Ever since purchasing our lake home, we’ve loved personalizing each space to feel extra special. This month, we pivoted to focus on holiday decor ideas. After all, this is the first year we’ve added Christmas decorations throughout this house. Was that me procrastinating for a couple years to make it happen? Yes, yes it was. 🙂
However, 2025 felt like the right time to add some “surprise and delight” festive moments. The timing is also perfect since we’re hosting several small gatherings in the months ahead. We can’t look like Scrooge with no Christmas cheer in sight! Can you imagine what the neighbors would say?!
In all seriousness, I’ve delayed selecting holiday decor for good reason. Growing up, my family had the same exact Christmas decorations for nearly my entire childhood. Was your family home like that too? Sure, my mom would add small things here and there, but ultimately, our core holiday items remained identical.
Our Best Holiday Decor Ideas
Knowing Bob and I built this new home for the long-haul, I wanted to be very intentional about our selections. I also kept reminding myself that the lake home doesn’t have a lot of storage. With limited square footage and closets, we have to be mindful of each piece since they’ll ultimately be stored away for nine months of the year.
Our solution? Keep thing simple and classic. Nothing too over the top, and VERY Nancy Meyers. Above all – selecting products that we LOVE, not just like.
Our Holiday Decor Ideas
For many years, our primary home’s holiday decorations have been set. For example, I absolutely love our hydrangea Christmas tree), which is a fun and unique take on the tradition in a way that feels truly ours. See us decorate it in high speed HERE!
Since our lake home features a coastal design, we leaned towards decorations that reflected that same aesthetic. After SO many years of decorating our primary home, we’ve followed some lessons so the outcome is elevated and timeless.
Idea #1: Start with Greenery
During the winter, one of the best things is bringing the outdoors in. As a lifelong Midwest gal, I know firsthand how winters can get VERY dreary. One solution to help raise my mood has been bringing elements of nature inside our home. For holiday, that starts with greenery. Thankfully, there are endless elegant options. From wreaths to garland, poinsettias to Christmas trees, greenery is truly a festive mood-booster for any area of your home.
We chose to add greenery accents to our living room mantel, along with adding these affordable garlands to our primary and guest bathrooms. For the mantle, we opted for three of these gorgeous faux garlands. The fireplace is a focal point of the room, so we knew investing in these pieces would be a smart solution for years to come.
For our power room, we chose to opt for something a bit more affordable. To be transparent, Bob was the one who found it, and I wasn’t confident it would give off that “luxe” vibe.
Idea #2: Bows, Bows, Bows
Gracious, I LOVE anything with bows. It’s part of the reason why I’ve designed so many of the dresses I designed for Sail to Sable have bow accents. They’re my kryptonite, guilty as charged.
Both Amelia (our interior designer) and Bob have also taught me the importance of restraint in design. Therefore, while I’d add velvet bows to nearly everything in our home, they’ve reminded me the value of small accents can make a big impact. This set of red velvet bows is one of the best investments we’ve made in some time.
Idea #3: Limited Holiday Signage
Welp, this idea may be controversial. Trust me, many of our loved ones love “Happy Holidays” signs and “Santa Baby” displays. No judgement, especially to add a dose of fun for kids. We totally understand!
Since we’re childfree by choice, we simply prefer to let our holiday décor do the talking. Decor is a personal choice, so I’m not saying you HAVE to remove holiday signage, of course! We just love keeping it to a minimum, where possible.
Idea #4: Stylish Stockings
For those who celebrate Christmas, look no further than Cailini Coastal for amazing stocking options. It was truly love at first sight when I saw these gorgeous velvet versions. The brand sells them in multiple colors, but the light blue and navy option was a must. A fun coastal take on a traditional holiday design, right?
Idea #5: Wicker and Rattan Accents
Since so many holiday items are green, red, blue, silver, and gold, it’s important to mix up the textures of the pieces within your space. Wicker and rattan adds warmth and beauty to any holiday set-up. As our interior designer always says, “layer, layer, layer a room.” The unique texture of both rattan and wicker truly grounds a space and makes it feel more warm and cozy.
We’ve loved adding doses of wicker and rattan in both the main spaces and bathrooms in our home. To start, we added these adorable wicker basket faux trees that light up with white lights. It’s perfect for a small dose of brightness at night.
Additionally, how darling are these Braided Rattan Stocking Holders by Cailini Coastal? They are super heavy, so they can hold all of the stocking stuffers and gifts with ease.
In Closing – Holiday Decor Ideas
How are you elevating your holiday décor? Share your ideas and go-to home decorations. I can’t wait to see how you’re bringing your various spaces to life!
