Festive Christmas Mantel Decoration Ideas

Can you believe it is the holidays?!  They sure do sneak up on us, don’t they?  One of my favorite things to do is get the house decorated with lots of lights and shimmery things.  This year, I wanted to go with more neutrals and natural elements.  I think it is great to switch things up from year to year and I am thankful I was able to work with the talented interior designer Claire Cannesson Kahn and photographer Beatta Bosworth to showcase our home this holiday season.

Use Flowers:

We were contacted by ProFlowers and asked to decorate our mantel with one of their gorgeous Christmas Flowers arrangements. I really like the silk magnolia flowers amidst the pine, cedar and white dot matricaria flowers A White Christmas Delight Centerpiece. I just love fresh flowers and recently have been making a real effort to make sure our home has at least one vase filled with some pretty fresh flowers.  I love this holiday arrangement and plan to keep the silk magnolia’s and use them in some my favorite vases.

Go Natural:

Claire filled a glass vase with pinecones, silver bells I had from last year, glass beads, and red berries for a rather unique display piece.  She then placed some twigs she found outside her home and we hung little ornaments on them.

I love this idea and she talked about how it gives height to the display.  I would have never thought of that but it really does look great.  Plus you probably have many of these items around your house already!

Pick a theme:

Do you love reindeer?  Or Christams tree’s?  Use what your love and collect.  I have been collecting these little Swedish wooden elves and Santa’s throughout the years and absolutely adore them.  They really are my favorite holiday decorations.  We used them to add some color to the mantel.

Use some greenery:

Claire also picked up some pretty pine branches around her neighborhood and placed them on the mantel.  I love the smell of pine and this really adds a lot.

Pick up some LED lights

I bought several cases of LED lights and even used them on our small (Charlie Brownish-type Christmas tree).  Since they use batteries you don’t have to worry about ugly cords.

Bring in more light:

I picked up these Danish candle holders years ago at an estate sale.  Use what you have but be sure to get some pretty candles.  They also add a lot to any style you choose this holiday season.

Other decorating ideas for your home.

Go with a live tree:

This year I wanted to get a smaller tree since we really just don’t have the room for a large one and opted to go for a live one.  Yes, it is potted and everything and quite heavy!  I placed him in a large basket I had and voila – our little Charlie Brown type Christmas Tree.  I really like that we can place it in our backyard and watch him grow year to year.

Rudolph with his nose so bright:

I found this cutie at our local Marshalls a couple years ago.  I wanted to go with a red and white theme this year so he fit in perfectly.  Again, go with what you like.  Do you collect Santa’s? Or snowmen?  Use what you have and display fewer of them for more of an effect.  I used about a quarter of my decorations from what I used last year and prefer this much more.

Naughty or Nice?

This fun burlap bag was also found at Home Goods and depending on our mood we can switch it around to say Nice or Naughty.  You could make this if you want.  In fact, we will have  tutorial soon on making your own burlap holiday bags.  It is super easy to make and is so much fun!

Wrap it up:

I wanted to keep things pretty simple so I went with plain brown and white paper and used holiday twine as the ribbon.  You can make or purchase some pretty tags and you are set!

Get comfy:

I used this basket from my daughters room and placed a pretty wool blanket and some burlap pillows I found at Home Goods.  I’ve seen this idea on Pinterest and absolutely love this idea.  Makes you want to get comfy by the fire doesn’t it?!

One of my favorite ideas that Claire had was to bring in these pretty stars.  We hung one on the mantel and one on our sliding door.  This is an inexpensive way to bring in some color and shine.

I sure hope you enjoyed our home tour and can use some of the ideas.  A big thank you to ProFlowers for sponsoring today’s post and to the talented Claire Cannesson Kahn of CC Interior Design and Beatta Bosworth of BMB Photography.

Are you getting excited for the holidays?