Simple Neutral Christmas Decor Ideas
Looking for simple neutral Christmas decor ideas? I’ve got you covered with these Christmas home decor ideas inspired by a slower pace of life.
You may or may not have noticed that I’ve not really been around recently. I’ve not blogged since July and haven’t posted on Instagram since August, and even before then it was only sporadic. In all honesty, I lost the love for it. It was so time consuming, I had no creativity and we’ve had a stressful few months during which time we lost Oscar, our beloved cat who we had since he was a tiny kitten. He was 17 when he passed away, and was a constant in our lives. My little work buddy, my constant companion. This and other stresses and strains worked together to strip me of my joy. Boo.
I’ve had small bursts of creativity, but am trying to go easy on myself and give myself a break. The constant demands of Instagram for new rooms decorated, new projects completed, new room makeovers can wait – I don’t need the pressure. I’m choosing a slower pace of life, a more simple life that leaves me more fulfilled and less inclined to be upset by strangers on the Internet not liking my flooring choices.
We’ve been getting out hiking more, exploring the beautiful Peak District. I’ve put together another blog full of Peak District walks, so head over to The Wandering Wildflower if you fancy checking out some of the places we’ve been.
One of the biggest stresses I’ve found in recent years is Christmas. If you have a child of school age, you’ll know what I mean. As soon as 1 December rolls round it’s a constant barrage of things to do, places to go, people to see, school disco, school Christmas fair, Christmas markets, ice skating with friends – not to mention Christmas Day itself. It seems to have fallen on us to host Christmas Dinner for our nearest and dearest EVERY year. Don’t get me wrong, I love them all and would happily host every so often. A lockdown Christmas however has shown us how beautiful a simple Christmas can be, just the 3 of us, with no pressures. This year we’ve said we’re having Christmas Day for just us, and we’ll see family on Boxing Day. We’ll no doubt upset people with this attitude but that’s fine. I can’t please everyone.
I’m taking the same approach with Christmas decor this year. I’m going for more simple Christmas decor with no over-the-top displays (although I don’t count a giant wreath above the kitchen woodburner as an over-the-top display!). Here are some ideas for simple neutral Christmas decor that you might like.
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Simple Christmas Fireplace Garland
Over the kitchen fire (which we never use) I’ve gone super minimal this year, with a Garden Trading Fairtrade felt pom pom garland. This is a simple but effective garland – sometimes less is more!
Over the fireplace in the living room I’ll be creating something similar to the mantlepiece garlands I’ve done before. I’ve still got the faux foliage I used in previous years so will use that, topped up with some eucalyptus cuttings from the garden.
Simple Minimal Tree Decor
Our tree has always been pretty minimal – I think the multi coloured monstrosities of my youth have put me off colour forever! It does however contain a variety of baubles we’ve collected over the years, and it brings me so much joy to sit and reminisce about the trips we’ve been on and places we found those decorations. That big star came from a trip to Gothenburg the Christmas before Holly was born. The polar bear came from a trip to Haworth, West Yorkshire, where we rode on steam trains and had hot chocolate. Happy days.
I much prefer neutral Christmas decor, and a white/off white colour scheme works well. I’m reusing the baubles we have used in previous years, with the exception of some new antique white paper baubles from Layered Lounge. These are thick paper concertina baubles which add just enough interest and will fit in with our mish mash of other baubles. We have simple warm white tree lights and a black star tree topper from House Doctor (which I may end up spraying white or off white as you can’t really see it all that well against the wall and the tree!).
Top tip! If you have baubles you hate, and wool in a colour you love, wrap the ugly baubles in wool and then glue in place to create lovely woolly balls for your tree (hehe!).
Plastic Free Christmas Wreath
Every year I love to make a wreath or two, and this year will be no exception. I will use the existing metal base rings (I’ve left them in the cellar all year). These will be covered with moss then cuttings from the garden and the lane. It’s easy to make your own wreath, and I have a plastic free Christmas wreath tutorial for you to follow if you want to try yourself.
It’s at this point every year I wish I grew some kind of pine trees in the garden so I could use them as cuttings!
Reuseable Cardboard Advent Village
A few years ago I bought a print your own advent village kit from HeadintClouds on Etsy. Becky has created a minimalist advent village kit which you print and create yourself. I think I’ve used these for the last 5 years or so, and although they’re starting to look a bit battered and bashed about from being stored in a damp cellar, I can just remake the houses that are suffering the most. Holly doesn’t care – she loves that you can fit more than one chocolate coin in! This year as well as a chocolate coin she’s getting the odd Lego minifigure as she’s an avid collector.
Christmas Stair Garland
Again, this is something I used to spend a lot of time over and the amount of people who post theirs on Instagram in November is unreal! I’ll be reusing a faux garland I used in previous years and adding in a few white star decorations. I’m going to publish this post and then come back and update it when I’ve had chance to do the garland, so stay tuned!
Christmas Window Decoration
The inspiration for this has come from Foxglove and Ivy on Instagram. Her whole feed is so inspiring! Simply using a chalk pen (which will wash off!) you can create a beautiful Christmas village scene.
Paper Bag Stars
Paper bag stars are easy to make and are a perfect Christmas craft to make with kids. They look really effective grouped en masse and I made some to go in place of my usual giant dried flower wreath over the kitchen fireplace. If you want to check out how to make paper bag stars, I have a paper bag stars tutorial.
I hope you enjoyed this post about simple neutral Christmas decor. Don’t forget to follow on Instagram (I may yet start posting on there again!) or Pinterest.
