We all share the desire to transform our homes into warm, festive, and welcoming havens for the holidays. We envision the warm glow of a perfectly lit tree and a magical atmosphere for family and friends. Despite our best intentions, however, the final look can sometimes fall short, resulting not in enchantment, but in the visual noise of competing decorations crammed onto a mantelpiece. The result feels cluttered, chaotic, or just slightly “off.”
The problem often isn’t a lack of effort but some small, subtle mistakes that designers notice immediately. These common mishaps can keep your space from looking polished and Instagrammable.
Fortunately, we have tips and tricks to fix decor mishaps and create a beautifully balanced, magical holiday home this season.
1. You’re Decorating on Top of Your Existing Decor
One of the most common errors is adding holiday decorations on top of or next to your year-round accessories. When Christmas decorations compete with everyday plants, art, and trinkets, the result is a cluttered, overwhelming look where nothing truly stands out.
The solution, according to designer Rebecca Robeson, is to eliminate before you decorate. Before you bring out the holiday bins, take a moment to remove or temporarily store some of your everyday items. This creates essential “breathing room,” allowing your festive pieces to shine and feel intentional rather than tacked on. Think of it as clearing the canvas before you start a new painting.
“When you see my house tour… everything looks like there’s a place for it and it doesn’t feel junky… or overwhelming… If you have a… fiddle leaf fig tree in the same room that you have your Christmas tree, that’s a mistake. Take it out.” —Rebecca Robeson, Interior Designer.
2. Off the shelf is not a good look, no matter the label
Many of us are guilty of taking artificial trees, wreaths, and garlands straight out of the box and hanging them up as-is. As Rebecca Robeson points out, these items become compressed in their packaging and require a crucial step to look their best: fluffing. Manually separating and shaping each branch is essential for achieving a full, lush, and realistic appearance.
Even beautiful, ready-made pieces can look generic and tragic. To avoid the “everybody buys their Christmas decorations at Walmart” look, add a few personal touches. Embellishing a store-bought wreath with unique picks, adding extra sprays to a garland, or weaving a beautiful ribbon through the branches can elevate a standard piece into a custom, high-end decoration.
3. You’re Aiming for Festive, But Landing on Frenzied
It’s easy to believe that more decorations equal more holiday spirit, but designers often find the opposite is true. Burying the festive feeling in too many things is counterproductive and can quickly turn a celebratory space into a chaotic one. These three mistakes are interconnected:
- Overloading Surfaces: Covering every mantel, coffee table, and flat surface with decor makes a room feel frenzied. The fix is to choose a few key focal points and let them be the stars, leaving other areas clear to provide visual rest.
- Using Too Many Colors: A jumble of competing colors can look busy and mismatched. A cohesive color palette is a key strategy for avoiding visual overload; sticking to two or three main colors creates a harmonious, intentional look that complements your home.
- Putting Everything Out: A curated approach is often more effective. A disciplined color palette makes it easier to decide which of your cherished items to display this year and which to save for another season.
“Keep it simple, just because you have it all doesn’t mean it should all be out.” —Bianca Ecklund, Interior Designer.
4. Decorate the Air to Seal the Deal
A beautiful home is more than just a visual experience. Scent is a powerful, often-neglected element that plays a huge role in creating an immersive holiday atmosphere. Your home can be perfectly decorated, but if it doesn’t smell like the holidays, the cozy, magical feeling remains incomplete.
Infuse your space with festive fragrances to engage all the senses. You can achieve this by lighting scented candles, using essential oil diffusers, or creating a simple stovetop simmer pot. Gently warming ingredients like cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and orange slices in a pot of water will fill your home with cozy and inviting aroma.
5. Trends Shouldn’t Always Be Followed! Telling Your Own Story
Each year brings a new wave of holiday trends. According to designer Jessica Davis, however, trend-driven decor, especially pieces with holiday-themed words or slogans, can quickly feel dated and add to long-term clutter.
Instead, invest in timeless, high-quality pieces that can be reused and cherished for years to come. Aim for a “cozy and collected” feel by incorporating family heirlooms, handmade ornaments, or vintage finds that tell a personal story. Your decor becomes more meaningful when it reflects your family’s history and traditions, not just a fleeting fad.
“We really love a classic Christmas look. It never goes out of style and is endearing to pull out year after year.” —Lisa Henderson, Dallas Designer.
6. Lighting is everything
A frequent mistake is relying solely on the pre-lit lights that come with an artificial tree or garland. As interior designer Bianca Ecklund notes, an under-lit tree can look “dull,” especially after you’ve spent hours adding beautiful ornaments that ultimately get lost in the shadows.
The fix is simple but has a major impact: always add more lights. For a truly professional glow, try a designer hack from Rebecca Robeson: use cluster lights and “run this down the center” of the tree. This technique creates incredible depth and a magical glow that radiates from within, rather than just sitting on the surface.
“Light it up for all to see—you can never have too many lights.” —Bianca Ecklund, Interior Designer.
7. You’re Ignoring Your Home’s Everyday Style
Holiday decor can sometimes feel out of place or jarring if it clashes with your home’s year-round aesthetic. The most successful holiday decorating schemes feel like a natural and beautiful extension of the home’s existing personality, not a complete departure from it.
Choose decorations that complement your home’s style. For example, a modern, minimalist home is best suited for a simple, understated holiday setup with clean lines and a neutral palette. A traditional or rustic home, on the other hand, can beautifully embrace warm colors, classic patterns, and natural elements. This approach ensures your holiday decor looks harmonious, cohesive, and effortlessly elegant.
Conclusion: Curate Your Own Christmas Magic
This year, step into the role of curator. View your holiday items not as things to be displayed, but as a collection to be edited and composed. The goal is not just to decorate, but to tell your family’s story with intention and style. Avoid these common missteps and shift your focus from fleeting trends to timeless elements that bring you and your family genuine joy.
