32 Cozy Christmas Fireplace Mantel Decor Ideas
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One of the best parts about “decking the halls” for the holidays is getting to decorate your Christmas mantel. Whether you’re picturing it styled to perfection with boughs of evergreen or you’re thinking of trying something more colorful this year, there’s one thing all the best Christmas mantel decoration ideas have in common—and that’s that they’re 100 percent picture-perfect.
From cheap DIY Christmas decorations you can make on a budget to creative spins on traditional Christmas decor, we looked to our favorite Instagrammers and decor enthusiasts for some of the best mantel decorating ideas and inspiration.
These 32 best Christmas mantel decorating ideas—from how to decorate a fireplace mantel for the holidays?to easy Christmas decorating DIYs—will help you get your home into the holiday spirit in no time.
Related: Easy Christmas Decoration Ideas for 2023
32 Christmas Mantel Decorating Ideas
1. Celebrate the season in farmhouse style
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Burlap stockings, plaid tree decoration and cozy red accents transform @jodie.thedesigntwins’ mantel into a Christmas wonderland that pairs perfectly with her home’s farmhouse feel.
2. Make Christmas more colorful
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Take a cue from @kailochic: This year, forgo traditional Christmas colors for a bold neon palette. Somehow, the final look is still delightfully seasonal!
3. Hang a cute DIY Christmas balloon banner
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This white, pink and red look by @aww.sam is a fun millennial take on traditional Christmas decor. Steal her look—without having to buy too many new accessories—by DIYing this banner at home using balloons, silver-painted empty toilet paper rolls and string.
4. Add some sparkle
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All-white decor paired with metallic silver accents transforms @marcieschneiderblog’s mantel into a sparkling winter wonderland. Pairing her silver accessories with a cool pair of antlers keeps the look feeling too over-the-top glitzy.
5. Simply hang a wreath on top of your existing decor
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Rather than taking down everything you currently have up to redo your entire mantel for Christmas, work with what you already have in place. Simply adding a seasonal wreath on top of your existing mirror, like @scscurlock did, plus a few additional accessories, will make your Christmas mantel come alive—without all the extra hassle.
Related: 100 Best Christmas Gifts for 2023—Top Holiday Gift Ideas for Everyone on Santa's Nice List
6. Think millennial pink
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For a softer take on seasonal decor, switch out your traditional red Christmas accents with items in blush or rose tones instead. This look from @liagriffith is almost entirely DIYed, too!
7. Decorate with embroidery hoops
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There are so many cool millennial DIYs you can make using embroidery hoops, but this Christmas mantel decor by @tatertotsandjello is one of our all-time faves.
8. Put a bow on it
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Want to make your mantel look especially playful this year? Recreate this fun DIY by @ellerydesigns. To make, simply glue some wrapping paper bows onto a wood fireplace insert.
9. Incorporate rustic accents
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Even if you don’t want to fill your entire fireplace with small cut logs like @bless_this_nest did, you can still give your Christmas mantel some farmhouse flair by incorporating lots of rustic accents.
10. Make “the more, the merrier” your Christmas mantel decorating mantra.
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Don’t be afraid to keep piling on more Christmas decor. There are at least 20 of these colorful bottle brush Christmas trees arranged across @studiodiy’s stunning mantel, and the look is striking—proving that “the more, the merrier” really is a good mantra to have all season long.
11. Make your mantel look glamorous with a DIY ornament garland
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As @alysewarren proves, an evergreen bough and DIY ornament garland are all you need to add some seasonal glamour to your fireplace mantel.
12. Incorporate your favorite Christmas quote
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Write your favorite Christmas quote or song lyrics on a scroll of parchment paper and hang it above your mantel for instant holiday vibes, as @craftomaniac did. She even added a garland of miniature crocheted Christmas clothes—so sweet!
13. Keep it simple
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Sometimes, less is more—just take a look at @halfway_wholeistic’s Christmas mantel to see what we mean! Aside from hanging your family’s Christmas stockings, if you want to make decorating especially easy this year, just add an evergreen bow and you’re done!
14. Add stocking hooks to a seasonal planter
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This easy idea from @turquoisehome can quickly be recreated. Whether you use adhesive, removable hooks for a temporary look or nail them in to create seasonal decor you can use year after year, you’ll be done styling your Christmas mantel in 10 minutes flat.
Related: These 100 Best Christmas Quotes are Guaranteed to Get You Into the Holiday Spirit
15. Make DIY snow globes for your mantel
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Give your mantel some whimsical Christmas spirit by decorating it with DIY snow globes. Use sugar as “snow” as @myhouseof8 did.
16. Customize it with handmade name tags for your stockings
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Make any Christmas stocking instantly more personalized—without having to pay extra to get it embroidered—by making DIY name tags for each, as @mydiyhappyhome did.
17. Add Christmas magic with fairy lights.
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An especially easy option since most are battery-powdered and long-lasting, weave a string of fairy lights into your Christmas mantel design, like @yellowprarieinteriors did, to create an ethereal effect.
18. Try plaid accents
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As @tablefor5please shows, it’s easy to create a farmhouse-inspired look by decking your mantel with plaid or checkered patterned accessories.
Related: Ho-Ho-Ho! These 100 Funny Christmas Quotes will Inspire Santa-Worthy Laughs
19. Go green—or choose any other monochromatic color scheme you like!
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Picking one accent hue, such as a lovely forest green like @our.dwelling.place chose, makes minimal decor look more appealing. So if you want to do some low-key decorating this year, consider opting for a monochrome color palette, like this one.
20. If your home doesn’t have a mantel, find an alternative
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In lieu of a traditional mantel, Stephanie Hanna of @stephaniehannablog turned her entertainment center into a makeshift one.
21. Go for simple elegance
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Layered mirrors, a few candles and a burlap curtain across the fireplace are all you need to achieve this effortlessly elegant look from @sarahjoyblog.
22. Make a festive DIY covering for your mantel
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This fireplace isn’t really filled with wood logs—it’s a faux log fireplace board that @thedowntownaly made by gluing small birch disks onto a blackboard the size of her fireplace opening.
23. Decorate with holly... lots and lots of holly
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Surround your fireplace with tons of holly on a Christmas garland for instant holiday cheer. They’ll make your mantel feel especially cozy on cold December nights and you can spruce it up any way you want; @deevine.home.creations added a large branch, pine trees and stockings, of course.
Related: 75 of the Best "Merry Christmas!" Wishes to Write in Your Christmas Cards This Year
24. Incorporate candles
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You’ll be surprised what a few statement candles can do. Arranging some decorative ones in the center of your mantel, like @nestedsanctuary, will transform your space in no time.
25. Be super-feminine
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Channel your inner girly girl and go all out in pink! Use a pink letter board to write a seasonal message on, pink garland and display a pink gingerbread house, as @sparklesonashoestring did for a fabulous and chic look that everyone will love.
26. Think reindeer
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Incorporate a faux reindeer as your mantel’s centerpiece. To make it even more festive, add a pretty holiday wreath around it just like @jordecor did. It’s a simple way to make a big statement this December.
27. Spray fake snow
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One easy way to bring your mantel décor to the next level is to add snow to it! Not real snow, but snow spray. Just spritz it on your garland and any other decorations on your mantel to bring a winter wonderland vibe to your house like @_claudia_5.
28. Use flowers
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Incorporating pink roses (or any other flower) into your garland, like @tatertotsandjello did, is one of our favorite millennial Christmas mantel DIYs. All of your girlfriends will want to copy this idea once they see you do it this year.
Related: Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town—and He's Bringing With Him 50 of the Best Santa Jokes!
29. Include a mirror
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Simple elegance is what @peonyinteriordesigns is all about when it comes to decorating for the holidays. Follow in her lead and add a beautiful mirror with some pine garland to style your mantel.
30. Use funky stockings
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Instead of displaying classic red stockings, switch things up and use ones with playful patterns. These polka dot and stripe ones that @classyclutter used are both cheerful and fun!
31. Include elves
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Santa’s little helpers will look so cute on your mantel this December. You can use a couple of them or a handful of them, like @cottageparkhome did, to create the mantel display of your Christmas dreams.
Related: 50 Fun Christmas Trivia Questions (with Answers) for Family Gatherings
32. Make it twinkle and shine
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Don’t just add one strand of lights to your mantle, add tons of strands! @2ladiesandachair proves that less isn’t always more and that sometimes being extra is best. So use lots of light strands on your mantel and then wrap them around figurines you have on your mantel as well to really makes a difference. Use extra bright bulbs for an even bolder look.
For more Christmas-y laughs, check out these 50 funny reindeer jokes for the holidays.
