**Make sure to see the video at the end of this article for over 150 fireplace mantel Christmas decorating images.
Your fireplace mantel is a great place to decorate for Christmas since it is usually the focal point of your room.
Spending extra time decorating your mantel for Christmas can add to the Christmas spirit and help create family memories.
Most people only decorate their fireplace area by hanging their Christmas stockings on their mantel, however there are so many more decor options to make your mantel extra special.
Here are some tips to consider when decorating your fireplace mantel for Christmas.
Color and Style
Before decorating your mantel, you should have a plan for the overall style and color palette of the decor that you want to use.
Make sure that the style and colors that you select complement the architectural style of your mantel and your room as a whole.
To get ideas, you can to go shopping to see what products are available or search for images on websites like Pinterest.
You might prefer a more traditional style that has an abundance of decor, a rustic style that is filled with natural elements, a glam style with many shiny & sparkly items, or a modern style that is more minimal.
Your preferred color palette might be traditional red and green, dark or light neutral colors that incorporate textures for interest, or non-traditional colors.
Don't forget to decide on whether you want to use one or more metallic colors.
When selecting colors for your Christmas decor, consider selecting a dominant color that will be used on 60% of your items, a secondary color that will be used on 30% of your items, and an accent color that will be used on 10% of your items. The 60-30-10 color concept feels more intentionally designed instead of using equal amounts of each color that can feel rather basic.
Decorating with a decor piece that has all 3 of your colors helps solidify your color palette.
Use each of your colors at least 3 times to help create cohesion.
For a more custom and memorable look, consider creating a very detailed concept of your Christmas mantel decor, such as Vintage Christmas Charm with mercury glass decor and tinsel, Sugar Plum Fairy Fantasy with glittery pinks and icy blues as well as other pastel colors, Winter Woodland Creatures with charming animal figures as well as brown natural elements and snowy white, Coastal Christmas with seashell ornaments and driftwood in a blue and green color scheme, or Desert Sunset with earthy organic colors and textures such as terracotta, teal, dusty rose, and brass.
Decide what is best for you and your home, then collect the items you will need per the following instructions.
Base Layer of Greenery Garland
Almost all fireplace mantels decorated for Christmas have a greenery garland as the foundation for the decor.
You can use a real greenery garland, however most people prefer to use faux greenery since it can be reused year after year, you don't have to worry about it withering or shedding, and it is bendable to conform to the shape that you want.
Larger fireplace mantels require a thicker garland and smaller fireplace mantels can get away with a thinner garland.
Your greenery can be located on top of your mantel, be a little longer to hang a bit below the mantel on the sides, or it can drape all the way to the floor. Consider whether you have young children or pets that might pull on the greenery when deciding your preferred length.
If you are using a more modern style, you might opt for an asymmetrical mantel design where the garland is longer on one side than the other instead of a traditional symmetrical design where the garland is the same length on both sides.
Start with your lowest quality greenery garland to be used as your base layer.
Securely attach your garland to your mantel or the wall behind your mantel using nails, cup hooks, or temporary adhesive hooks #ad.
Whenever you use greenery garland, you must spend time fluffing the garland to make it look its best. Fluffing the garland consists of evaluating the position of every branch and bending it into a better position if necessary to make it look full and fluffy.
Add string lights on top of your base layer garland if you wish, using plug in lights or battery operated lights. You might choose to use lights that stay lit, lights with a slow twinkle effect, or both. Avoid lights that flash or blink because that is often too harsh. You can choose cool white lights with a slight blue tint or warm white lights with a slight yellow tint (designers usually prefer warm white). Start applying your Christmas string lights at the center of your garland and the center of your string lights so you can make sure that both sides of your garland are equally lit since the lights are typically longer than your garland.
One greenery garland looks nice, but having more than one type of garland looks even better, so layer on top of your base layer garland with at least one different type of garland of a higher quality. You can bend the branches of your base layer garland to secure your other garland in place.
The Centerpiece
Your Christmas mantel decor should include at least one centerpiece to add variation.
Traditional mantel designs should have the centerpiece items located symmetrically on each side, however more modern designs might opt to have the centerpiece items off center in an asymmetrical configuration.
Don't overdo the amount of items on your mantel else it will look cluttered. Allow some empty space for your eye to rest.
Here are some options:
Art - The centerpiece could be a piece of art that stays on the wall above your mantel year round or you can swap your art with one that is Christmas themed.
Mirror - The centerpiece could be a mirror, however adding a wreath on top of the mirror to complement your mantel decor is a nice touch. Also consider adding battery powered lights to your wreath.
Candlesticks or lamps - You can use candlesticks or lamps to add height to your mantel decor. Consider using identical lamps or candlesticks on either end of the mantel for a symmetrical look or a cluster of candlesticks on one end of the mantel for an asymmetrical look. Your candles can be votive candles, pillar candles in hurricane candle holders, candles in lanterns, multiple arm candelabras, or taper candles in candlesticks.
Collectibles - A mantel is usually high enough that young children cannot reach it, so it is great for displaying fragile Christmas collectibles. Many people like to display their collection of nutcrackers, snow globes, a nativity scene, reindeer statues, Santa figurines, and more on their mantel at Christmastime. Collections are most attractive in groups of odd numbers, such as 3, 5, and 7. If clustering your items together, consider using different heights, such as a tall, medium, and short item for interest.
Family Photos - A grouping of framed old Christmas photos on your mantel can be very charming and nostalgic.
Mini Christmas trees - you can use artificial mini Christmas trees to decorate your mantel, assuming you can remove the branches facing the wall or bend them towards the front or sides so the trees can be placed with their trunks flush with the wall.
Christmas Cards - You might choose to display your Christmas cards on your mantel. The Christmas cards can be all from this year, vintage Christmas cards, or cards that you have received throughout the years. You might want to add a riser underneath your Christmas cards so they don't get lost in the greenery.
Ribbons and Bows
Adding ribbons and bows to your mantel helps add a little more color and texture to your Christmas display.
Popular ribbon choices include tartan pattern and velvet texture.
You can use a wide ribbon that tucks in and out of your greenery, a large bow on each end of the mantel, smaller bows throughout the mantel, or a combination.
Wired ribbon works best for decorating since you can bend it into different shapes.
You can use only one type of ribbon or use several ribbons of different colors, patterns, textures, or widths.
Also consider stacking a thinner ribbon on top of a wider ribbon for a custom look.
Cut your ribbon into sections to make it easier to use instead of trying to keep the ribbon as one long piece. You might like your sections of ribbon to be anywhere from 1 to 3 foot long.
Get one section of ribbon and create a loop shape in the size of your choice, then tuck the loop into your garland. You can secure the loop using a garland stem, a green pipe cleaner #ad, or some floral wire. The ends of your loop can be hidden in the garland or visible if you cut them into an attractive angle or fish tail shape.
Try to give your ribbon an organic shape instead of a perfectly symmetrical shape so it feels more natural.
Make sure to avoid getting the fabric too close to the your firebox for fire safety.
Garland Fillers
Your garlands can benefit from additional fillers to make them look more custom and interesting as well as make them more fluffy and fill in any holes that you might notice.
Faux greenery fillers are most common, however feel free to use fresh or dried greenery fillers for a more natural look.
One common filler is natural pinecones or branches. These items can be their natural brown color, spray painted a metallic color, or glittered.
Faux evergreen picks are a great choice to add dimension to a garland, but make sure to use an equal amount of picks on each side of a symmetrical garland.
Other types of picks are also good options, such as florals and berries.
Make sure to fluff your picks before using them by fanning the branches out.
Don't be afraid to cut off the pick stem if it is too long.
Also, feel free to cut in half any picks that are wider than you want.
Christmas Decor
For a festive Christmas touch, consider adding Christmas ornaments to your mantel.
For a neutral color scheme, texture is extremely important, so make sure to use decor that is sparkly, glossy, matte, glittery, mirrored, rough, soft, and more.
If you are using breakable ornaments, make sure that your decor is very securely attached to your mantel so it does not fall off and break if someone brushes up against the decor.
Since your mantel is at eye level and highly visible, avoid using cheap plastic Christmas ornaments in this location. Instead, opt for more elegant and unique high quality ornaments.
Many people like to create a Christmas ornament cluster or Christmas bell cluster to drape from one or both corners of the mantel. This is especially effective using satin or velvet ribbon.
Stockings
Hanging stockings from a mantel is a popular Christmas tradition, however make sure that your stockings complement your mantel decor.
More formal, elegant, and modern homes tend to have matching identical stockings, however more casual homes tend to have mismatched stockings of a similar style and size since they were most likely purchased or handmade in different years when a new baby was added to the family.
You can buy or make matching stockings and personalize them for each family member using a monogram, adding an ornament with the first letter of their name, or getting the same stocking in multiple different colors.
Attach your stockings to the underside of your mantel using a traditional cup hook or you can use a stocking hanger that clips on to the front of your mantel. Be aware that many stocking hangers can easily hold the weight of an empty stocking but might not be able to hold the weight of a stocking that is full of goodies from Santa.
Below the Mantle
If you do not plan on burning a fire in your fireplace, don't forget to decorate inside the fireplace. You can use decorative logs, candles, or a combination of different decorative elements.
At the base of the mantel legs, you can also place Christmas items, such as a large nutcracker, a vase, vintage handmade toys, oversized ornaments, metal reindeer, a basket of pine cones or logs, a decorative sled or sleigh, a large bowl of Christmas ornaments, empty boxes wrapped as gifts, a potted plant, a Christmas village, a nativity scene, vintage skis or snowshoes, vintage ice skates, a Santa statue, a large candelabra, or a collection of lanterns.
Whatever you put near your fire box, make sure it will not melt nor catch fire when your fire is lit.
Designer Tips
When decorating, make sure to step back on occasion to see how the mantel decor looks from a distance.
If your mantel doesn't quite look right but you can't figure out what to change, many people find it helpful to photograph it and analyze the photograph so you can see the mantel as a whole.
Make sure to consider how your mantel decor will look both during the day and at night.
For a curated designer look, consider adding in a few vintage or antique items to give a collected look that has heritage.
Your mantel does not have to be completely finished all at once - consider decorating over 2 or more days so that you have time to think about your design and consider new ideas.
Do your best to hide power cords.
You might want to dim your overhead lights to allow your garland to glow.
Some people like to add a dusting of fake snow or glitter to their mantel once the decorating is complete.
Consider how you might transition your Christmas mantel to a New Years or Winter mantel after Christmas is over by adding or removing certain items.
Make sure to take photos of your Christmas mantel and create notes on what worked well and what changes you might want to make for you to reference when decorating next year.
See the video below for more Christmas fireplace mantel decorating ideas.
