What are the best decorations for Christmas?

Oh, what a wonderful time of the year~... 2022 is coming to an end! Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, we can't deny it's one of the most exciting celebrations of the year. The smell of gingerbread cookies, the sound of Christmas carols, and the sight of wonderful Christmas decorations all around make the festive cheer even more lively. And of course, with Christmas comes a whole lot of planning and organising as well.

Those who celebrate Christmas know that this time of year calls for extra dedication. Considering that it is a once a year celebration, we often try to outdo our previous year's efforts to make it as special as it can be. So, you must be wondering, what are the best decoration ideas to help make this Christmas the best you’ve ever had?

To answer the question, the best decorations for Christmas always come from good planning. Before you look through the 101 ways to decorate for Christmas, think of what your theme is this year. Are you going for a classic Christmas theme with exquisite old-fashioned red and green, or perhaps a modern look with white and soft blue hues? Setting a theme will help you be more selective with your decorations and allow for a more cohesive look!

Now, while you think about that, let's go through some different ideas on where to start.

Christmas Tree Decorations

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree! It's arguably the most important element of the season, after all - does it really feel like Christmas without one? But they don't have to be the same ol' boring Christmas tree from back in the day. Although the vintage look IS an aesthetic! Nowadays, Christmas trees come in many different shapes, colours and forms.

Whether artificial or not, Christmas trees can be seen in their traditional green coloured leaves form, or even in white, as if covered by snow. They also come in all types of heights, ranging from mini-sized, or 7 feet to 30 feet tall. Plus, the trees also can come in many shapes, such as full, slim, sparse, or flatback. They are so much more personal these days and you can choose to decorate them however you like!

Where Can I Get Christmas Trees?

Large-sized Christmas trees are readily available in your nearest home decor stores, such as IKEA, Kaison, Daiso, and Spotlight. If you are looking for a stunning mini Christmas tree as a gift or to spice up little corners of your home, such as the dining table, check out the BloomThis Giovannie Christmas Tree Flower Box. This Christmas Tree comes in a stunning vibrant golden hue, that is sure to add a classy touch to your space. Plus, it makes a perfect gift for family or friends as they get to munch on Ferrero Rocher plucked from the Christmas tree.

Whichever type of Christmas tree you pick, whether they are big or small, their looks can be amped up with great decorations.

Make it Ombre

What makes a Christmas tree unique is the decorations on it. Instead of the typical red, silver, and gold accents surrounding the tree. You can try making the Christmas tree ombre in colour!

A gradient rainbow tree can be made by starting with pink and red on the bottom and working its way to the top with gold ornament to complement a bright shining star. If you would like to focus on one colour gradient, you can always start with dark colours at the bottom and work your way up to a lighter colour.

For instance, if you select blue as the main colour, you may start with deep navy decorations at the bottom, transition to blue, light blue, and finally white at the top. A gradient ombre coloured tree is sure to catch your guest's eyes and is an easy way to show you've put effort into the Christmas tree decorations.

Ribbons for Extra Dimension

Besides colourful ornaments, you can also use ribbons to add some depth and texture to your Christmas tree decorations. Any colour will do but the classic red or gold always look good against the green tree, just make sure the ribbons you pick are 4-5 inches wide. Anything thinner should be used as layering over a wider ribbon or might go unnoticeable when tucked in the tree.

While you could simply throw it over the tree and it'd still look good, a pro tip is to start your ribbon 1/5th away from the top, starting with the "Y" cut of the ribbon and trailing it around the tree till you reach the bottom. What I like to do is cut the ribbons to 7 inch - 14 inch strips and place them in a non-uniform, zigzag manner. Then I'll tuck both ends of the ribbons into the tree, making it look like they're all one long ribbon trailing in and out of the Christmas tree.

Vertical alignment of the ribbon from the top flowing down also brings a nice accent to the tree. Importantly, let the ribbon flow naturally, you will be amazed how an extra touch of ribbon can beautify a simple tree.

Spice It Up with Ornaments

Most of us already have Christmas baubles stuffed away in our storerooms. But if you've grown bored of them, you can always restyle them with paint, glitters and even flowers. Just make sure you used non-washable or transferable marker pens, or paint. Acrylic paint and sharpies are a good choice.

If you want to go a step further to make your own DIY Christmas ornaments. Try making ornaments with wood slices! Wood slices are easily available in arts and crafts stores or online. Grab some paint and paint them up with Christmas designs. If you are good with calligraphy, you can even write the names of family members and put them up as ornaments.

One more interesting way to use these wood slices is to print out photos of loved ones, glue them on the wood slices with mod podge and "laminating" it with another layer of mod podge on top to make it glossy. It is entirely up to you to unleash your creativity with the wood slices.

Another easy and fun option is to create your own ornament ball using strings of yarn! You can even create a little snowman with it to decorate beside your Christmas trees. All you need is some yarn, white glue (PVA glue), wood chopstick/any tool that can help you pick up the yarn from the glue and balloons.

Here's how you can make your own string ball:

1. Blow up the balloon to your desired size.
2. Pour the white glue into a plastic or paper bowl.
3. Cut up some long strings from the yarn and dip them into the white glue. Make sure that they are fully covered with glue.
4. Pick the string up, and round it around the balloon.
5. (Optional) Splatter glitter onto it.
6. Leave it to dry.
7. Once fully dry, pop the balloon and take the balloon out.
8. Tie a string so you can make it into an ornament and hang it on your tree!

These string balls are easy to make, require little materials, are eco friendly, and make it a stunning piece on the tree. If you want to make a snowman out of it, all you need to do is make 2 different sizes for the head and body of the snowman. Glue them together with the smaller size on top as the head, and the bigger for the body. Decorate it with felt or button to form the eyes, hat, scarf, buttons or even the nose!

Alternative Christmas Tree

For those who are unable to place a Christmas tree at home, try making your own Christmas tree on the wall! Not only does it save space, but it is also environmentally friendly. One of my favourites is the string light Christmas wall tree. All you would need is some wall hooks and a few meter long string lights, arrange the hooks till you get an outline of a Christmas tree, and string the lights accordingly. You can add a green garland for more body or hang some colourful baubles. Once complete, light up your Christmas tree!

Another way to personalise a wall Christmas tree is by hanging photos using a wood pin on the strings. If you have kids, this is the best time to also create Christmas themed arts and crafts using paper plates or art blocks to be hung up. The best part of making your own Christmas tree on the wall is that you can freely take it down or move the shapes around as you like versus moving a big tree.

Christmas Table Decorations

What is a celebration if there is no food and party time? Although often overlooked, not many realise the importance of table decorations at Christmas parties. Setting a nice dining table can switch up the mood of the guests and affect the enjoyment of the meal as well as digestion. A good dining ambience can help everyone feel more at ease as they chat over a meal, and gain a general feeling of warmth and joy. Most importantly, you want your meal to look appetising and taste great.

Flowers as Centerpieces

Being the second top priority in Christmas decoration, a good table setting goes beyond cutlery placements. For Christmas, it is always best to get the classic red or white table cloth and decorate around with Christmas items. You can fill up a tray with Christmas decorations, a tiny snowman, or even put up some ornaments around. Having an encased gingerbread house at the centre also makes your table look unique. Do know that in all table decorations, the centrepiece is the highlight of the decoration. It makes a huge difference in the overall outlook of the table.

Besides placing Christmas trinkets as centrepieces, you can also place a nice flower in a vase or some plants to make it a good accent on the table. The Seraphine Christmas flower box from our collection has flowers of white matthiolas and red carnations, topped up with red Hypericum Berries & pine leaves. We made it specially this year to bring the Christmas vibes around - and no vase needed! The red carnations and hypericum berries also do well to add a pop of colour, especially if you are using a plain white table cloth.

Candles

Meanwhile, candle decorations bring light to the dining area. If you have small kids running around at home, try placing the candles into mason jars. You can also work with the young children to paint or do Christmas arts and crafts to decorate the mason jars. Placing candles into mason jars can help avoid curious children from touching the fire of a lighted candle.

If you don’t need a child-friendly candle placement, go ahead with using wine glasses as candle holders. One cool trick is to fill up a wine glass with Christmas baubles and place them upside down on the table. Then place tea candles on top, using the base of the wine glass as a candle holder.

Cutlery Placements

Speaking of cutlery placements, you can even add an extra touch to your cutleries by tying a ribbon on them. This will make it look extra fancy. You can also DIY your very own cute Christmas style napkin rings. There are many inspirations on Pinterest that you can have a look at. One of my favourites is this cute Santa Claus napkin ring made with red felt, tissue roll cupboard, some furry yarn, ribbon, and ribbon buckle. You can watch the short tutorial here.

Christmas Spread

Last but not least, amaze your guests with delicious meals. You can always cook up an amazing meal or purchase some great ready-made food. This Christmas, head over to our site for the perfect assortment of Christmas cookies to fill the table with! The Hanne Christmas Gift Set comes with 4 delicious cookie jars filled to the brim with everyone’s favourites. Keep an eye on it - it might just finish before you could even say “Merry Christmas!”.

Christmas Window and Door Decorations

Doors and windows are the soul of the home. From the outside, the first impression is made by looking at your house door and window. Beautifully decorated doors and windows invite warmth and attract guests. So, of course, we're not gonna leave this part out.

Windows: Christmas Garlands, Socks, and Festive Lights

Some ideas for window decorations would be to hang Christmas garlands on the window sill or trim. There are many Christmas garlands available, but you can also DIY your own Christmas garlands by using some leafy greens strung with dried citrus fruit such as oranges. You may also hang fairy or festive lights around the window frame. The colourful lights make the area brighter and light up for the celebration. If you have potted plants around your window, you can also hang fairy lights around your plants or place your plants into Christmas socks for a festive planter.

Christmas socks also make great hanging decorations for doorknobs, window handles and staircase railings. On the day of Christmas, you can play some games and put in some candy cane or cute little gifts in these socks. Tell the story of Santa Claus dropping presents into these socks and encourage the little ones to check their socks for any gifts. This decoration would be a cute activity for the family to bond and keep the children's spirits high.

Doors: Flower Wreath

As for doors, you may also hang fairy lights or Christmas garlands around the top of the frame. Playing with symmetry, it is recommended to place a Christmas wreath at the top centre of the door. Traditionally, a wreath symbolizes eternal life and unity due to its round shape and evergreen leaves. Nevertheless, a Christmas wreath symbolizes a friendly welcome at the front door.

Want a Christmas wreath that will impress all your guests? Go for a real floral wreath. Like our Dorothea Wreath. The elegance of real white champagne rose is complemented with pine cones, cotton flowers, red hypericum berries, snowy-white dusty millers. You can bet none of your neighbours has a wreath this pretty *wink*

P.S. We also have a special DIY Christmas Wreath that’ll make the perfect Christmas activity for the whole family! Our fav part? Because it’s DIY, you can easily personalise it with your own family names, ornaments or knick-knacks!

Other Christmas Decoration Ideas

Greeting Cards as Decorations

Besides the decorations mentioned above, you can always place nice Christmas greeting cards around your home such as on the shelf.  Greeting cards brings warmth and stay as a reminder of love from one person to another. Not only do they make a great gift, but a well-designed card also makes a wonderful decoration. You can paint your very own Christmas cards with wonderful greetings or purchase some unique looking ones from the shop.

Christmas Stickers

Decal stickers are also a great way to decorate your home. You can place them on the wall, windows, or even on the door. Bring snow into your home by pasting snowflake or white Christmas tree designs of different sizes around your home or arranging them as if they fall from your window. You can get these stickers from the store or cut your own shapes with A4 paper in different sizes and paste them on the window with tape or even blue tack on walls to avoid chipped paint.

Christmas Scented Candles

Personally, I love having scented candles around the home. Not only do they make the space light up with elegance, but the scent also makes the whole home much cosier. For Christmas, there are many shops available with limited edition festive season scented candles. Try placing one by your main entrance for an instant hit of Christmas scent the moment you enter the room!

Have fun with your Christmas decoration ideas!

With the tips above, I hope you are able to gain some inspiration for the upcoming Christmas. Be sure to get your Christmas decorations done early as they do take some time and effort. After all, being an early bird also carries some benefits. According to psychologist Deborah Serani, decorating for Christmas early brings in feelings of joy in a person as it triggers the production of dopamine, your happy hormones.

Putting up Christmas decorations not only makes you happy, but research also found that it makes your neighbours happy. Therefore, there is no excuse to not decorate this Christmas. Do you have more fun and exciting Christmas decoration ideas to share? Comment down below, your Christmas decoration tradition and what do you love about it, we would love to hear from you. Till then, have a happy jolly Christmas!

P.S. Need more Christmas decoration ideas? Visit our Christmas Collection for all our ready-made Christmas-themed gifts and decorations!