Traditional Christmas decorations: 10 stylish examples to copy this year
While there's a place in our hearts for practically any style of Christmas decorating – from loud and kitsch to minimalist and pared-back – you can't go far wrong with some really lovely traditional Christmas decorations. This year we've seen the ‘Ralph Lauren aesthetic’ explode on TikTok, so it seems the people are with us on this one. There have been many beautiful examples on our pages to copy, whether it's a classic Christmas tree, draped with ribbons and a lifetime's collection of baubles, or an elegant table centrepiece filled with candles and foliage. Before we get to those, we've gathered a few of our favourite traditional Christmas decorations you can buy – perfect for recreating the looks below.
Martin Morrell1/10Garlands of fresh seasonal greenery decorate the chimneypiece in Jeremy Langmead and Simon Rayner's 17th-century farmhouse, where a carved oak spice cupboard dated 1715 is set into the thick stone wall. The greenery is abundant, with pops of red from seasonal berries.
Michael Sinclair2/10At Christmas, Studio Indigo founder Mike Fisher thinks nothing of entertaining 50 people at Ven, his eighteenth-century country house in Somerset. The grand entrance hall has a suitably huge tree, and the gallery is decorated with swags of foliage - an idea that can easily be applied to bannisters as well.
Paul Massey3/10‘You don’t want things too precious at Christmas,’ says the floral designer Paul Hawkins, surveying the decorations he has created for his own charming mews house in Chelsea, ‘but then neither do you want it to look like…’ he considers for a moment, ‘a tart’s boudoir’. In this spirit, a traditional garland of fir, pine cones and dried oranges decorates the bannister.
Dean Hearne4/10At Neidpath Castle in Scotland, owner Lulu Benson gets the entire estate ready for Christmas with an abundance of foliage used for floral arrangements, garlands on the fireplaces and table decorations.
Simon Upton5/10The Christmas tree in this 18th-century country house has a strong tartan theme to it – classic, nostalgic, and traditional.
Paul Massey6/10'If there is a time of the year when a profusion of candles is justified, it is Christmas', says the designer Carlos Garcia . ‘I place real candles on the Christmas tree.Contrary to popular habit, I always place the star at the top first and build down, placing smaller decoration items on the upper branches and gradually increasing the size of the decorations on my way down, this gives the tree structure. Every year I buy a couple of good quality decorations to add to the tree, gradually building a small collection. Fortnum and Mason is my destination of choice, if you are in London.’
Owen Gale7/10Bountiful reds are always a good choice for a Christmas table as they create a feeling of real warmth, as shown here at Amanda Brooks' Cotswold farmhouse. They needn't all be same shade as multiple tones will offer depth, resulting in a layered look. Opt for plain placemats with patterned plates that change throughout the meal's courses for a moveable feast for the eyes and stomach.
Owen Gale8/10Also at Amanda Brooks' Cotswold farmhouse, the mantelpiece is traditionally decorated with evergreen branches, shiny red baubles, and patchwork stockings.
Helen Cathcart9/10At designer Flora Soames' family home in Norfolk, the tree is a feast for the eyes, draped in metallic ribbons from a vintage fabric dealer and twinkling with lights, though “coloured lights and flashing lights are a bit of a no no.” The baubles are a combination of nostalgic wooden illustrated cutouts by Elizabeth Harbour, sparklier, kitsch ornaments, and other elements which remind Flora of various aspects of her life.
Helen Cathcart10/10“The kitchen table is rather thrown together last minute," says Flora Soames of Christmas at her family house, "and it's an accumulation of things that have caught my eye on my travels and been brought home. There's that hint of Christmas, that hint of colour, but it's slotting in around all these lovely old things that are reappearing year after year, such as a set of napkins I bought from a dealer years ago, all dyed in jewel colours and tied together with a wonderful, gaudy metallic ribbon. More is more on the table for me, gives it that real sense of the feast that you're going to have. I like candles at different heights, flowers at different heights, and plenty of fruit on the table – it's an abundant, easy, inexpensive way to decorate.”
