23 Ideas to Decorate with Winter Decorations (Not Christmas)
Before you pack away all the twinkly lights and cozy blankets, Let me share how to decorate with winter decorations that are not Christmas. It’s the perfect time of the year to get some cozy vibes going.
Ditch the Santas and snowmen and embrace winter’s natural beauty with faux greens, pine cones, sparkling lights, and earthy elements.
Get ready to turn your home into a haven of wintery bliss without a single jingle bell. So grab your hot cocoa, pull up a warm blanket, and dive into the magic of Christmas-free winter decorating.
How Do You Transition From Christmas to Winter Decor?
Ready to cozy up to winter without saying goodbye to holiday twinkles and textures?
It’s easier than you think! You don’t need to pack away everything just yet.
Instead, let’s transform your existing decor into a haven of wintery bliss with just a few simple ideas.
Embrace the season’s natural beauty with these 23 easy tips. You’ll be surprised how a sprinkle of frosty whites, twinkling lights, and earthy elements can make your home cozy and inviting during the cold winter months.
23 Ideas to Decorate with Winter Decorations (Not Christmas)
1. Put Away The Red
It’s time to pack away the red berries and festive Christmas decorations. Transition to a more neutral color scheme, embracing winter whites and natural tones for a warm and cozy home. Store the holiday decor thoughtfully to make room for a fresh and serene atmosphere, ushering in the simplicity of the post-holiday season.
On my blog WM Design House, I may sometimes use affiliate links, which means a small commission is earned if you purchase via the link. The price will be the same whether you use the affiliate link or go directly to the vendor’s website using a non-affiliate link.
2. De-Clutter The House
Streamlining your home decor after Christmas is a rewarding process. Begin by carefully packing away holiday-specific items, such as ornaments and festive decorations. Assess each room, keeping only the decor that aligns with your desired aesthetic and serves a purpose. Consider rotating decor items to maintain a fresh look.
3. Use A Neutral Color Palette
Using a neutral color palette for winter decorations (not Christmas) involves embracing soft and muted tones like whites, creams, grays, greens, and warm wood tones. This approach exudes a calm, serene atmosphere, transitioning from vibrant holiday colors to more understated elegance. The neutral winter decor not only brings a sense of simplicity but also allows for a timeless and versatile aesthetic that seamlessly blends with the serene ambiance of the post-holiday season
4. Use Winter White
Unfurl a serene winter wonderland at home! Embrace white walls, layer textures, weave frosted branches, shimmer with silver accents, and whisper a touch of winter white into every corner. Let simplicity reign, creating a cozy haven where you can bask in the snowy magic.
5. Leave The Evergreen Branches Out
Winter decorating with evergreen branches adds natural elegance to your home. Create a cozy ambiance by arranging lush branches with pinecones and twinkling lights on mantles or tabletops. Fresh evergreen wreaths hung on doors or walls infuse your space with a rustic charm and the invigorating scent of the outdoors. Whether in vases, garlands, or wreaths, evergreen branches bring a timeless and festive touch to your winter decor, symbolizing the enduring beauty of nature in the frosty season.
6. Use Evergreen Trees
Incorporating bare trees into your winter decor infuses timeless elegance and natural charm. These simple yet classic trees serve as versatile accents; whether placed in rustic pots, adorned with twinkle lights, or left in unadorned beauty, they will make your home feel fresh and alive.
7. Add Dried Orange Slices And Spices
Adorn your front door with a wreath featuring dried orange slices, or grace your kitchen with the charm of jars filled with anise stars, pinecones, and dried oranges. These are great ways to decorate for winter (not Christmas).
8. Fill Dough Bowls With Natural Elements
Elevate your dining table with a charming centerpiece using pine cones, birch branches, and winter greens in a dough bowl. This rustic arrangement blends earthy textures and hues, creating a visually stunning display that captures the beauty of a winter woodland. Embrace the natural artistry for a warm and inviting dining experience.
9. Use Lots Of Pine Cones
Elevate your winter decor with pinecones by filling bowls and baskets or integrating them into floral arrangements. For added charm, place pinecones on top of a stack of books, bringing a touch of rustic elegance and natural warmth to your home.
10. Add Birch Logs
Infusing a winter touch into your home is effortlessly achieved by arranging birch logs in a basket on the fireplace mantel. Alternatively, incorporate them into a floral arrangement or stack a few logs in a dough bowl for a simple yet effective winter decorating idea.
11. Make Moss Cone Trees
I adore moss cone trees and incorporate them throughout the year, either leaving them plain or adding decorations for versatility. Their simplicity captivates me, seamlessly bringing a natural touch into the house.
12. Create A Winter Fireplace Mantel
Begin your winter mantel’s transformation with a simple green garland and curly willow branches. Enhance it by incorporating pinecones, twinkling lights, and soft velvet ribbon for a cozy and festive atmosphere during the winter months.
13. Update Your Indoor Planters
Elevate the winter atmosphere in your living areas by incorporating authentic plants into a stylish planter basket. Create a lush foundation by lining the basket with moss and filling it with nutrient-rich planting soil. Enhance the aesthetic by adding birch logs, lotus pods, and a selection of vibrant living plants.
14. Add Soft Blankets
As winter settles in, introducing soft throw blankets to your home becomes a delightful way to enhance comfort and warmth. Drape these cozy blankets over sofas, chairs, or beds to create inviting, cozy winter decor. Opt for luxurious textures like faux fur or knits, and choose neutral colors that complement your decor, adding style and a touch of snug sophistication to your winter home decor. Whether you’re curling up with a good book or enjoying a movie night, these soft throw blankets are practical for staying warm and serve as stylish accents that elevate the cozy ambiance of your winter retreat.
15. Lots of Throw Pillows
I love throw pillows, and I believe the more, the merrier. Mixing patterns and textures is a simple way to refresh your decor. Alternatively, you can opt for a cohesive look by using pillows of the same color but with different textures. Whether you prefer a lively combination or a more harmonious arrangement, throw pillows offer a versatile and budget-friendly way to update your family room or living room.
16. Vintage Books
Enhance the texture and appeal of your home vignettes by incorporating old books. Their beauty and affordability make them a fantastic choice, easily found at your local thrift store. Whether stacked on a coffee table, opened on the dining room table, or standing upright, these books can become a captivating focal point in your winter decor.
17. Display A Simple Collection of White Decor
Displaying my collection of white ironstone is a cherished post-Christmas ritual. The crisp and clean aesthetic of these pieces satisfies my desire for simplicity after the festive burst of holiday colors. Arranging them in curated spaces around my home, the white ironstone exudes timeless elegance, creating a serene and sophisticated ambiance that perfectly complements my winter decorations (not Christmas).
18. Decorate with Vintage Clocks and Clock Faces
Embrace the symbolism of a “Happy New Year” and fresh beginnings by decorating with small vintage clocks, clock faces, and keys. Acquiring these unique pieces from estate sales, vintage shops, or yard sales for just a few dollars allows for a budget-friendly and charming addition to your decor. Scatter these timepieces on your table to create a delightful visual story, sparking conversations and infusing a sense of nostalgia into your space.
19. Use Small Chests of Drawers on Tabletops
Enhance winter tabletop decor with small chests of drawers. Open the drawers to reveal charming greenery displays, vintage clocks, and bottles. This creative arrangement adds depth and interest, turning the tabletop into a focal point of seasonal charm.
20. Create Winter Floral Arrangements For The Coffee Table
Elevate the charm of your home effortlessly with a couple of winter floral arrangements. Craft a stunning statement on your coffee table by combining winter greenery, dried hydrangeas, pinecones, and faux green amaranthus.
21. Add Candles
Create a warm and cozy ambiance in your home with the essential glow of candles, not to mention their delightful scent. Place them on your dining table, coffee table, or a small side table to add warmth to any space.
22. Use Glass Cloches to Display Your Decor
Gathering my collection of glass cloches on the dining room table creates a stunning display. Beneath the glass, I arranged small white ironstone pieces, clock faces, a postage scale, and keys. The versatility of these cloches offers endless options to craft a captivating winter look.
23. Add White Birds or Ducks
Embrace a classic look in your winter decorations that are not Christmas by adding white geese. Throughout the year, I use these beloved geese, signaling the arrival of spring. Their textures and simplicity make them the easiest way to bring a touch of nature into your home.
Wrapping It Up
I know that was a lot to take in, so take a deep breath.
Show kindness to yourself during the undecorating process after Christmas, I know it is not always fun.
Take your time, savor the moments, and before you realize it, we will be back in the garden growing flowers.
Spring will be here before you know it! Check out these posts to get ready!
More about me!
Hello, I’m Wendy – a dedicated “So Cal Gal” with a deep passion for decorating, gardening, cooking, and crafting in California. I find joy in harmonizing beautiful elements to create a space that is both comfortable and inspiring. I will help you create a beautiful home and garden, one project at a time.
Connect with Wendy
Dried Orange Ornaments: 13 Creative DIY Ideas
“Discover creativity with our guide ’13 DIY Ideas: How to Make Dried Orange Ornaments using dehydrated orange slices and whole fruit.
Creative Christmas Pajama Party Ideas for Your Grandkids
One of my favorite Holiday traditions is our pajama parties with our grandchildren. We all wear matching pajama sets, decorate sugar cookies with mountains of frosting and sprinkles, make Christmas decorations, and then snuggle up to watch movies and read stories. When bedtime comes around, we have a “campout” on the family room floor, lit only by…
How to Make Gold Leaf Ornaments
I have wanted to make these gold leaf ornaments for some time now, but time was getting away from me, so today was the day! Get ready to have some fun with this month’s Handcrafted Society challenge! Our theme is all about glitter and gold, and we’re bringing you creative DIY projects that will add…
While I have put a Valentine wreathe on my front door, Christmas is still in full bloom at my house. Yes, I know it’s time, but I got a new slim tree this year and have enjoyed it immensely! I dread the cleaning I will need to do afterwards! My winter white consists of milk glass; I think I may get some out. Winter in Maine is TOO long, and the drab of dead grass, gray skies, and dirty snow is NOT in my color pallette! I have some lovely “frosted” apple blossoms that I might rush the season with!
That is wonderful, Kathy. There is certainly no rush, that is for sure. I, too, always dread
Take Christmas down and clean up the mess, so enjoy that tree as long as possible.
Heck, you can always throw a few hearts on the tree. I can’t imagine the long winters you must
have in Maine. If I had that kind of weather, I would most likely put bright
colors up after the holidays. I tend to forget I live in CA, without snow.
I love all your suggestions. Last year was the first time I decorated for winter after Christmas. I got so many compliments from friends when they saw my wintry decor! I’d just never thought of it. I usually went from Christmas to valentines keeping some red out. I absolutely love the frosty winter decorating. Most of what I have put into my winder decor can transition right into spring and even summer with a few tweaks… I leave out all the silver and most of the white all year long. I just exchange the pine boughs and pine cones for ferns and orchids! Thank you for the beautiful inspiration! I’m off to put my dough bowl out full of (copying your) wintry baubles! Happy New Year!
Hi Marcella, Happy New Year. I am so glad to hear that you love to decorate for winter, too. It really does create a cozy home. I love your idea of leaving the
silver and white out and just replacing the greenery; so smart. Happy dough bowl decorating.
So many great tips, Wendy. Thank you for sharing all of your ideas. It will be winter here in the Midwest for several months yet, so these ideas are perfect for helping our home feel cozy!
Yes, I believe you have a few more months of winter white. Embrace it and enjoy its beauty from the inside 🙂
Amazing ideas, Wendy!! I too love to decorate with ironstone as well as milk glass during Winter. It’s not always fun to take down the holiday decor but it always feels so fresh and clean, like a blank slate and your tips here help to achieve that. Pinned! Hope you are well!
Thank you, Rachel. I am so glad you enjoyed the post so much.
Thanks so much for all the great ideas. It will be fun putting some of these together for my home decor. Have a great week.
Lynne
Thank you Lynne! Happy decorating.