Christmas with a twist – alternative festive decorations

Decorating your home is an essential part of Christmas and helps get everyone in a festive mood. When it comes to Christmas decorating we often go up to the loft, bring down the tired old faux tree and boxes of decorations that we’ve had for years. What if you did Christmas a little differently this year and instead of the same old traditional vibes, put a bit of a twist on how you decorate your home. 

Barking up the right tree

If moving completely away from a tree in your home feels a little too much, why not think about an alternative style tree. You could bring in a touch of hygge with a Scandi-style wall-mounted wooden tree. Add some delicate white lights and greenery for a simple yet effective take on a Christmas tree. Another simple silhouette is a metallic tree with rungs and pegs you can hang baubles and decorations from. If you’d like to stick to a woodland vibe why not forage for some sturdy branches to create a table top display, hanging smaller baubles and decorations. Alternatively opt for a hanging arrangement by suspending a sturdy branch from the ceiling and adding micro lights and baubles.

Garlands of affection

Evergreen garlands have been adorning homes at Christmas for centuries, thanks to their rich colour and fresh aroma. Begin with a base of fresh branches, such as pine, cedar or spruce for a traditional look, or eucalyptus and magnolia leaves for a modern twist.  You could add different florals, berries, ribbons and bows, or hang baubles or other decorations for added texture and colour. It doesn’t just have to be your stairs that get the festive touch; any surface like shelving or console tables can be made vibrant and festive with a garland and candles or fairy lights. 

A marvellous mantelpiece

A mantelpiece is the natural focal point of a room and it could serve as the heart of your home’s seasonal décor. Play with height and scale using vases and candlesticks, adding greenery and foliage to achieve a more sculptural effect. Think about colour coordinating and sticking to a theme, be it a more traditional red and white scheme, bold and colourful accents or a more contemporary and clean white display. 

Gorgeous greenery 

Whether it’s a lush, green wreath or a fresh table centrepiece, incorporating foliage into your Christmas decor is affordable, sustainable and fills your home with natural beauty. 

For a sustainable approach try potted evergreens which look lovely whether left unadorned or decorated.  Dot them around your home for a lovely pine scent that will last longer than a cut tree or make your dining table stand out with foliage centrepieces, using decorative pots or rustic containers.  Complete the look with candles, pinecones and seasonal berries. You could also bring some festive cheer to each room by hanging a fragrant posy of foraged foliage or dried flowers around your door handles. Adorn with some ribbon off-cuts and add small baubles or decorations to add a little sparkle. 

Front doors decorated with wreaths are a welcome sight over the festive period but why reserve the pleasure for passers-by. You could go large and create an indoor feature of an outsized wreath, placing it where you might ordinarily have a mirror or painting, or arrange two or three in a cluster, fixing greenery, berries and micro lights to a wire frame. 

Festive vignettes

If space is at a premium think about smaller nods to the season, simply creating festive vignettes around your home. Get a little creative with small, inexpensive objects, creating whimsical scenes with miniature trees and ornaments in the more forgotten corners of your space. Or, go bigger, and consider paper decorations, which create easy, festive displays with no need for drills or DIY skills and sit beautifully in both contemporary and traditional festive décor. Create a tableaux anywhere in your home, from mantels and walls to windows, and bear in mind more is more with these decorations, so arrange them in generous groups, mixing colours and sizes for a really festive, impactful arrangement. 

The tradition of decorating a tree at Christmas is centuries’ old, however if you’d like to spend less time worrying about needles shedding and more time enjoying a festive tipple and a mince pie, there are many alternative and unique ways to elevate your festive interior.