Creative ideas for winter & Christmas decorations
The days are getting shorter, temperatures are dropping and instead of T-shirts we are pulling out thick jumpers from the back of the wardrobe – winter is here. Some people don’t like the darker season, but winter is also a time to get cosy: With Christmas just around the corner, you can get cosy at home and get cracking with your winter and Christmas decorations. We share the best ideas for festive decorations, craft tips and the latest trends so you can have fun decorating.
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What is the difference between winter and Christmas decorations?
It’s sparkly, it’s bright, it’s colourful and it’s striking – these are the attributes most people associate with Christmas decorations. Some like to make a big splash and put a giant reindeer in the front garden with colourful twinkle lights, while others like to keep it classic with red and gold tones and fairy lights that create an atmospheric glow. Whichever type of decoration you prefer, the question always arises after Christmas: Christmas decorations are back in the boxes, but what comes next? We got to the bottom of this question by looking at the difference between Christmas and winter decorations.
Christmas decoration
Traditionally, people don’t start decorating for Christmas until Sunday of the Dead. This is a week before the 1st of Advent. So most people will use the days before the 1st of Advent to get the Christmas decorations out of the boxes and decorate the rooms for Christmas. This date varies slightly from year to year, but usually the Advent season begins in late November or early December. The 4 weeks leading up to Christmas are a special time of the year, with special decorations to make you feel at home and look forward to Christmas.
You know best when you have had enough of Christmas decorations, but most people put them back in their boxes on 6 January, Epiphany. In Catholic families, or those who really love Christmas, the decorations stay up until 2 February, Candlemas. But by the beginning of February at the latest, even for the most die-hard Christmas fan, the time for festive decorations is over.
You can find out what Christmas decorations include and ideas for homemade Christmas decorations further down in this article.
Winter decoration
With all the magic of Christmas, we often forget that there are also beautiful winter decorations that you can use to decorate your home in the weeks after Christmas. Unlike Christmas decorations, which are often opulent and ostentatious, winter decorations use natural materials and colours: Fir branches, wooden or metal candlesticks, pine cones, berries or even moss. If you want to let your creativity run free, winter decorations are a great way to do this, as you can find many materials in nature, there are no limits to your ideas and you can bring the scent of the winter wonderland into your home.
Ideas for the perfect decoration
What do you decorate with?
Stars, baubles, snowmen, fir trees, angels or something more unusual with pictures or sculptures – the ideas for Christmas and winter decorations are endless and often the same decorative object can be used for both.
For example, paintings with winter motifs or paintings in festive gold and beige tones create the ideal mood on the wall to round off the rest of the decoration. At KunstLoft you will find a variety of hand-painted acrylic paintings and artworks with winter motifs or in atmospheric colours:
Other ideas for the table or window include a mix of natural materials, fairy lights and more or less kitschy sculptures. For example, combine a branch with a pine cone and red berries, wrap a string of lights around the arrangement and place a deer sculpture or an angel in the middle. You will have a perfect mix of styles that will harmonise well and smell great too.
Are there trends in Christmas decorations?
Your gut reaction is probably to say no. After all, every year you dig out your Christmas decorations and enjoy them all over again. Angels, deer, snowmen and fir trees are classics that never go out of style. Likewise, fairy lights have always been a part of winter Christmas decorations.
But beware! While Christmas decorations do not follow trends in terms of motifs and “content”, it is the details that differ from year to year and follow certain trends. For example, the choice of colours or the effect of the decorations. One year, green and white may be the dominant colours, but the following year, Christmas decorations may be in rich shades of red. Or, while one year’s decorations may be opulent and ostentatious, the next year’s may be ‘less is more’.
Just check out the latest trends in November and decide whether you want to follow them or create your own style. Following the trend does not mean that you have to buy new decorations every year. You can redesign your existing figurines, fairy lights and the like to bring them back into style.
Upcycling: From old to new
The throwaway society is largely a thing of the past as people have discovered upcycling. Instead of constantly buying something new, people are letting their creativity run wild and creating something surprising. Especially when it comes to craft ideas for Christmas decorations, many everyday items are perfect for transforming into homemade decorations or for sprucing up old Christmas decorations.
Christmas decorations from old light bulbs
Spray old light bulbs with paint in your favourite colour, decorate them with stars, glitter, etc. and attach a yarn or metal hanging with hot glue. In no time at all, you have a unique Christmas decoration made with love.
Toilet paper stars
It’s child’s play to make wonderful stars out of toilet paper rolls for window decorations. First, give the roll a new shine with a coat of paint. Then press the roll in so that there are points on 2 sides and cut it into strips of the same size. Use a little glue to join the individual strips together to create an artistic star.
Candles from tin cans
It is very easy to turn old tins into homemade candles that you can decorate and use over and over again. All you need is a design for the outside, a wick and leftover wax. Just follow the instructions and enjoy your personalised candles.
Let your old decorations shine in a whole new light.
It’s so simple and yet so many people don’t think about it. Is green no longer the trend colour this Christmas? Then simply repaint your favourite ornaments. The colours are often inexpensive and you don’t have to say goodbye to your favourites. In fact, a little colourful decorating may be all you need to embrace the new trend without losing your old favourites. For example, you can add glitter to the tops of a Christmas tree sculpture or change the colour of the angel’s wings. You can also do a lot with fabric. If you have leftover fabric, use it to dress up the baby Jesus or make a new hat for the snowman.
Natural decoration
At any time of year, nature offers the most beautiful decorations, as this brings the scent and the associated feeling into your own home. Just when the Christmas tree has dried out, do you long for the scent of fresh fir branches? Why not use them for your winter decorations?
- Other natural decorative elements that are perfect for creating your own decorations include:
- all kinds of twigs
- moss
- pine cones
- red berries
- nuts
- dried orange slices
- cinnamon sticks
- wood
- straw
All these natural materials can be used to create a unique and sustainable winter decoration.
DIY: Make your own winter decorations
As well as the upcycling and natural decorating ideas already mentioned, there’s no need to feel guilty about treating yourself to something new.
However, it is usually nicer to make your own winter decorations or create a homemade work of art from individual pieces than to buy ready-made solutions. And the great thing is that all homemade Christmas and winter decorations make great gifts, so you can share your joy with others. Get inspired by our DIY Christmas and winter decoration ideas.
Poinsettia made of branches
Take a walk in the woods and collect a few branches of roughly the same length and thickness. If you like, you can add a little colour to the branches to make them more festive, but this decoration looks just as good in its natural shade.
Lay the branches together to form a star. Tie the ends and joints together with yarn to keep the star in shape and voilà – your handmade Christmas star is finished.
Winter landscape in a glass
Find a large enough jar, a string of lights and the decoration of your choice and you are ready to go.
A widespread winter decoration idea is to fill the glass with artificial snow, create a winter landscape with the help of small figures in the form of snowmen, angels or trees and, last but not least, drape the fairy lights artistically so that it looks as if a twinkling starry sky lies over the scenery. Try it out, you will be amazed at how easy it is.
Garlands from waste cardboard
Instead of throwing away old cardboard, use it to make your own personalised garland. All you need is
- scissors
- pencil
- yarn
- needle
Use the pencil to sketch the shapes you want to see on your garland: Stars, crescent moon, snowman, fir tree – let your imagination run wild. You can also do whatever you like with the cardboard. Either leave it natural or paint it. Then cut out the shapes, attach them to the yarn with a needle and you have created your very own winter decoration.
Eucalyptus Wall Hanging
As a flower arrangement in a vase or as a wreath on the wall, eucalyptus is a real all-rounder when it comes to homemade winter decorations. To give it a wintery look, spray individual leaves with silver or gold paint for a more sophisticated effect. A string of lights or red berries for a splash of colour will also make your eucalyptus wreath look more festive.
Extraordinary Winter Decoration from KunstLoft
In winter, many of us feel the need to curl up at home, relax and watch the winter wonderland from the warmth of the sofa. We have given you lots of ideas for winter and Christmas decorations to make yourself beautiful. But we also know that some people have two left hands, so crafting is no fun. If you are one of them, browse through KunstLoft’s curated selection of winter motifs and find the perfect winter decoration for you – made with love by outstanding artists.
Picture credits: @KunstLoft; cottonbro studio 3171033; cottonbro studio 6072423; Bru-nO; Jamie Lee 1636730