How to Decorate Your Home for Christmas

The festive season is just around the corner, which means it’s time for the annual tradition of decorating your home for Christmas! If you’re looking for fresh ideas to decorate your home for Christmas, from setting festive themes and colour schemes to Christmas décor for your home, we’ve got everything you need to make your home shine this festive season.

Setting the Scene: Christmas Decorating Themes & Colour Ideas

One way to create an outstanding Christmas aesthetic in your home is to carefully coordinate the colours and themes for each space. Having a theme or colour palette for each room that links everything together can really help make your decorations feel more planned out, rather than simply having a range of various decorating styles.

For example, you could have your living room in a rustic, natural theme with pine garland, pinecones and robins, while your kitchen or bedroom might be in the style of a snowy winter wonderland with white snow, silver decorations and snowflakes. Here are a few of our favourite classic Christmas colour schemes and decorating themes (plus some unique, new modern ideas) for you to try out!

• Red, green and white
• Gold, green and red
• Silver, white and blue
• White, silver, and violet
• Black, purple, dark red and navy

Why not create a soft, cosy Christmas relaxation zone by decorating your lounge with soft, twinkling lights, thick, comfortable blankets, and rustic accents such as DIY wooden ornaments, all lit by candles throughout the room? Then, to top it all off, some comfy slippers and a hot chocolate in your favourite Christmas mug.

Or create a crisp, modern Christmas aesthetic by using lots of white and bright colours, combined with minimal decorations, and using simple, clean lines. You can even get white Christmas trees, decorated with beautiful silver baubles and elegant white lights to really complete the modern Christmas look.

How to Decorate Your Christmas Tree

How you decorate your tree is a hugely independent and personal choice, and it often comes down to a mix of your preferences and your experiences of Christmas growing up. However, if you’re interested in taking it to the next level this year, here are a few tips to spruce it up.

1. Match your tree to the overall theme

Start by picking a tree that suits your space and style. From lush real evergreens to slimline artificial trees or pre-lit options, choose what works best for your home.

Then, decide on a Christmas decorating theme to tie everything together, for example:

• Traditional red and gold: timeless and warm
• Scandi neutrals: white, wood and silver for a minimalist look
• Winter wonderland: icy blues, silver and glass ornaments
• Rustic woodland: pinecones, dried oranges and wooden décor

Matching your tree to your room’s colour scheme helps create a cohesive look and polished finish.

2. Layer Your Lights Like a Pro

Before adding ornaments, always start with the lights. The best way to hang Christmas lights on your tree is to begin from the base and weave upward in a zigzag pattern, keeping the lights closer to the trunk for depth. Warm white lights add a cosy glow, while cool tones or colour-changing LEDs give a more modern touch.

3. Add Texture with Garlands & Ribbon

Next, add ribbons, garlands or tinsel to build depth and texture. Try cascading ribbon vertically for an elegant look or wrapping a beaded garland in wide spirals for a traditional style. Mixing materials, like burlap, velvet, or metallic ribbon, gives your home’s Christmas décor a more layered, designer feel.

4. Hang a Mix of Ornaments for Balance and Personality

When hanging decorations, start with larger baubles evenly spaced around the tree, then fill gaps with smaller ornaments. Add a few statement pieces, such as personalised photo baubles, glittered pinecones, or DIY wooden ornaments, for that meaningful touch.

5. Don’t Forget the Finishing Touches

Top your tree with something special, whether it’s a classic star, rustic bow, or a fun handmade topper. Finally, wrap the base with a tree skirt, faux snow, or neatly arranged presents to complete the festive look.

Festive Touches to Prepare Your Home for Santa’s Visit

It’s not long now until Santa’s visit, so make sure you’re prepared with your stockings hung up and mantlepiece decorated to make him feel at home! If you have a fireplace, this can easily become the festive focal point of the room, decorated with candles, pine branches, robins and garlands. If your room doesn’t have a fireplace, a wreath can also make a great Christmas focal point, surrounded by banners, Christmas cards and more – who says a wreath is just for the door?

Complete the preparations with some mince pies and milk (or maybe a glass of wine!) for Santa and some carrots for his hard-working reindeer. Who knows, maybe the kids will find the mince pies missing and a bite taken out of the carrot on Christmas day? You can even track Santa and play Christmas games as he travels the world, seeing where he is at each hour, as long as the kids are in bed before he reaches your house!

Showing Off for the Neighbours: Best Way to Hang Christmas Lights on Your House

One of the best bits about Christmas is the friendly competition between neighbours regarding their Christmas lights and decorations on the front of their house. There’s something so magical about going for a walk on Christmas eve and admiring all of the decorations garnishing the houses on your road, keeping track of who has the best decorations and deciding on a favourite.

Looking for outdoor ideas to decorate the outside of your home for Christmas? One of the best ways to hang Christmas lights on your house is to start from the roofline and work downward, using warm or cool white lights for a unified glow.

Christmas Decorating Ideas for the Outside of Your Home

A great way to make your Christmas decorations unique is to tell a story or capture a scene. So rather than just collecting festive-themed lights and garlands, why not think of a story and set up your decorations to depict a funny or cute scenario? Adding little touches like this on top of your icicle and snowy lights helps draw your decorations together, creating a unique Christmas scene. Here are a few of our favourites for you to try out!

• Father Christmas getting stuck in the chimney, complete with his reindeer grazing on the lawn and presents scattered around. (You can even add a sleigh or fake sleigh tracks to really make it look real!)
• A family of snowmen on the lawn, building a new friend out of snow and putting on the hat, scarf and gloves. If it’s not snowy where you are, you can add some fake snow around the scene to sell the snowy winter scene.
• A gathering of winter animals and creatures playing in the snow. From penguins and polar bears to reindeer and foxes, these adorable winter beings are sure to turn some heads in your front garden!

When to Take Down Your Christmas Decorations

 When it comes to taking down your Christmas decorations, tradition suggests that you should take down your Christmas decorations on the Twelfth Night, 12 nights after Christmas Day. Although realistically, there’s nothing wrong with taking your Christmas decorations down whenever it’s convenient for you. After all, who says Christmas has to end on a particular day? If you’re enjoying the festive magic that it adds to your home, why not keep them up all year round? Okay, maybe not… but it is true to say that there’s no correct time for you to put up or take down decorations apart from when you’re ready.

Christmas Décor for Your Home: Personalised Gift Ideas

Decorating your home for Christmas is all about creativity and joy. Whether you’re exploring new Christmas decorating themes or perfecting your tree and lights, these ideas to decorate your home will help you make this holiday season extra special.

If you’re looking to make your Christmas decorations a bit more personal, look no further than our range of customisable Christmas home décor gifts. From photo upload snow globes to baubles with your face in them and even coasters, cushions, candles and more, browse an amazing range of festive home gifts, perfect as a present for a loved one or to decorate your home. Explore more Christmas gifts here.