Top Tips: Holiday Decorating!

Check our festive forecast to unwrap the coolest trends for Christmas 2024

This year’s Christmas decor trends are as diverse as they come, drawing on everything from nature to retro glam. It’s time to invest in a pink Christmas tree (if you don’t already have one) and a couple of glitter balls. Other must-haves to refresh your festive decor include paper snowflakes, hessian ribbons, jewel-toned baubles and iridescent tree ornaments.

Now more than ever, you are free to lean into the unique with your Christmas decor – you don’t have to follow tradition. There’s a greater emphasis on personal preference: from taking on DIY projects to re-evaluating the colour wheel, everything is focused on what speaks specifically to you. Take a look.

COLOUR AND SPARKLE

While red and green might come to mind for Christmas, and blue and silver for Hanukkah, your holiday decor doesn’t have to stick to those traditional colour palettes. You can get creative with almost any Pantone in the book and, this year, we can expect to see a lot of white, cream and silver.

The sparkling white Christmas look has taken a backseat in recent years, but for 2024, it’s back and shining brighter than ever. Decorate your living room with delicate paper snowflakes and whimsical polar pals, and introduce ornaments in silver, blue and even lilac to enhance the wintry palette. Flocked or all-white trees are the perfect centrepiece for this serene snowscape: dripping with crystal and glass, they catch every glimmer of the (all-white) fairy lights.

Alternatively, you can light up your home by embracing brilliant jewel tones. Think oversized baubles in ruby and emerald or, better, sapphire and amethyst. There’s something special about these rich colours for a time of year that’s filled with so much spirit. When you colour outside the lines, you also give your guests something to talk about.

RETRO GLAM

If you’re a Barbie fan, you’ll be pleased to know many of us are celebrating Pinkmas again this year, turning everything from trees to candles Margot Robbie-pink. Pinkmas is about going all out (pack in as many pink decorations as possible), and be sure to add in a glitter ball to cement the glam, retro look. Glitter balls are everywhere this year: hang them on the tree, from the ceiling and even as wreaths.

Looking for more retro glitter and sparkle? Iridescent tree ornaments are making a splash this year, and tinsel is back. Metallics are also bang on trend: you can embrace classic gold for a timeless glow, or set a wintry scene with silver. Trees decked out from top to bottom in silver and gold are showstoppers, and you can even opt for shiny, sculptural metallic trees.

Candyland retro is also big for 2024, with gingerbread, cupcakes, candy canes and macarons – all that sugary “goodness” – heading into our homes once again. The Candyland theme may be a bit kitsch but it’s also extremely versatile. Traditionalists plump for candy-cane stripe, gingham and gingerbread. Pinkmas people bring out their all-pink afternoon tea sets laden with scones and strawberry jam. True fans use invisible string to hang oversized candy gumdrops, cupcakes and ice cream cones not just from the tree but from the ceiling. Treat yourself to a Nutcracker statue.

NATURAL TOUCHES

If retro doesn’t speak to you, you can look to the natural world for inspiration this Christmas. There’s a focus on simple decorations, using natural materials and florals, that feel festive without overwhelming the living space. Consider layering in natural accents like branches, berries and pinecones. Try incorporating oranges, apples and pomegranates: the colours of the fruit look well against the Christmas greenery adding a brightness that feels perfect for the holidays.

Likewise, the woodland theme never goes out of style. Earthy tones of brown, rust, terracotta and green create a rich backdrop for collections of forest creatures, both mythical and real. Reindeer, hedgehogs, owls, squirrels and foxes look festive whether hung from the tree, or nestled at its base. If you choose to add a few woodland elves, be sure to prepare some mushroom homes for them.

Eco-friendly materials echo the woodland theme with designs in felt, wood and cork particularly popular, alongside ornate painted glass. In fact, our effort to reduce Christmas plastic has brought a variety of natural materials to the fore. Think ornaments in papier-mâché, felt and straw; rattan tree collars and LED-lit baubles; hessian ribbon and bows; and wood-beaded garlands.

DIY NOSTALGIA

In line with eco considerations, the call for handmade Christmas decorations is par ticularly strong this year. There are a lot of DIY holiday displays on social media, with upcycling, home crafting and repurposing keeping costs and our environmental footprint low. Making your own garlands, ornaments and even candles brings so much joy to the holiday season, and allows you to spend time with loved ones. Plus, you’ll likely use these pieces for years to come.

The holidays have always been an excuse to bring back the memories and styles of yester year and now, more than ever, there’s a desire to embrace family heirlooms and unique vintage pieces. It’s all about nostalgia: making the holidays more personal by incorporating pieces that mean something to us, or have been handed down to us. Using well-loved or vintage-look ornaments, and mixing old with new, can create a soulful, layered effect.

Done well, the nostalgic trend sees the cosy, homespun charm of the past reimagined with modern elegance. It’s our childhood Christmas seen through rose-tinted spectacles; it’s the quintessential Christmas à la Nancy Meyers’ set creations in The Holiday. Cherr y-red and teal accents style up a serene backdrop of pale green, soft brown and white. Handcrafted ornaments, knitted stockings and rustic wreaths emphasise authenticity over per fection. Forget stuffy, frilly, or overly fluffed – this is lived-in comfort with a fresh, airy twist.

TROPICAL WONDERLAND

Last but not least, why does it have to be a winter wonderland? And who says Christmas trees have to be fir? You can expect a surge in alternative festive centrepieces this year, with people shedding the conventional tree and decorating exotic pot plants for the holidays.

The tropical festive trend is rooted in a rich green palette that moves from deep juniper right through to lime. You can go all-in green, or add a splash of contrast with pink, purple and gold. It’s about creating a vibrant look that feels like a holiday in paradise. But why stop there? Bring on the whimsy with butterflies, hummingbirds and lizards. Exotic animals, like flamingos and leopards, are making their festive debut this year, replacing the usual robins and polar bears.

And don’t forget the jewel-bright cocktails and fiesta flowers to go with. Follow this playful, upbeat trend to transform your home into a tropical Christmas wonderland – and prove that the holidays can be anything but traditional.