8 Christmas Decorations You'll Want to Keep Year-Round
Think beyond stockings and tinsel with these festive ideas that look stylish long after you've packed away the tree
While it’s easy to go over-the-top when it comes to Christmas, adding a dose of holiday cheer with decor that doesn’t feature Santa motifs can save you time and money – not to mention offer some fun do-it-yourself projects. Try these tips to make your home merry all year round.
Display your baubles in a cloche, creating a vignette on a mantlepiece or hall stand. Sticking with neutral hues such as white, silver and gold will make them more versatile and easier to incorporate into your home’s exisiting colour scheme.
2. A special centrepiece
Christmas seems to bring out the host in all of us, and that includes impressing guests with a beautifully set table. Make creating an eye-catching centrepiece part of every dinner party using flora, shells and found objects – and don’t forget to garnish your napkin rings with a sprig of something green.
Setting the scene for an Australian Christmas
Christmas seems to bring out the host in all of us, and that includes impressing guests with a beautifully set table. Make creating an eye-catching centrepiece part of every dinner party using flora, shells and found objects – and don’t forget to garnish your napkin rings with a sprig of something green.
Setting the scene for an Australian Christmas
Instead of saving candles for special occasions, use them year-round and make every meal a celebration. Lay a few fresh branches strategically down the length of the table to add a touch of greenery, they’ll also provide a lovely fragrance.
3. Twinkling lights
There’s something about a sparkling string of lights that makes a home feel cosy and welcoming. Keep the Christmas magic alive and leave your lights up all year – they will add a fun holiday feel to your interior and create an intimate atmosphere at night.
There’s something about a sparkling string of lights that makes a home feel cosy and welcoming. Keep the Christmas magic alive and leave your lights up all year – they will add a fun holiday feel to your interior and create an intimate atmosphere at night.
Fairy lights and twigs are a match made in heaven and an easy DIY for both Christmas and home decorating. Star motifs are reminiscent of singing carols, while a hanging branch draped in twinkling lights will look enchanting on any occasion.
Decorating for free with beachcomber finds
Decorating for free with beachcomber finds
4. Colourful bunting
Often associated with fairs and festivals, bunting is a less obtrusive yet equally cheerful alternative to tinsel. Make your own mini flags in hues extending beyond red and green so they’ll stand the test of time, or stick with white for clean, Scandi-inspired holiday style.
Often associated with fairs and festivals, bunting is a less obtrusive yet equally cheerful alternative to tinsel. Make your own mini flags in hues extending beyond red and green so they’ll stand the test of time, or stick with white for clean, Scandi-inspired holiday style.
Outdoor bunting makes every alfresco meal feel like a picnic – string them up for your Christmas lunch and enjoy their whimsical touch through the rest of summer.
5. A festive wreath
While wreaths are synonymous with the holiday season, there’s no reason you can’t hang one post-Christmas. They’re not just for the front door – try hanging one above your dining room table, adding Christmas-inspired ribbons and baubles that can be removed easily.
While wreaths are synonymous with the holiday season, there’s no reason you can’t hang one post-Christmas. They’re not just for the front door – try hanging one above your dining room table, adding Christmas-inspired ribbons and baubles that can be removed easily.
While artificial flowers have longevity, nothing beats fresh flora to create a stunning wreath. Make the most of the pleasant fragrance of eucalyptus and lavender, or try magnolia branches which last for several weeks and dry beautifully.
6. A mini rosemary tree
Perfect for smaller homes, rosemary can make a great alternative to a traditional Christmas tree – all you need is a pretty pot and some pint-sized decorations. Trim your plant down to suit your space and enjoy the lovely fresh scent it will diffuse.
Perfect for smaller homes, rosemary can make a great alternative to a traditional Christmas tree – all you need is a pretty pot and some pint-sized decorations. Trim your plant down to suit your space and enjoy the lovely fresh scent it will diffuse.
This woody perennial herb makes a great staple in the kitchen; keep yours well drained in a sunny spot. The cuttings will be equally tasty in a Christmas lamb roast or sprinkled over a summer focaccia.
7. Personalised letters
Whether your letters are timber, plastic or metal, typography is a fun and affordable way to add positive messaging to your home. Words like ‘joy’, ‘love’, ‘peace’ and ‘happiness’ work well not only at Christmas time but all year round.
Whether your letters are timber, plastic or metal, typography is a fun and affordable way to add positive messaging to your home. Words like ‘joy’, ‘love’, ‘peace’ and ‘happiness’ work well not only at Christmas time but all year round.
Get crafty and make your own customised set – these chip board letters have been glued to skewers, covered with gold craft paint and placed in salt-filled glass jars.
See more Scandi-style living rooms
See more Scandi-style living rooms
8. Prettified pine cones
Pine cones are a great natural resource when it comes to decorating, and in most places are easy to obtain. Evocative of of a northern-hemisphere Christmas, they conjure images of drinking hot chocolate by the fire and are a cute and cosy touch in any home.
Pine cones are a great natural resource when it comes to decorating, and in most places are easy to obtain. Evocative of of a northern-hemisphere Christmas, they conjure images of drinking hot chocolate by the fire and are a cute and cosy touch in any home.
Pine cones crafts are endless – use them to make a wreath, string them up with twine or pile into a jar or cloche. For an extra touch, embellish with gold glitter or use glue and Epsom salts for a snowy effect.
TELL US
What festive decorations do you think would work well as year-round decor? Share your ideas in the Comments below.
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TELL US
What festive decorations do you think would work well as year-round decor? Share your ideas in the Comments below.
MORE
Read more Christmas stories
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Those eye-catching trinkets are too pretty to pack away – why not use them to add a sparkly touch to your decor? Take them off the tree and hang them from bedheads, curtain rods, door handles or on a branch.