Simple Christmas Decor: 10 Beautiful Ideas!

1. Tie Some Christmas Cheer Onto Your Chair Backs

Whether it’s our kitchen counter stools or the chairs around our dining table, I love adding simple Christmas decor to chair backs! You can use just about anything but to give you a few ideas, last year I added a few sprigs of {this faux eucalyptus} and some gold berries tied with a bow to the backs of our kitchen stools using a sheer white wired ribbon similar to {this ribbon}:

2. Swap Out a Plant For a Frosted Tabletop Tree

There are SO many darling tabletop trees out there and they’re the perfect simple Christmas decor to add to a room. Last year I swapped out the faux orange tree that I kept on the floating wood shelves in our bathroom for the cutest flocked tabletop tree – it was the perfect little touch of Christmas for this space:

Master Bathroom Sources – Shower: Pump bottles (16 oz white/gold)  |  Body brush  |  Sea sponge  |  Stool  |  Shelves:  Floating shelves  |  White woven basket (medium)  | Tabletop tree (similar)  |  Gray & white striped planter (holding poinsettia) | Christmas tree art print  |  White wood frame  |  Pair of decorative stacked boxes – no longer available  |  Glass canister (1 gallon size)  |  Bath bombs  |  Belly basket with tassel  |  Favorite bath towels  |  Large lidded basket for hamper  |  Woven pendant over tub

I think flocked tabletop trees are pretty enough to leave as-is but you can decorate them with ribbon and mini ornaments too.

3. Put Your Holiday Cards on Display

My favorite holiday “decorations” are the photo Christmas cards that I receive every year from family and friends. Instead of filing them away in a drawer, display them! One of the simplest ways to display them is to punch a hole in the corner of each card and place them on a metal ring with a bow and a tag of the year. You can place them on your coffee table or just about anywhere – the past few years I kept mine in my kitchen along with a planter filled with few of {these faux magnolia branches}, frosted pinecones, and {these faux white peonies}:

Another simple way to display holiday cards is with {these display bars} that come in different lengths and two different finishes. You can hang them on the wall either horizontally or vertically:

Photo source: Minted

4. Use an Outdoor Wreath Indoors

If you have an extra outdoor wreath, think about using it indoors as simple Christmas decor this year! Some of the indoor spots I’ve used wreaths are draped over tall cabinet doors, on the glass window above our kitchen sink (my exact magnolia wreath is no longer available but {this wreath} is very similar),

layered on the mirror in one of our bathrooms,

Sources: Gray vanity (similar)  |  Brass and pearl vanity knobs  |  Faucet + Cross handles  |  Chrome towel ring |  Chrome towel bar  | Chrome toilet paper holder

over our guest room bed,

Guest Room Sources: Upholstered Wingback Bed (fabric is Zuma White)  |  Quilt (similar)  | Pillows & duvet cover – no longer available  |  White Bedside Lamps (similar) |  Round Wood Beaded Tray  |  Folding camp stools

and on the inside of our door to the garage:

5. Sprinkle Ornaments Throughout the House

Christmas ornaments can be used in places other than just on your tree! They make beautiful simple Christmas decor displayed in a pretty bowl (I threw in a few jingle bells too!):

or just strategically sprinkled around your house in a pair or trio:

Sources: Woven seagrass tray  |  Cross base planter (similar)  |  Bathroom faucets

6. Tie a Bow on It

I absolutely love pretty Christmas ribbon and think that anything and everything is fair game for getting a bow slapped on it. One simple Christmas decor idea is to tie a bow around a plain pillow to turn it into a Christmas pillow:

Another place I often use ribbon during the holidays is on pendant lighting or dining room chandeliers. Last year I wove a thin green velvet ribbon around {this large pendant} in our bathroom:

and I tied a plaid ribbon at the top of {these gold pendants} above our kitchen island (just be sure your ribbon can’t touch your lightbulbs!):

7. Add Sweet Treats to Apothecary Jars

Decorating with apothecary jars is perfect for displaying seasonal items or more practical ones like bath salts near a tub. During the holidays, it’s fun to fill them with favorite treats such as marshmallows, peppermints, and gingerbread man cookies:

or whatever other treats are your holiday favorites (they look gorgeous filled with ribbon candy!). See more about decorating with apothecary jars {here} for more ideas on how to use them and where to buy them.

8. Fill Your Lanterns Full of Sparkle

Those of you who are long-time followers have definitely seen this simple Christmas decor idea a time or two before because I do it every Christmas – fill my outdoor lanterns with inexpensive sparkly ball ornaments. I love the look!

You could do the same thing with indoor lanterns, placing them next to your fireplace or staircase.

9. Add Color with Cranberries

When you’re entertaining over the holidays, a simple decorating idea to make everything more festive is to add color with cranberries! Cranberries added to a platter added color and holiday cheer to this Christmas party buffet:

And I’ve always thought of how pretty they’d be added to a vase in the same way that I added lemon slides to {these favorite hurricane vases}. I simply put a smaller cylinder vase inside of my large hurricane vase, added lemon slices in the space between the two vases,

10. Light it Up

Twinkle lights and candles will make any room feel magical once the sun goes down. I have and love {these remote controlled flameless candles} that can be put on a timer or turned on and off with the click of a button:

And {these battery operated twinkle lights} (I like the warm white color) are great too! I used both of them to add sparkle and light to the greenery swag on our fireplace last year:

Strands of the battery operated twinkle lights can also be added to wreaths or tabletop trees, placed around accessories on a shelf, or draped over your headboard for just a few of many ideas!