Mantel Christmas Decorations Ideas

Searching mantel Christmas decorations ideas?  We are excited to share our mantel Christmas decorations ideas with you today.

Mantel Christmas decor can be easy to create with items you already own.  Put together items collected over the years to create the perfect Christmas mantel decor for your home while staying within a budget.  

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... around our home, around the foyer, the living room, the dining room, and even the kitchen too.

Did you just sing the song as you read that sentence above?  I did, but I am a goof like that.  If you have been here for any length of time then you are already aware of my shenanigans.  I say that with a full heart, I would hate to be thought of as a boring ole' stuff who just shares pics of my home, projects, ideas, and blah, blah, blah...  we need the fluff around here, the personality, our thoughts, and rants shared alike.

You see, I enjoy telling you about all the things, big or small, projects of perfection (hmm... I am not sure we have had one of those yet around here), fails so you do not make the same mistakes, and how lofty my dreams really are.  Scary, huh?  I just enjoy being me, corny little ole me.   

I want all the things... if you are one of those people who sees an idea, and thinks I want that, and then you add it to your ever growing list of wants for your home, but the list is so unattainable, and well, crazy when you begin to put all the things together according to wants in each room for your home that would require being the size of a castle with 5 kitchens, 20 bedrooms, 15 baths, not to mention those crazy rooms like a craft room specific to your needs, and a dog room (we cannot forget that), and the list goes on... then you are in the right place!  

Whew... all the things.  Yes, really, I need to take a step back, and rethink what all of this means really.  I really am just a normal gal (okay, maybe semi-normal gal), who has a million ideas, and said ideas overtake my mind.  Yep, they get in the way of progress many times over around here.  

Our kitchen would be a perfect example of all of the things and it may be just why I am stuck and there is little to no progress happening in the where to start with a kitchen rehab project, but there I go again, down another rabbit hole, when I really just wanted to talk about our Christmas mantel today.  

Our lovely mantel, one of the many reasons I fell in love with this home afterall was our mantel.  Since all of those years ago, I envisioned it with stockings all lined up hanging in a row, but things happen, and well, those extra stockings with all of those names lined up along the mantel did not materialize, but that has not stopped me from creating mantels for all of the seasons here in our cozy cottage.  As they say, the show must go on.

It may be just hubby, Bentley, and myself, but that is okay.  Christmas' may look a little different than we thought they would be here, but we still have the pitter patter of gremlin feet skittering across those floors in our home, and thankfully we still have one beautiful mantel to decorate.  The things to be thankful for, not complaining about the things we do not have.    

This year I set out to create a new mantel, and I just may adopt a new tradition here in Cara's home... oh yes, in case you are new, I do speak about myself in the third person.  What fun, huh?   

So this year, I put all of my normal go to items away in the attic or what I like to call my own personal field of dreams and basement, and began with a fresh slate.  I have been wanting to use glass trees in our winter décor for so long, but could never figure out how to make it work.  

This was in part because I did not want to let go of some of my precious items on our mantel, and could not figure out a way to incorporate again, all the things on the mantel.  See how this holds me back?  So this year, I began with a clean slate and said you WILL figure this out, and today is that day!  

I began picking them up when we were planning a December wedding many years ago.  I would go to thrift stores in our area, and then I began visiting them whenever we were in a new area exploring.  I kept scooping them up, and my husband would ask what exactly are you doing with all of these trees?

I thought they would be perfect for our tables, but then you know how things change, and change they did.  Family members give their input when it comes to weddings, and so the glass trees were put on hold, permanently.  I decided this year was the year to bring a few of them out and see how they looked on our old mantel.  

I loved them, but what could I add?  I decided I would be firm in not purchasing something new.  I went to the attic, and came across a set of silver teapots my sister gave me some years ago.  She does this when she no longer wants something taking up rent in her home, she just rounds up the troops and brings all of the unwanted items to me, or drops them off at our mom's house, which again, end up with me.  

Of course, I scooped those suckers right up!  I had no plan, I had no idea what I would do with them, but sometimes when you are presented with free items, you take them, and decide later what you will do.  Now, that right there is what gets me into trouble, but that is okay, my wintery wonderland mantel thanks me now.  

I did purchase a few sprigs of pine to add to what I already had.  I think those sprigs of pine and cedar always make your winter decor look so much warmer and inviting when you add them here, there, maybe everywhere, don't you?  I feel like I have all of the decorations one could ever want or need, so I just add pine, and cedar, and sprays to my holiday decor these days.

I left the mirror that has been in our family for nearly a century on our mantel.  I am thinking it will not leave that spot for a very long time, if ever.  I have always admired that piece.  

I brought out the silver nutcracker candlesticks I so love, picked up from a barn sale from Hope Timber.  Now there is a place where I think to myself, I want all of the things... so much vintage goodness can be found there.  

I added my cedar napkin rings, turned candlestick rings to our nutcrackers for added texture and color.  I created the winter arrangements inside the teapots, as you can see, they are not matching, but I like to think this adds to the character of our perfectly imperfect mantel.  Some feathers, my small mercury glass trees that light up, a couple of white sprays, and viola I call this mantel completed.

Did I fuss with it?  Did I add and subtract items from it?  Of course, I am always doing this, but I like to think it took very little effort to pull it all together.  I know some folks begin with a vision, and sometimes that works for me, but then there are those other times where I do not have much of a plan, and I just begin putting items together to see what I can come up with.

Go through your things and see what you can create, you just might surprise yourself.  Give a thrift store a try, you can find so many of those glass trees there, I have more in our basement and attic.  I keep thinking about where to put them next.  They are perfect up until spring, and who says you need to remove them even then?  Certainly not me, I am all about you doing you!  

Do you see how it all came together?  I love the white with bits of greenery, and silver, and wood.  It just all works, and I like to think our elegant Christmas mantel was one for the books this year.  

I am also loving that there is no need for me to be quick about getting my Christmas decorations removed from the manel this year, this will go right into winter décor, and get me to spring when I will be ready to see something new then.

I always despise taking down the Christmas decorations right after Christmas.  In fact, I have been known to leave them up for a few months after.  I feel like our home is so empty without them.  I had to get with the program a bit when we moved here since I am sure our neighbors may not always appreciate seeing Christmas decorations up in February.  

Then I also had to toe the line a bit more when I began writing this blog.  No fun!  So now, I try to make my decorations last so I am not always buying new items all of the time, and I also enjoy all of the fluff, and sparkle, and whatnot sprinkled throughout our home.  

I cannot wait to show you the rest of our living room.  So much to see and pack into one post so I decided to split them up so we could talk about all of the things, of course.  

I also created a video to share how to make a pine arrangement in case you would like to make your own pine teapot arrangements for your home.  I always use styrofoam that comes in packaging when I make an online purchase.  I cannot see throwing it away when I can use them in my arrangements around our home.  Plus, you can use less product since the styrofoam keeps your greenery, picks, or flowers whatever you use upright. 

 

Questions you may have:

What can I put on my fireplace mantel for Christmas?

• Whatever your heart desires!  
• You can use glass, cedar or pine sprinkled on your mantel, Christmas ornaments, stockings, candlesticks, planters with your favorite greenery, skis above your mantel decorated with your favorite finds, garlands, wreaths, literally, the possibilities are endless!  Whatever you can imagine, you can create.

Do you have free garland ideas?

• Garlands can come in many shapes and sizes.  You can make your own garland using Christmas cards from over the years.
• Garland can be created with Christmas ornaments and twine and then hung on your fireplace mantel.
• Go for a walk and pick up acorns from the ground and create a garland from acorns
• You can create garland from greenery from your yard, cut sprigs of pine and place on top of your mantel.  It will appear as garland on top of your mantel.
• Children's Christmas artwork can be displayed on the mantel using twine and paperclips
• Use photos from Christmas past to create a garland for your mantel, this is personally a favorite idea of mine, forever the memory lover here

How do I decorate my mantel on a budget?

•  See above for free garland ideas
• Use books stacked on your mantel, then add bits of Christmas items you already have on hand on top of the books like ornaments, Christmas figurines, snowmen, Santa's, reindeer, candles
• You could also use the idea I shared painting books with stencils on your mantel
• Use old plates to create displays on your mantel as I shared here.  Free and low cost projects are my favorite ideas to share!
• Use thrifted candlesticks or ones you already have at home and create a vignette with candles at varying heights and colors on your mantel, light them and sit back and enjoy the ambiance 
• Make large art for your mantel using wrapping paper and a large picture frame as I shared before
• Add a string of lights to your mantel,  nestling them in with your decor 
• Add a Christmas village to your mantel by going to Dollar Tree, you can pick up the homes for $1.25 a piece.  If they do not match your decor, paint them all white, add glitter for some sparkle, and you can have a whole village on your mantel on a budget
• Shop Dollar Tree for Christmas items early, you can make over anything you find there to suit your decor
• Shop thrift stores all year long for Christmas decorations, you can again make them over to suit your taste and needs.