facing windows of your home. Tie a ribbon around each (whether of matching colors or contrasting hues).
- Add a Christmas tree in the garden.
Either set a Christmas tree in the garden or, if you have any evergreen in the yard, decorate it like a Christmas tree.
- Set out oversized ornaments as lawn décor.
Place giant ornaments (usually made of plastic) in the yard for some light and color to be enjoyed by guests and passersby.
- Decorate with doorway swag.
Hang garland around the frame of a doorway then decorate it with jewel-toned fruits like pomegranates, apples, and limes.
- Hang silk lanterns.
Hang a canopy of silk lanterns over your outdoor kitchen, patio, or seating area.
- Combine pinecones and plaid.
Collect pinecones and hang them with plaid ribbon around your window frames.
- Make a branch wreath for the gate or door.
Take a relatively bendy branch from the yard and twist it round and round into a swirling wreath. Hang it on the gate to your yard or on the front door, then decorate it with a little lace or some ornaments.
- Set up walkway candy canes.
Light the walkway to your home or garden with oversized candy cane lights. This produces a true winter wonderland effect.
- Prep the fire pit with cozy blankets.
If you have a fire pit in your yard, prep it this year with extra seating and cozy blankets for guests to congregate and stay warm.
- Start a projector light show.
Set up a projector light show on the side of your home instead of hanging elaborate lights this year. For example, you could project snowflakes falling for a peaceful effect.
- Hang star lights.
Hang star lights around your outdoor entertainment space or from branches of trees around the yard. This creates a celestial outdoor feel.
- Fill the planters with Christmas-themed berries and greens.
Fill your planters with evergreen branches, red berries, and twinkling fairy lights for an elegant touch near the front door.
Indoor Christmas decoration ideas to cherish.
The indoor Christmas decoration ideas you want depend on the mood you’re after. Do you see Christmas as a heartwarming, familial, nostalgic event? Or do you relish the winter wonderland in its crispest beauty?
Christmas decoration ideas at home cover every inch of each room so you can enjoy the Christmas spirit everywhere. Acting as the gift that keeps giving throughout the season, these Christmas decoration ideas can be easily personalized, too.
Keep reading for specific Christmas tree decoration ideas.
- Stockings on a ladder.
Lean a rustic ladder against a wall and hang the stockings on the rungs instead of on the mantle.
- Holly and berry-adorned chandelier.
Wrap faux holly branches and berries around the chandelier for a vertical focal point.
- Tasseled tiebacks.
Switch ribbons out for tasseled tiebacks when you secure garlands around your fireplace and hand railings.
- Candlelit windows.
Line your windowsills with candles (battery-operated for easier use) along with sprigs of evergreen. This creates a Christmas vibe inside along with an enchanting glow outside.
- Asymmetrical Christmas mantel decorations.
Change your mantel decoration this year for something asymmetrical. Stretch a garland diagonally around one side of the firebox, and up the mantel and wall on the other side.
- Hang a Christmas card garland.
Clip your Christmas cards to a ribbon or long piece of twine and hang them across a wall as a cheery Christmas decoration.
- Add greenery to the bedroom.
Add some wintery green to the bedroom by hanging bundles of evergreen or holly to the four posts of your bed, or to the upper corners of your vanity mirror.
- Silk garlands.
Spruce your tree and garlands up with a hit of glint by adding raw silk garlands.
- Garland-framed mirror.
Frame a decorative mirror in the bathroom or a hallway with bay and olive leaves or garlands. Add small but sparkly ornaments for a glittery effect.
- Mason jar snow globes.
Make your own snow globes using Mason jars. Fill them with fake snow and small holiday figurines, add glitter, then fill with water and display them on the shelves.
- Christmas table runner.
Use a red-and-white checkered table runner with pinecones, candles, and mini trees as a simple but elegant dining table centerpiece.
- Poinsettias at the entryway.
Place vibrant red poinsettias in the entryway or hall to welcome guests with a classic holiday touch.
Christmas party decoration ideas that guests will remember forever.
Planning a holiday party comes with its stresses before it delivers on its promised pleasures. If you’ve ever worried that your Christmas party decoration ideas aren’t festive enough, or that the theme won’t live up to expectations, you aren’t alone.
Christmas party decoration ideas are key to forming the perfect holiday mood. When it’s a party, your decorations also need to be interactive and to help guests make the most of their time together.
In addition to these party-perfect holiday décor ideas, keep reading for Christmas party ideas for added themes, games, and meals.
- Prop-filled holiday photo booth.
Set up a photo booth with holiday props like Santa hats, antlers, and snowflake cutouts for the perfect Instagram stories posted from your Christmas party. Collect the best shots and make a photo collage after the fact.
- Blow-up balloon garlands.
Make a festive garland out of red, green, and gold balloons.
- The garland-trimmed table.
Make your own slender garland to lay across the dining room table with cedar or white pine, sleek candles, and emerald ribbon.
- Make some citrus arrangements.
Make an arrangement of citrus fruits instead of flowers using a combination of mandarin oranges, blood oranges, lemons, and limes.
- Set up a hot chocolate bar.
Prepare a hot chocolate bar for guests under a big banner to get their attention. Though, the aromas might be enough. Offer a variety of toppings like marshmallows, whipped cream, and crushed candy canes.
- Christmas dinner decoration ideas.
Your table setting makes all the difference when guests sit down for Christmas dinner. Decoration ideas include layered place settings with dark Christmas red, forest green, and silver cutlery.
- Woodland wonder details.
Few things are more magical than a Christmas tree surrounded by fluffy faux snow to set a true woodland wonder theme.
- Snowflake window clings.
Decorate your windows with snowflake decals or clings for a festive view from the inside and outside of your home.
- DIY glowing gifts.
Make your own “glow gifts” by wrapping empty cardboard boxes with gift paper and then string lights. Cluster the boxes together at the foot of your tree or under tables around the house.
- Tree-shaped balloon tower.
Make a tree-shaped tower of balloons to place at the entrance to your Christmas party.
- Red-rose garland.
Decorate a garland with fresh-cut red roses for a romantic Christmas party theme.
- Layered tablecloth.
Layer your tablecloths for Christmas dinner for added effect. For example, you could start with a red base cloth, add green topper, then lay a gold or plaid table runner, and finish with silver place mats.
Christmas light decoration ideas more radiant than ever.
Like so many stars in the sky, during the final whispers of Christmas Eve, lights twinkle and provide instant nostalgia and warmth. To sit in a family room illuminated only by Christmas lights is to stop time. With Christmas music in the background, Christmas light decoration ideas are, for some, the most magical element of the whole season.
There are endless Christmas light decoration ideas for outdoors, too. Peruse this list of fresh takes on Christmas lights and see what sparks something beautiful this year.
- Icicle string lights.
A popular option for a reason, you can hang icicle lights to twinkle along your roofline for a winter wonderland effect.
- Twinkle light curtains.
Set up a curtain of hanging twinkle lights in a doorway or across the wall behind the sofa.
- Twinkling tree trucks.
Wrap string lights around the trunks of the trees in your front yard. When night falls, everyone who encounters them can admire their simple beauty.
- Illuminated pathways.
Line your driveway or garden path with string or planted lights to invite guests in with a festive glow.
- Glowing wreaths.
Weave fairy lights into a wreath. This can work for wreaths hung indoors or out.
- Light wall art.
Use string lights to “draw” a design on the wall, for example, a Christmas tree or a star.
- Under-cabinet light strings.
Tape string lights under the cabinets in the kitchen to act as a twinkly, magical take on under-cabinet lighting.
- Light-wrapped garden arch.
Wrap your whole garden arch in lights and add a few hanging ornaments for an elegant entrance to your yard.
- Hanging light ornaments.
Fill some clear ornaments with fairy lights and hang them from the ceiling for a twinkling display.
- Illuminated bookshelves.
Weave lights through open bookshelves to add an intimate glow to a room.
- Centerpiece of jarred string lights.
Fill some glass jars with string lights and use them as centerpieces for your dining room table, coffee table, and drink cart.
- Glittering garland staircase.
Weave string lights through a garland you wrap around your staircase banister. Add some faux red berries for more color and warmth.
Office Christmas decoration ideas to help the holiday spirit.
Christmas wall decoration ideas aren’t just for the home. There are also office Christmas decoration ideas that bring the yuletide spirit to the workplace.
Of course, there are few workplaces where employees only celebrate Christmas. There are almost always employees who observe other winter holidays, and still others who observe nothing at all. These office Christmas decorations try to tap the character of Christmas without referencing any belief system. After all, it’s the shared spirit we really want to share.
- Mini desk evergreens.
Get small evergreen trees to set on desks throughout the office. Decorate with mini ornaments for an extra festive touch.
- Ornament display bowl.
Everyone brings in an ornament to add to a sundry ornament display bowl.
- Holiday floral explosion.
Bring in displays of seasonal flowers that show off the beauty of winter. Regularly replace them as they wilt, and you can keep the spirit going for weeks.
- Christmas calendar countdown.
Make your own calendar countdown until whenever your office is closed for the holidays. That’s something everyone gets to feel excited about.
- Ribbon-trimmed tree.
If you do place a tree in your office, consider decorating it with ribbons instead of ornaments. You can use like ribbon throughout or ask for everyone’s donated “leftovers” from gift wrapping for a varied look.
- Holiday bulletin board.
Transform an office bulletin board into a holiday-themed space to share. Employees can post personal messages all season long.
- Glittering reception desk.
Wrap the front reception desk with string lights to welcome visitors with a glittery display.
- Holiday card cork board.
Set up a space where employees can bring in holiday cards to display. This adds a feeling of belonging as well as some holiday cheer.
- Holiday mug display.
Invite everyone to bring one of their favorite holiday mugs, then put them on display in the breakroom or lobby for all to see.
- Holiday photos from home.
Designate a space on a wall for everyone to pin some of their favorite holiday photos. Or ask them to send favorites digitally so you can make a photo collage, since print photos are rarer these days.
- Mini-stockings.
Hang mini stockings anywhere there’s room: on the breakroom fridge, on the edge of each desk, on front door, on the company sign. Employees and clients alike will appreciate it.
- Aromas are part of the vibe, too.
Place cinnamon or pine-scented diffusers around the office to add a subtle holiday fragrance, too. Be diligent to check first if any employee is hyper-sensitive to perfume or smells.
DIY Christmas decoration ideas for a homemade holiday.
DIY Christmas decorations and cheap Christmas decoration ideas are on some people’s minds, too. Whether it’s because of the crafty inspiration that the season brings or because you like the personal touch of DIY décor, this list has the ideas to give you an enormous head start.
Any DIY banners, collages, or even flyers you want to make to promote the yuletide or an upcoming Christmas dinner, it’s all easy in Adobe Express. Your holiday cards and letters are easy to make in Adobe Express, too — no experience required.
- Paper snowflakes.
Cut your own paper snowflakes and make them as intricate as you want. There are lots of guides online. Or, if you experiment a little, you’ll come up with unique patterns of your own.
- Cypress trimmings.
Collect trimmings from a cypress or another evergreen tree and cluster them together, tying each bunch with ribbon. Use these as decoration around the house.
- Pinecone ornaments.
Collect the finest looking pinecones you come across and turn them into ornaments. You can string them up as-is or you can paint them white or silver for a snowy effect. They’re prettiest when hung with ribbon.
- DIY advent calendar.
Make your own advent calendar by printing a big custom calendar and pinning small gifts or treats to each day.
- DIY tinsel.
You can make your own tinsel with aluminum foil, ribbon, or paper. Cut the preferred material in strips as thin as you can, then hang them all around the tree.
- Mason jar candle holders.
Fill mason jars with Epsom salt to look like snow, then place tea lights inside for a warm and magical glow.
- Welcome banner.
Make your own banner with a holiday greeting or a yuletide word like “joy” or “merry.” Hang it across a doorway to greet people with yuletide cheer.
- Popcorn garlands.
For a vintage touch, thread popcorn and cranberries on a string, then hang all around the tree.
- Wine bottle centerpieces.
Take an old wine bottle and spray it silver, gold, or red. Use it as a centerpiece or to hold elegant candles.
- Upcycled “ugly” sweaters.
Repurpose your unwanted holiday sweaters or pajamas as throw pillow covers for a cozy Christmas vibe.
- Christmas village made from cereal boxes.
Make your own Christmas village by cutting out figurines from the cardboard of old cereal boxes. Paint them festive colors and glue them to a cotton-ball-laden scene.
- Paper bag luminaries.
With white paper bags and enough battery-operated candles, you can make beautiful luminaries to decorate all around the house. Line them down your driveway to greet holiday guests, too.
Once you’ve decorated, there’s something else to do.
After you’ve picked the perfect Christmas decoration ideas and transformed your home into a winter wonderland, it’s the perfect moment to take some pictures.
Think of how your holiday cards, letters, invitations, announcements, and social media could benefit from your hard work and creativity. Capture the atmosphere you created and enjoy it twofold.
By using your holiday decorations as a backdrop to everything else you make during the holidays, you create a consistent vibe that’s uniquely yours. You also showcase your holiday spirit in a memorable way, and that’s exactly when it’s most infectious.
What are Christmas decorations for, anyway, if not a way to spread the cheer?
Exercise: Which Christmas decoration ideas go together?
If you see a ton of Christmas decoration ideas you love but aren’t sure whether they’ll “play nice” together, try this quick exercise.
1. Write down the 5-10 holiday décor ideas you like most on individual sticky notes.
2. Randomly pick two ideas and put them side-by-side.
3. Ask yourself, do those ideas complement each other in their colors?
4. Ask yourself, do they complement each other in theme?
5. Finally, ask yourself, could they go together in the same room, or would they have to be used in different rooms?
6. If the answer to two or more of those questions is “no,” then compare each idea to a totally new idea instead. Now, you have two sets of two. Repeat the same questions above.
Before you know it, you’ll see connections between like-themed Christmas decoration ideas and your plan will unfold itself before your eyes.
Adobe Express can help.
Adobe Express has templates and customization tools to put your favorite Christmas décor ideas to work. If you want to use these Christmas décor ideas in cards, letters, posters, banners, collages, flyers, invitations, or other creative projects, Adobe Express makes it as simple as picking a template and personalizing it, or making your own idea with easy-to-use tools. Whatever message you want to transmit, Adobe Express brings it to life, no experience required.