Blog Post — Home For The Year

Having a small living space can mean many different things. Perhaps you have very few pieces of furniture yet no room to display a full sized tree.

Or maybe you have a mantle available, but no storage space for garlands and wreaths and the twelve glittery Santa figurines your favorite relative generously “handed-down” to you.

Whatever your unique situation, there are still easy and inexpensive Christmas decorating ideas to choose from! Check out the tips below for 10 easy ways to decorate a small space for Christmas, and start looking at your lovable smöl space in a new way.

Note: This article contains affiliate links, which mean I may make a small commission off any items bought through these links.

Tabletop Treasures
Our first rental home barely had room for the couch, let alone a full-sized Christmas tree.
With renting, we also didn’t want to buy a full sized artificial tree until we were sure we could use it for multiple years in the same size space.
If that’s your case, don’t let it stop you from going all out with decor! Table top trees can look just as lovely as their more robust cousins. It’s a matter of style over size, and holiday love over everything else.
— Use large ornaments on a smaller tree. Just a few go a long way towards covering your tree, saving money and storage space.

*Tabletop tree with ribbon and oversize ornaments. Most came from Target about 5 years ago, so probably are no longer available. Others are hand-made gifts.*

— Large ornaments also pack more of a visual punch, tricking the eye into thinking the tree is larger. And most importantly, big baubles add a “wow” factor to your Yule decor. Giant fuzzy reindeer? Yes please!

2. Patterned Pillow Covers

*Plaid covers in different textures and patterns add coziness all winter long*

Use pillow forms in standard sizes, with covers, instead of buying all new decorative pillows for each season.

Covers cost less than buying a whole new pillow, and are so much easier to store!

So don’t feel guilty dropping dough on that Etsy pink sequined Rudolf cover you’ve been secretly stalking- it will only take up inches of space when folded.

The covers pictured can be found on Amazon (see links below).

Make sure you check the quantity while browsing- some links are for 2 pillowcases, some are for 1! The red cover is soft, almost like flannel, and the white plaid has a rougher texture. They both made it through last year unscathed!

3. Holiday Ribbon

*Plaid ribbon can tie together different colors from other decorative items in your home*

While ribbon is not always cheap, it can be used to totally liven up your Christmas decor game. Seriously, you could throw that festive goodness everywhere and still not overdo it. And trust me, I’ve tried.

— Wrap it around mason jars and hurricane vases, or use as pictured to fill the bottom of a vase to hide all the pick stems/boost them up.

— Use ribbon on the tree as a garland to fill up areas lacking ornaments.

— If you’re feeling crafty, sew some along the edge of a plain tree skirt.

This ribbon was one of the best Christmas purchases I made last year — it’s soft and festive without having any glitter, so it’s good times all around.

4. Festive Fruit, Dried and Otherwise

I’m all about the festive fruit this time of year. Can’t get enough. Call it the Charles Dickens fan in me, but traditional chocolate-dipped-oranges, cranberries, and clementines have me doffing my top-hat to the Spirit of Christmas Fructose.

If you already leave a fruit bowl out, change up the colors for the season. Red and green apples are perfect. Or, try pears and oranges, both of which have historical meaning for the bounty of the Christmas season. Dried oranges really make a statement too!

Festive Apple Bowl

*Decorate with a strand or two of cranberry garland for an inexpensive finishing touch.*

Decorative Orange Strands

*Oranges, clementines, and other in-season fruit also make great decoration. Dry some orange slices and string together for a traditional feel!*

5. Window Wreaths

Have an open-plan home design that boasts windows galore but not a single gosh darn door to hang a wreath? Hang some small ones at the windows instead.

6. Bring Out the Linens

Dish towels and tablecloths are easy to switch out for patterned focal points. If you’re feeling thrifty and want to reuse throughout the year, solid red and green ones can be brought out at other times too.

If you want to bring holiday spirit to your bathroom, you could try adding festive hand towels and scented soap for the season. Linens, unlike most other decor, can be washed and kept sanitary while still being fun.

7. Safety First

Candles are great, but only when used safely. No one wants to spend a cozy evening by the yuletide fire stressing about the cat catching its tail aflame as it tries to push all your decor efforts crashing to the floor.

If you don’t have somewhere to safely put a lighted Advent wreath, check out these flameless Advent candles I got from Amazon. They fit nicely inside the wreath I got about 5 years ago.

(While the wreath is from Amazon and has held up nicely through the years, I won’t link it because the holders have a bit too much space — any candles I’ve bought have gone slightly wonky in it, hence the need for flameless.)

The flameless candles themselves are nice. The “flickering candle” setting isn’t super realistic, but if you keep your expectations in check it’s nice. Couldn’t see a visible difference between “bright” and “energy saving”. One candle wanted to stay on even when the bottom was loosened, so I just removed the batteries until it was needed. The 4-hour timer worked fine for me and the size matches other regular candles (see photo). I recommend.

8. Card Origami

Did you receive a ton of cards last year? Ones that you’ve saved because they’re just too pretty to throw away? If you don’t want to store them anymore, turn them into card boxes with a Pinterest how-to.

Mosey on over to my Pinterest page under “Winter” for an easy tutorial by (non-affiliated) Darkroom & Dearly on how to make these beautiful little babies! My Mom used to make these with us as kids, and this is the best online tutorial I’ve found for how to craft them.

*Upcycling and decorating at the same time!*

Throw a finished handful into a decorative bowl for a kaleidoscope of Christmas colors on your counter.

If you have kids, have them make the boxes with you and use them for giving small gifts. When my Mom did this with us as children, it taught me the importance of upcycling as well as finding new ways to enjoy the beautiful things that are given to us.

9. Puzzle It Out

If you have space for a small folding table, use it for a holiday puzzle that can be left out when completed.

Not only will this add a festive scene to your living space, it will give your brain something to focus on in between Hallmark Channel Christmas movie marathons. (I’m a total sucker for the ones with backgrounds of snowy mountains!)

*Indoor activities keep you cozy and warm from the winter elements.*

10. Seasonal Senses

Remember that we enjoy the season with all of our senses. Holiday tunes; the scent of warm cookies; cozy, fuzzy, fluff-leaving socks: these things go a long way to giving your petite home the feeling of Christmas. So settle in, get cozy, and think big for your small space.

There you have it! 10 easy ways to decorate a small space for Christmas. I hope some of these tips are useful, or at least have gotten your creativity flowing. Happy holidays!