He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.
—Roy L. Smith
I love this quote because I think it is so true. Christmas, to me, is more about what I can do for other people and bring light into their day instead of what I’m going to get when I wake up that one morning.
Still, just because I’m not a big gift person, doesn’t mean I don’t like to decorate when Christmas time rolls around.
As many of you know, my family and I recently moved to a new homestead. With this move, came more land but much less house. This is what we wanted, so I’m grateful.
Even so, when you decorate a smaller house, do you realize what a challenge this can be?
Well, thankfully, I’m a planner and tackling my ideas prior to pull all of the decorations out. Otherwise, we could have a mess on our hands.
So if you live in a smaller space (like an apartment, tiny house, or just a smaller home) then you might be interested to hear what plans I’ve researched and come up with my own home. Maybe you could use a few of these ideas too.
Decorating a Small Home for Christmas
Here are my Christmas decorating plans for my smaller home:
1. Go Big Outside
I don’t mind telling you, our old home on our smaller homestead was about 1800-square-feet. When we moved to our 10-acre homestead, our home is barely pushing 1400-square-feet and that includes our basement.
The upstairs where we do most of our daily living is only about 800-square-feet. The basement is where the laundry room and 2 bedrooms are so not a whole lot goes on down there.
However, I still want to decorate the best I can even with limited living space. Keep in mind it all still has to function as well.
Which leads me to decorate outside. If you love to decorate and have the land, then go big…outside. I’m planning on putting pretty garland wreaths on my windows with red bows on them.
Then I want to put garland on our outdoor light with a red bow as well. You can’t forget the floodlights that will bring all eyes to the front of your home. I love the way that looks no matter what size home you have.
Next, I’ll put a pretty wreath on the front door, some garland around our back deck with red bows on it as well, and decorate our mailbox too with garland and red bows. I’m big on garland and bows, have you noticed?
However, if you have a gazebo out in your yard, that would be a beautiful place to put a pretty, lit outdoor tree. We used to have a bridge in our yard at a previous home. I would drape garland on the bridge with red bows at the peaks and add lights.
Then we’d put an outdoor tree on the bridge that had lights as well. I’d finish, by pointing one of the floodlights on the bridge as well. It was really pretty.
Add flair to the outside of your home with lights, garland, trees, bows, and whatever else makes your home feel welcoming, happy, and festive at Christmas time. You want to smile when you pull in your driveway, or at least, I know that is my goal when I decorate for Christmas.
2. Don’t Forget Outdoor Buildings
I’m so excited to decorate outbuildings this year, it isn’t even funny. This may sound silly to some, but I’ve waited for years to have the chicken coop I do now. We began with our free chicken coop.
However, when we moved my husband built me a chicken coop that looks like a log cabin. I love it because it even has a little front porch on it.
What does this mean?
Well, it means that my coop will be decorated for Christmas. I’ll do something as simple as put a wreath on the front door and add a Christmas themed garden flag, but it will still ooze Christmas cheer every time I go collect the eggs.
3. The Windows Are the Eyes of Your Home
When I had a larger home, I never really paid much attention to decorating my windows for Christmas. At times, I’d put bunches of garland with a red ribbon on it at the window.
However, I was never one to put candles in my windows or to put lights around them.
Now that I’m in a smaller home, I have to make every decoration count.
That is why this year, I’m going to change out my curtains in my kitchen for Christmas. You can do something as simple as put up red gingham curtains in a window and it suddenly pops Christmas cheer every time you look at it.
Who knew that something so simple and so inexpensive could add Christmas décor to your home without taking up any added space?
So consider changing out at least one window in your home for the holidays. It is inexpensive and a great space saver while adding style to your home for the holidays.
4. You Downsized the House So the Tree Must Follow
I was not prepared to decorate a smaller home. I’m just being honest. When we moved into our home, we had to get rid of so much stuff.
Then we purchased a few new pieces of furniture because some of our stuff was just worn out. I struggled with knowing which pieces would fit best and still look good simultaneously.
Truthfully, I’m still not sure I made the best choices, but they are made now so I’m rolling with what I’ve got.
When I began writing articles for the blog about Christmas décor and Christmas trees, I felt a sudden sense of panic sweep over me. I thought, “Oh no! My 9-feet tree is not going to fit in this house!”
Then I had visions of the scene from National Lampoons Christmas Vacation dance through my head where Chevy Chase lets loose the branches of this huge tree they brought home. The branches fall outward and with them, bust out windows and ruin furniture.
Guys, this could really be my future in my home with my 9-feet and a quite round artificial tree.
So what is a girl to do?
Well, I have no choice but to give that big beautiful tree to someone else who needs one. Then I need to realize that downsizing my home, also means downsizing my tree.
That’s okay because do you know they make some gorgeous smaller trees? I could go with a 4-feet tree and have plenty of extra space, or I could go with a skinny 6-feet tree and still have a nice looking Christmas tree.
However, let’s not forget the crafty people out there that create a Christmas tree to put on their wall. If you aren’t that crafty but have a free corner, you could also go the route of a corner tree. There are so many options.
So no matter how small your space, there is a tree that will fit.
5. Centerpieces Can Do Wonders
There was a time that I had all kinds of Christmas knick-knacks sitting around. In a smaller home, you just don’t have the room to have both the clutter and the functionality that you need. At least I don’t in my home.
This means you have to choose what knick-knacks you want to keep around and choose a proper location for them.
For me, this equates to using centerpieces. I have a kitchen table that can hold a gorgeous centerpiece or knick-knack.
Then I have the same scenario for my coffee table and maybe a few other pieces of furniture can hold a Christmas charm.
However, other than that, I don’t have much room. Choose which pieces you really love and want to display and figure out how to turn them into a centerpiece. It requires some creativity, but you’ll find a way to display the pieces that mean the most to you.
6. Become the Doormat
I remember when decorating a larger home how expensive it could get. When I decorated our new home for fall I was pleasantly surprised at how little it cost. I was also surprised at how much charm a doormat could add to a small home.
I know you are probably thinking, “A doormat? Really? Is she telling me to invest in a doormat?” Yes, actually, I am.
I always keep sturdy doormats on the outside of our home because I don’t like dirt being tracked inside.
However, I also keep festive doormats on the inside of the home now because they add a nice bit of charm to the place without costing a lot or taking up any unnecessary space.
Whether you choose to purchase a festive Christmas doormat or make your own, I think you’ll be glad that you did when you see how much charm something so simple can add when decorating a small home for Christmas.
7. Add Some Light to the Sleeping Quarters
When I was growing up, my mom always purchased tabletop trees for our bedrooms. It was a highlight for us as kids because we had one tree that we got to decorate any way we wanted.
Now, I try to carry this tradition on with my boys. They usually go with sports themes, but it is a great way to add Christmas cheer to space without taking up much space.
Even if you have small bedrooms, you can usually find a nightstand or tabletop to place a small tabletop tree on to add a little light and cheer to a room.
8. Add Some Style to Your Bathroom
A great way to add Christmas cheer to your bathroom is to apply the same basic rules that we’ve been applying all over the house.
We know in a smaller home, there isn’t a lot of room to add some “extras.”
However, you can change out things that you use on a daily basis to make them look more festive. In this case, if you have a bathroom window, then change out the curtains to a green and red plaid set to make them look more festive.
Or you could change out your shower curtain, hand towels, bathroom trash can, or toothbrush holder to items that look more festive. The great news is, you won’t use this stuff for more than a month or two so when you buy it, it should last for quite a few years if stored properly and taken care of.
9. Who Says Wreaths Are Only for Doors?
One year, my mom won this gorgeous Christmas wreath at an office party. It was much fancier than anything we would have ever used in our home. It was snow-covered and had glass nutcrackers hanging from it.
She tried to return it to the store it came from for something more ‘our style.’ When she did, she not only found out she couldn’t exchange it, but that this wreath was worth hundreds of dollars.
Since then, that wreath has been treated very carefully and passed down from her to me. Now that we’ve moved, I’ve often wondered where will I put it?
However, I also know, it will find a place in this house. I’m often reminded of what my mom did with this wreath when she got it. We had a fireplace, but she had another wreath that went over it at Christmas time.
So my mom did what my grandmother would do when she had too many wreaths that she wanted to display. She just found a place on the wall and hung it. Which is what I’m going to do this year.
This means, if you are one of those people that think that wreaths are only meant for doors and fireplaces, then you are going to have to come over to my way of thinking on this if you live in a small house.
If you have a wreath that you just really want to display, then go for it. There are no set rules that say that certain things have to go in certain places, in most cases. Thankfully, wreaths are one of those cases.
If you have the wall space, then fill it up with Christmas wreaths that you love but don’t have enough doors for. I’ll be doing the exact same thing!
10. Less Is Definitely More in a Small Space
When decorating a small home for Christmas, you want to remember that as festive as you want your home to be, you still have to live and function in it with the decorations.
Be kind to yourself and remember that less is definitely more inside a small home. If you have the land, go hog wild outside if you choose.
However, inside, you can often get cramped and irritated because of the lack of space if you over decorate for your square footage. This is just my opinion, but if your opinion is different that is okay too.
The bottom line is, you want to be happy when decorating a small home for Christmas. We all want our houses to be pretty, festive, cheerful, and welcoming. When you quit smiling over your decorations and begin fussing and frowning over lack of space, then you’ll probably know that the next year you’ll want fewer things.
Well, that is all of the plans I’ve made for decorating a small home for Christmas this year. I hope this helps you get a few ideas for your small space too.
