How To Decorate For Holidays While Maintaining A Minimalist Aesthetic

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Holiday decorating is an art. Every year, families around the country take out dusty boxes of holiday decorations to hang around the house. This tradition is a fantastic way to extend the holiday season, and it's a fun way to transform your interior with unique pieces. But while we're used to seeing old school green and red decorations, there are other ways to incorporate holiday decor into your home, and some will surprise you with how minimalist they are. If you're tired of Christmas trees packed with colorful ornaments and fuzzy garlands, going for a more minimalist aesthetic is like a breath of fresh air.

To decorate for the holidays while maintaining a minimalist aesthetic, choose a monochromatic and neutral color palette, smaller decor pieces, and natural materials. For example, decorations that are made of wood, clay, paper, or fabric are your best friends. You can also rely on neutral colors, like white, beige, and brown, which don't create a lot of visual clutter. These rules work for stockings, tree ornaments, tealight candle holders, and even gift wrapping.

But first, you should declutter your holiday decor before it's time to decorate. Go through your boxes of holiday decor and toss out anything that's broken, but don't throw everything out just to buy brand-new pieces. With minimalism, reducing how much you buy and own is just as important as decluttering. Instead of tossing everything out, look at what you already own and try to identify pieces with a minimalist aesthetic. You can also choose one color, like gold, and only decorate with those pieces this year. Next year, you can switch to another monochromatic color scheme, like white.

If you don't already own a lot of holiday decorations but want to acquire some minimalist pieces, there are lots of options. For example, a Christmas tree is a great place to start. Hold off on fuzzy garlands and only use LED fairy lights to make the tree look like it's glowing from the inside. Instead of large tree ornaments, add color with some red berry stems tied into the tree's branches. Another option is to swap out large red velvet bows and colorful ornaments for smaller, more delicate alternatives.

And if you'd like to go even simpler, skip the Christmas tree altogether. You can replace them with a light source, like this LED Artificial Lamp from Pxbniuya that looks like a lit-up birch tree. You can also use a vase you already own and prop a couple of real or artificial pine tree stems in it.

If you're a true minimalist, consider DIYs and upcycling. For example, you can easily make beautiful stars with parchment paper (try Scandinavian-style stars DIYs), or reuse fabric to create holiday decor. There are lots of other Christmas decorations you can make with household items, and the best part is that you can often customize these DIYs to match your color palette. If a DIY calls for red and green paint, simply swap it to match the rest of your monochromatic decor. These homemade decorations are minimalist in spirit because they use stuff you already have at home, rather than making you buy new objects and accumulate clutter. They're also a great option for those working on a tight budget.