The Minimalist Holiday Decorating Guide

When I was about 13, I went to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve with my parents and nine-year-old sister, as we did every Christmas Eve. This particular year, after the service was over, a couple of my parents’ friends invited us to their apartment for some hot apple cider. These friends happened to be on the wealthier side, and the wife was big on collecting expensive decorative items – and even though I already knew this before we stepped into their apartment, I was absolutely not prepared for what we saw.

Every effing surface in the space was literally covered in every kind of Santa Claus figurine you could imagine – there had to have been like fifty of them – and any space not taken up by a Santa was occupied by all kinds of Christmas themed chotchkes. The amount of crystals, glass, and other sparkly stuff was enough to blind someone; and after about 20 seconds of observing all of this, my little sister turned to me and said, completely deadpan, “It’s like Father Christmas threw up in here.”

I like the holidays just as much as anyone, but decorating has never been that high on my list of favorite activities during the season. Some of that might just be my personality, but it’s possible that that Christmas Eve at my parents’ friends’ place had a serious impact on me as well. In the last couple of years, having our toddler has given me a reason to make our home a little more festive, but I’m still very much in the camp of less is more. And during this holiday season in particular, we’re doing as much as we can to save some money, repurpose what we have, and not go overboard if it’s not necessary.

Here are some of the things I’m doing to usher in the holiday season at home in a more understated way, by making small changes that don’t overwhelm our space.

Pick a couple of colors for your holiday décor and stick to them.

Keeping your color palette tight helps to make a space feel more intentional and tied together. I usually choose one neutral and one accent—think ivory and gold, or forest green and natural wood—so everything feels cohesive no matter where I place it. It also prevents that overwhelmed, “too much going on” vibe. Limiting your colors also makes it easier to repurpose items you already own, rather than buying new ones just to match a theme.

Use decorative items that you can use year-round, and not just for the holidays.

This is one of my favorite ways to keep things simple and budget-friendly. Instead of purchasing décor that only works for a few weeks, I’ve invested in a few things that can transition through seasons: ceramic bowls, wooden trays, and a few clear vases that can be easily repurposed for decoration. I’ll add small nods to the holidays, like filling one of my everyday bowls that usually holds fruit with some pinecones instead, or replacing my bouquet of dried flowers on our bar cart with some dried eucalyptus – and then just change out those items once January comes around. Working with core items that tend to stay put year-round can be a nice way to incorporate holiday touches into your own aesthetic, instead of making a ton of changes just for a few weeks.

Layer lighting instead of adding more stuff.
Lighting plays a big role in how I make things cozy during the holidays. Similar to the note about about sticking to a couple of colors, I’m a big fan of warm white lights around this time of year – so that’s what we use, not only for our Christmas tree, but also for the battery-operated tea lights I like to stick on our windowsills during the season to create a soft glow around the house. It’s a simple way to shift the mood without filling your space with bigger stuff you’ll have to pack away later.

Create small focal points instead of decorating every corner.
Instead of spreading décor throughout the house, I like to choose one or two spots to style intentionally; for us, that’s the mantle in our living room and the console in our dining room. I have a couple of artificial garlands with lights that I bought a couple of years ago, and I’ll place a few tea lights in between them as well. Keeping the focus contained can help keep your space from feeling cluttered, while still giving you a few areas that feel special and celebratory.