15 Decorations Perfect For Thanksgiving That You Can Leave Up Until Christmas

No matter what the calendar says, it feels like winter's upon us once daylight savings time ends. Even if it's still tee-shirt weather outside, the early nightfall makes us crave coziness and light, preferably from a flickering fire. Leering orange jack-o'-lanterns aside, lots of fall decorations ease us into a long, comfy period of being indoors. Many festive accessories bridge the seasonal change between Thanksgiving and Christmas; all they need are a few swaps and tweaks (if any) as the weeks go by.

Nature-inspired elements, muted harvest colors, and as much added light and texture we can muster all work wonders for both late fall and Christmas feels. And many of these ideas are so comforting that they're worth keeping out until the crocuses appear. Think cuddle-worthy textiles, organic materials, neutral yet cozy tones, and varied lighting. Don't forget metallics and sparkling finishes that reflect the light for additional warmth.

Many people's attitudes toward pre-December Christmas adornment is that "it's never too early for a psychopath." As extreme as that sentiment is, the truth is that late-fall-into-winter decor choices are up to you. However, whatever accents you set out should invite you to spend time in that space, and with the extra stress we always experience around the holidays, it does a world of good for our well-being to have a decorative "base" already in place. With that, we can swap out seasonal colors and holiday-specific pieces without spending a whole day making the home festive.

Glowing brass or bright, brilliant silvers pick up light and create a merry feel. Display a pleasant mixture of metals to herald in the holiday season while maintaining that fall warmth. Clusters of pieces made from a variety of finishes are a given, but metallic fabrics and paint colors have a place in the holiday tableau, too. There's no need to be matchy-matchy, either. An eclectic grouping of varying tones will draw the eye in, and their metallic luster fits in perfectly with the festivities.

You can maximize hygge this winter with candles that fill rooms with both light and scent. This popular Danish phenomenon of making the most of the snuggly cold season relies on firelight and candleflames to enhance the home's coziness through fall and winter. If you are forgetful or share a home with children or pets, stick with flameless LED candles. Scented candles have become a holiday must-have, especially for those of us with artificial trees. Piney aromas evoke a freshly cut Christmas tree, but the spicy pong of cinnamon helps segue from pumpkin spice season into Christmas.

Festoons and buntings can make any room on any day look party-ready. A sustainable garland made of natural materials like dried fruit cuttings, pinecones, and cinnamon sticks brings to mind the colors and cuisine of Thanksgiving but looks just as handsome strung on a Christmas tree or intertwined with LED fairy lights. As a bonus, you could set aside extra fruit slices and cinnamon sticks for a holiday simmer pot. You can also hack your candle warmer to make a simmer pot without the stove! 

It's a little boring and adult-y to aim for practicality when it comes to Christmas trees. But setting up a tree early takes a bit of time pressure off of you once the Santa countdown is winding down. Deck your faux fir out with neutral ornaments and maybe a few accents in fall colors that are easy to change out after Thanksgiving. Keep in mind that an artificial tree is your best option if you're planning on keeping it up for an extended amount of time.

You may recognize the curiously bubbled and iridescent mercury glass finish of old-fashioned Christmas tree ornaments, but that's not all this mercury-free material is used for. Composed of layers of glass sandwiching a lining of silver, this stuff makes lovely candleholders, vases, and other vessels. Even Dollar Tree sells Mercury Glass Candleholders in green, red, and gold for only $1.25 each. Like the candles themselves, these transitional seasonal elements seamlessly fit with changing decor around them.

The months that end with "-ber" are infamous for rains that lash against windows and the first swirls of snow for the year. Reaching for a plushy blanket and propping your back against ample throw pillows makes staying in not just enjoyable but luxurious, whether on a brisk fall day or a cold winter morning. And don't forget rugs, wall hangings, and table linens. Touchable fabrics like faux fur, knits, velvet, and flannel can entice you to get snug and warm long after you've packed the ornaments away, too.

Strings of tiny white lights blinking like stars are practically a requirement for Christmastime, but they add charm to a room or outdoor area in any season. A few sets of white LED lights tucked in among seasonal foliage, coiled inside a lantern, or lining your windows might look so good that you decide to let them brighten your rooms year-round. Color-changing options like VTECHOLOGY Color-Changing Christmas Tree Lights can even switch from a warm neutral white fit for fall to a more colorful Christmas array with the press of a button.

A live flame enclosed in a glass, ceramic, or metal lantern does make it ever so slightly safer, but let's look beyond a lantern's conventional use. Aside from acting as illuminating decor to complement fall and winter seasonal themes, clear-sided lanterns can stand in for terrariums or display cases. Equip one with real or LED candles, pile a collection of gold ball ornaments within an oversized one, or pop a tiny Thanksgiving or Christmas cactus inside another.

Heart motifs have a well-deserved place in design, offering more versatility than you might realize. Take it from the Scandinavians, who embrace the heart aesthetic for the holidays. Once you see how homey and pleasant a braided or woven Danish or Norwegian heart looks among the winter holiday fixings, this sometimes saccharine symbol loses its excessive sweetness. Plus, these shapes are one of the rare bits of fall and Christmas decor you can reuse in stylish Valentine's Day pieces.

Sift through your boxes of decorations for bits and pieces in season-less colors like cream, tan, chocolate, black, white, and, of course, silver and gold. Let these items be a base for your scheme. Nestle in fall colors for the time leading up to the family feast, and swap some of them out for traditional red and green when the Christmas season arrives.

Resembling mini conifer trees, pinecones have become a winter holiday staple and a perfect symbol for fall and winter alike. Arrange them in a rustic bowl or craft them into garlands on twine to "spruce" up your surroundings. Pinecones are practical for other reasons, too. Perfume your rooms with scented pinecones, and use them as fire starters once the season has passed. You can also hold onto them and use an essential oil hack to refresh your scented pinecones when they have lost their aromatic appeal!

Now that wreaths have moved far beyond the realm of simple Christmas decorations, you can find (or make) one for any season or theme. Wreaths made from pine give off serious Yuletide vibes but look perfectly Thanksgiving-appropriate with a few autumnal touches. Grapevine wreaths, with their makeup of loose coils, work well as a canvas for adorning in any season. Trim one with muted-colored ribbons, leaves, and dried grasses as a nod toward the end of autumn. Then, to herald in Christmas, switch out the late fall elements for red berries, brighter bows, and a bit of sparkle.

Another blank slate for design, a homey clay or wooden bowl is a practical platform for showing off gourds, apples, or even to hold Thanksgiving rolls on feast day. Wipe the crumbs away, and stock the bowl with glass ball ornaments, pinecones, or wintery fruits like pears or pomegranates. With the cornucopia of Christmas sweets to enjoy every December, leave some bowls on hand to keep the treats readily available.

Christmas has its ubiquitous reindeer themes, but deer can be an equally November-y symbol. It's deer-hunting season in many areas, and placing antlers — either real or manufactured — or sculptural deer around your rooms meshes well with the late fall theme. Earn extra points for displaying deer in mixed metals or clustering a few antlers in an oversized bowl.

Bedecking your home with swags and vases full of cedar, fir, pine, or spruce in November is a teaser for December; that's when conifers really come into their own. Let snippets of real pine perfume your spaces, or avoid the messy crumbling of dried needles by opting for tidier artificial cuttings. Kept in a vase filled with water, a bundle of real conifer sprigs stays fresh for a surprisingly long time, holding onto the needles for several weeks.