Neutral Christmas Decor Ideas

With all the craziness of the holiday season, I wanted our home to have a festive – but calm – feel this year (or as calm as it can be with two little boys hopped up on candy canes and the Christmas spirit). So for our Christmas decor, I chose neutral tones (creams, whites, and tans), natural fabrics (burlap and linen), lots of greenery, white poinsettias, and touches of gold.

I hope you enjoy this tour of our neutral holiday home!

After many years of hanging stockings from a console table at our old house, I was excited to finally have a real mantel in this home. One of the first purchases I made last year was these linen and burlap stockings from Etsy.  (Unfortunately, they are no longer available, but these are similar.)

My best holiday decor score this year was the long leaf pine garland with pinecones. It was a major deal from JoAnn’s at only $6 per strand, so I bought a bunch to use on our mantel, stairwell, and front door. I like how it has a delicate airy feel, and it drapes well.

I attached the garland to the railing with these pine pipe cleaners. Then, I tied a long piece of burlap ribbon around the pipe cleaner to hide it. Finally, I attached another bow made of a 2 1/2″ wide cream linen wired ribbon with frayed gold trim. (I got mine from Hobby Lobby, but this ribbon is similar). I recommend using wired ribbon to tie the bows, because it helps them keep their shape.

I liked this ribbon so much that I also used it to decorate our Christmas tree. We strayed from the norm this year and got an artificial tree. I wasn’t so sure about it at first, but once we set it up, I fell in love! We have 9 foot ceilings, so we got an 8 1/2 foot tree (which is an unusual size – most artificial trees are 7 1/2 or 9 feet). It fits the space well and has beautiful full stems. We love it!

A simple burlap tree skirt covers the base. Before putting on the ornaments, I used a method of draping and tucking in the pieces of ribbon to create a cascading look. The DIY Mommy’s tutorial was really helpful!

We decorate our tree with an assortment of family ornaments collected and created over the years. My kids have their favorite ornaments that they like to hang every year. And I still have my favorite childhood ornament – Strawberry Shortcake – that I put on the tree. I have a feeling that this bacon slice ornament that the boys gave my husband for his birthday will be his favorite new ornament…

Our tree may be artificial, but I used branches clipped from real pine trees throughout the house as decor. They not only smell and look great, but the best part is – they’re free! If you go to any place that sells real Christmas trees, they usually have a bin of the branches they trim off the trees that are free for the taking. I like to place the clippings in bud vases or mason jars in different parts of the house. It’s an easy way to add a touch of winter or holiday cheer to a room.

This little countdown sign was a very simple DIY – I had the chalkboard and bought the stick on letters. Every day, the boys alternate who gets to change the number.

I also used pine trimmings to make a centerpiece for our breakfast nook table. I arranged them in a wooden dough bowl with some pine cones that we found in the yard.

I incorporated pine clippings into my Christmas tablescape as well, and I’ll be sharing that with you soon. For now, I hope you’ve enjoyed this tour of our neutral holiday home!

For more Christmas decor ideas, check out my Christmas Decor Pinterest board:

Teddy wishes you a Merry Christmas, too!