10 Ways to Tastefully Decorate Your Home for the Holidays

Decorating your home for the holidays can be an absolute joy. Still, with so many seasonal decor options to choose from, it can also feel a bit overwhelming — especially if you’re striving for a more sophisticated holiday vibe. Whether you’re getting your space ready for Hanukkah gatherings or dreaming of elegant Christmas celebrations with family, balancing festive, fun elements with your personal decor style and sensibilities is key to keeping your holiday decorations tasteful.

To inspire you, we’ve rounded up 10 ways to keep your holiday home decor tasteful, sophisticated and still so spirited this season. The bonus? You can find them all at Wayfair.ca.

A white-flocked minimalist Christmas tree ists in front of a white staircase that's covered with green garland in a home entryway.

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Complement Your Current Decor Style

When it comes to tasteful holiday home decor, one of the easiest places to start is to think about your space’s current home decor style. Do you love French farmhouse decor at the moment? Have you been updating your interiors to embrace a rustic Cowboy Core aesthetic? Instead of totally overhauling your decor for the season, look for festive decor elements and holiday accents that complement the interior style you already love.

Christmas Tree With LED Lights, Wayfair.ca, $384.

A black decorative metal Christmas tree covered in lights, sitting in front of a sleek fireplace. Check-patterned gifts sit on the floor nearby.

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Prioritize a Cohesive Colour Palette

Choosing a specific colour palette is a great way to keep your festive decor focused and to take the stress out of establishing an elegant holiday home decor look. Opt for one or two main hues that mix and match well with a neutral, and you’re set. Not sure where to start? While there’s always a place for traditional holiday colour combinations like red and green or blue and silver, dark, moody hues for the holidays make an unexpectedly chic statement. Alternatively, a luxe mix of cream, black and gold is bright and light for winter.

Wrought Christmas Tree Ornament Display Stand, Wayfair.ca, $154.

A silhouette of a red-nosed reindeer sits on a brown welcome mat outside a black front door of a home.

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Embrace a Warm Welcome

Set the stage for merry seasonal style from the start by embracing outdoor holiday decor at your home’s entrance. Opt for inviting elements that match your interior holiday decor aesthetic. Think: a subtle holiday-themed doormat, an elegant contemporary winter wreath or a lush faux-fir garland framing the front door.

Red Nose Reindeer Outdoor Door Mat, Wayfair.ca, $44.

Green garland and a white Christmas stocking on a modern wood-and-metal banister in a white stairway.

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Nurture Nature-Inspired Elements

If you can’t decide on a style or colour scheme for your holiday decor, it’s always a good idea to go back to basics. Decorations that evoke nature elevate the sophisticated feel of holiday decor — and a pop of greenery can totally transform a space.

Introduce odes to nature in your design with items like wooden ornaments, pine-inspired accents around banisters and seasonal greenery on your holiday table. Consider swapping out floral arrangements in vases for seasonal blooms and branches, too.

9’ Flocked LED Garland, Wayfair.ca, $100.

An array of cozy patterned pillows sit on a brown leather chair in front of a fireplace.

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Incorporate Functional Festive Decor

Another simple way to boost the festive factor in your home — while keeping things tasteful — is to make simple seasonal swaps in your home’s soft goods and textiles. Consider switching your year-round throw pillow covers with ones that fit your holiday colour scheme or adding cozy textiles in patterns that match your holiday aesthetic.

Also, it’s good to remember that holiday decor doesn’t have to all be focused in the living room, either. Small festive touches — like ornaments on the kitchen counter or a winter greenery in the bathroom — can go a long way towards making your home feel holiday ready.

Plaid Pillow Cover & Insert, Wayfair.ca, $48.

A small rustic wood Christmas tree figurine sits on a wood table that's covered in pine cones.

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Make Minimalist Merry

Want your home to be a chic oasis from the busy holiday hubbub but still want your space to feel special for the season? Embracing minimalist holiday decor may be the right fit for your home. The secret to minimalist style for the holidays is to keep things simple: opt for neutral and monochromatic hues, clean lines, minimal clutter and subtle decorative touches.

Narrow Tree Figurine, Wayfair.ca, $28.

Four knit stockings in checkered patterns hang from a white fireplace mantle. A sign saying

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Play With Pattern

Colour, pattern and prints are great ways to add personality to home holiday decor, but that doesn’t mean that you’re limited to Santa-themed motifs. Try table linens in elegant prints or stylish Christmas stockings in a playful checkerboard pattern for unexpected pops of style this season.

Checkerboard Stocking, Wayfair.ca, $78 Each.

Several small burlap-and-plaid gift bags are arranged in front of a window. Each bag has a bell at the front and has red-and-white candy canes sticking out from the top.

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Wrap Things Up

Consider this: if your Christmas tree is the centrepiece of your holiday decor, why focus only on the ornaments and lights that adorn its branches? If you like to wrap and display gifts under the tree throughout the holiday season, consider choosing gift wrap that matches the look of your tree. This could mean using the same few styles of wrapping paper or opting for coordinated reusable gift bags.

Holiday Burlap Bags, Set of 6, Wayfair.ca, $40.

Many strings of delicate lights with stars at the ends hang in front of a dark window.

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Light’s the Way

There’s something so magical about the shimmer of lights at the holiday season, so don’t be afraid to incorporate a little glow into your festive decorations. To keep indoor holiday lights sophisticated, consider lights with small bulbs for a subtle twinkle. Or, consider adding unexpected light sources to your decor like whimsical light-up ornaments.

Star String Lights, Wayfair.ca, $56.

An array of white Christmas village decorations on table, under hanging paper Christmas trees and stars.

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Channel Classic Vibes

Whether you’re lucky enough to have family hand-me-down decorations or you choose new decor pieces that remind you of holiday seasons gone by, it’s hard to go wrong with a few elegant vintage or vintage-inspired holiday decor accents. We love the charm of a porcelain holiday village set placed on a sideboard for a classic winter wonderland feel.

Tabletop Christmas Village, Wayfair.ca, $160.

No matter which holiday or Christmas home decor you choose, just remember that your holiday decor should make your living space feel festive, special and magical for the season. And, if you want to curate a merry feel for your home, you can find plenty of sophisticated holiday decor items at Wayfair.ca.