Choosing A Decor Theme For Christmas

Do you choose a theme for your Christmas decor?

Does it change from year to year or is it always the same?

I like to mix things up, but in the end, I always come back to the classics.

For Christmas 2022, I wrote a post where I explained how growing up, there was no theme for decor. I didn't even know what that meant.

All I knew was that the boxes came out of storage, our beloved ornaments went on the trees, the red stockings with our glittered names were hung on the fireplace and the Santas were peppered around the house.

In very predictable spots.

Not much changed in our house from year to year.

Was there really more to it than that?

Apparently, there was.

And I learned all about it when I entered this world of decor online.

Over the years, I've changed things up a bit, added a new crafty Christmas home decor accessory.

A new tree. Or two.

But honestly, no matter what I called it, some decorations always make an appearance, year after, holiday year.

However, I thought I'd share some of my Christmas home decor and crafts, this July, in case you're looking to shake it up this December and want to get a jump on your decorating plans now.

You know, since the garland will be showing up in stores next week.

So without any further ado, let's start rockin' around that Christmas tree.

The Many Themes Of Christmas

Each year, my house morphed a little during the holiday season. Whether it was prompted by a new HomeGoods purchase or something I'd seen online.

Some years I embraced more red, other years I went for a more muted view.

However, every year was filled with Christmas decor that touched my heart in some way and made me glad to be home for the holidays.

Red, Red and More Red

Now be nice. The first year I shared my Exquisitely Unremarkable Christmas decor tour was back in 2013.

That was 10 years ago folks. Ten.

It was before professional caliber photos were the name of the game. It was also before I had any true Christmas style...except rolling out the red.

I decorated with what I loved and with what me {and my little ones} smile.

And isn't that what Christmas is supposed to be about? 

A Simple, Rustic Christmas

The next year I caught on and I raised my decorating game by diving into simple, rustic Christmas decor.


What did that mean, exactly? Well, in basic terms it meant leaving a lot of my colorful trinkets in storage.

I only put out muted decor. I decorated with newspaper and buffalo checks.

It was all very fitting for a living room with beams on the ceiling. And truly one of my favorites.

Even if the kids hated every bland minute of it.

(Which by the way, didn't stop me from repeating this theme in 2015.)

A Cottage Style Christmas

In 2016 I decided to fully embrace the bones of my 1920's charmer. I called it my cottage style Christmas theme.


Of course, living in this vintage beach bungalow, every year is truly a cottage style Christmas, but it had a nice ring to it.

It was basically a more elegant version of my rustic Christmas from the two years before, thanks to some freebies and my new adoration for "less is more" decorating.

It certainly made the holiday set up easier and left me with more time to sit and enjoy the view.

Fabulous.

Real Life Christmas Decorating

Ok, so I bet you're thinking what is she talking about...all decorating is real life Christmas decorating.

Well, yes and no. Sure, it happens in real life. But. 
 
Is what you see online in photos really functional for everyday living?

That was the question I found myself asking, while trying to decorate and take pictures for a Christmas themed blog hop.

In the end, I cleared away the clutter and the tripping hazards and only put out what looked good and functioned well.

It may not have been staged like a wonderland, but the house was still lovely. 

And better yet, completely liveable.

Timeless Christmas Decor

Christmas trends come and go. There's no denying that.


When I was growing up, fake trees were a no no...of course, that's all we ever had since my mom liked the easy route.

However, today they're all the rage. They come with lights and flocking. You can put them up early and take them down late. I love that.

But give it a few years and, I guarantee, they'll be on the decorating don't list once again.

Of course, there are some Christmas decorations that never go out of style, like white lights, simple brown paper wrapping and Santa Claus. 

Timeless holiday accents and very fitting for a vintage home, and how I decorated in 2018. 

Christmas Sparkle

Ah, Christmas 2019. It was one where I needed a little Christmas now...and a little Christmas sparkle.


It had been a dreary fall and winter, I was missing my mom desperately, so I decided to lighten the season up a bit...with lights. 

Literally, a lot of lights. The whole house was illuminated. Candles and tiny lights that shimmered and twinkled. 

They were all the rage.

And it was lovely. So much so, that from that Christmas on, sparkle was a staple.

Creating A White Christmas

In 2020, I decided that I'd had enough red Christmases and I was going to focus on white Christmas decor instead.


With tons of snow outside, I thought it might be a nice time to bring a little of that brightness inside for the holidays.

I used white roses, white painted signs and I replaced all the red checked curtains in my living room with long, ivory velvet panels.

I even gave my colorful Christmas village a monotone makeover.

It was all very charming.

And quite dramatic against a few pops of red. 

After all, as I said in that post, you can't ask a girl to go completely without. 😉

A Sentimental Christmas Tour

Christmas has always been a very sentimental time, bittersweet, filled with memories of happy moments and longing for those who are missed.

And in 2021 I leaned into it and pulled out only what spoke to me.

Treasures that decorated my childhood home. My mom's Snowbaby collection. A paper dolls book from my childhood, an exact replica, of what I had and played with each Christmas when I was little.

That's what I displayed. I didn't fuss with fresh balsam garland - I couldn't anyway, it makes me sneeze - but you get the idea.

This Christmas was all about the reason for the season and not about how my home would look in photos.

And honestly, that's how it should always be.

No Theme For Christmas

Last year was a throwback. All the way back to my childhood, when there was not theme for Christmas.


My family had reached the end of their rope and decided that they were taking over. My days of directing the holiday decorating was over.

The singing Elmo was pulled out of storage and peacefully cohabitated with my thrift store Santa Claus sitting in a ceramic bathtub of shiny red ornaments.

My newly renovated hallway was turned into a Christmas forest from the unlikely combination of box store garland, vintage milk glass and Dollar Tree trinkets.

It looked absolutely fantastic.

I have to say, that themeless theme is worth repeating.

Plus, with the kids in charge, I get to focus on relaxing in front of the tree instead of unpacking boxes. 

And that's the best Christmas theme of all. 

Even in July.

Do you have a theme for Christmas?

😉

Happy Decorating, Friends!