DIY Holiday Decor for Your Mantel
Elevate Your Favorite Holiday Decor on the Mantel
Elevate Your Favorite Holiday Decor on the Mantel
If you're lucky enough to have a fireplace mantle in your home, why not dress it up this holiday season? It makes the perfect space to elevate your favorite holiday decor while framing the many cozy fires you're sure to enjoy. Here are eight ideas for holiday mantel decor, including lights, ornaments, signs, and greenery. The best part? You probably already have everything you need to deck it out in Christmas cheer.
Lights and Boughs
One simple version of mantel decor that packs a visual punch comes from a simple combination of evergreen boughs, lights, and bulbs. For the evergreens you can use clippings from your Christmas tree or another source from outdoors. Overlap them in a row along the top of the mantel to create a thick bed. Next, weave white lights through the foliage. Finally, add some color with bulb ornaments placed throughout the display.
Candles
Every mantle becomes homier with candles, especially during the dark winter months. For a display that represents the holidays but can be kept out for months afterwards, use candles. Choose a variety of sizes for an enticing appeal. You can use a combination of jars and votive holders in different heights or you can create a uniform look with evenly spaced light across the mantle. Jazz up the look with some greenery or burlap to pull it all together.
Figurines
The mantle is the perfect spot to bring a scene to life. For example, if you collect Christmas village buildings, use them to deliver a unified theme to the mantle. Alternately, march your nutcracker collection into a row. Weave in some twinkling lights to your preference. Or set up your nativity scene as a focal point and surround it with taper candles or metal trees.
Metal
Metal decor offers warmth to a space by reflecting light. Use this to your advantage on your mantle. Cluster brass or silver trees, animals, bulbs, and candle holders together for an elegant display. Or grab a collection of copper items for a rustic effect. Top it off with an elegant ribbon snaked through the display.
Natural Elements
Every season offers the opportunity to bring a bit of the outdoors in, and although the prolific blooms of summer are gone, you can still create a natural display throughout the winter. Start with dried, fresh, or artificial flowers. Mix in some pinecones, walnuts, or driftwood. Add layers of height with candle holders, or vases filled with acorns or rocks.
Word Art
In recent years, word art has become an increasingly popular decor item. Plug in a light-up metal sign for an instant effect. For a theme that will last past the holidays, select cozy distressed wood letters. String or rope words are another option if you prefer a more country feel.
Stockings
Of course the most traditional mantle decor during the holidays comes from the stockings hanging by the chimney with care. Choose your favorite collection of stocking holders and line them up near the front edge of the mantle. Then fill in the space behind it with greenery and bulbs.
Ornaments
Nobody ever said that ornaments have to remain on the tree. Instead, choose several to display on the mantle, many of which are suitable for the entire winter. Grab some large jars or vases and fill them with colorful bulbs.
-
![Dawn Hammon]()
Dawn Hammon has thrived in freelance writing and editor roles for nearly a decade. She has lived, worked, and attended school in Oregon for many years. Dawn currently spends her days convincing her children she is still smarter than them while creating new experiences with her husband of 24 years.  Her multiple interests have led her to frequently undergo home improvement projects. She enjoys sharing the hard-earned knowledge that comes with it with the audience of DoItYourself.com. Dawn and her sister make up a power-tool loving duo that teaches classes to local women with the goal of empowering them to tackle their fears and become comfortable with power tools. Tapping into her enthusiasm for saving money and devotion to sustainable practices, Dawn has recently launched a passion project aimed at connecting eco-friendly products and socially-responsible companies with consumers interested in making conscientious purchases, better informing themselves about products on the market, and taking a stand in favor of helping to save the planet. When she is not providing stellar online content for local, national, and international businesses or trolling the internet for organic cotton clothing, you might find her backpacking nearby hills and valleys, traveling to remote parts of the globe, or expanding her vocabulary in a competitive game of Scrabble. Dawn holds a bachelor's degree in psychology, which these days she mostly uses to provide therapy for her kids and spouse. Most recently, I worked for a small local professional organizing and estate sale company for four years where I learned a ton about organizing and/or disposing of just about anything. She was raised in a tool-oriented, hands-on, DIY family. Her dad worked in the floor covering business and owned local floor covering businesses, so of course selling floor covering was one of her first jobs. Her brother was a contractor for about 30 years and site supervisor for Habitat for Humanity. I worked with him often, building decks, painting houses, framing in buildings, etc. With her sister, she holds power tool classes to empower women who are scared or have never used them. Not quite homesteaders, she did grow up with a farm, tractors, motorcycles, expansive gardens, hay fields, barns, and lots of repairs to do. Plus she and her family preserved foods, raised cattle and pigs, chopped and hauled firewood, and performed regular maintenance on two households, outbuildings, fencing, etc. As an adult, she has owned two houses. The first one she personally ripped out a galley kitchen and opened it up to the living area, plus updated every door, floor covering, and piece of trim in the place. In her current home, she's tackled everything from installing real hardwood flooring to revamping the landscape.
