November 22, 2024


Twenty beautiful Christmas mantel decorating ideas.

I’ve gathered a bunch of absolutely gorgeous Christmas mantels to give you some inspiration this holiday season! 

If you have a fireplace, you know it’s a focal point all year, but even more so during the holidays. If you decorate just that one spot it will make the room feel so festive!

Even if you don’t have a fireplace, a TV built in or console can be decorated similarly. 

If holiday decor intimidates you but you want to add some festive touches, I would suggest tackling the tree and a mantel and/or TV stand. 

My Christmas mantels have varied big time over the years — from bright, traditional colors to more neutral moody vibes. 

I’ll share a few of my favorites first, and then I have more beautiful examples from talented DIY and decor bloggers. 

The stone and long wood beam stole the show, so I didn’t need to do much otherwise. Just some simple greenery along the top was perfect. 

The thorn in my side at that house was our corner fireplace in our family room. I thought it would be such a cool design feature, but I ended up hating it. 😂

At first I added some box molding to the walls above it and tried to take advantage of all of that mantel space for my Christmas decor: 

Christmas decor corner fireplace

It was so much easier to work with, and looked like it fit so much better in the room. 

I was so excited to decorate the new fireplace for Christmas! The longer mantel was fun to decorate, and those hanging lanterns added some whimsy: 
hanging lanterns red mantel

I loved the traditional pops of red, but the next year was one of my all time favorites. 

silver gold wrapping paper candles mantel

The soft greenery and votives finished it off perfectly. 

dark gray fireplace with shiplap

Later, I added a ton of greenery and had it spill over the sides with tons of Christmas bulbs strewn throughout: 

real greenery with bulbs on mantel
At our current house, my Christmas mantels have gotten fluffier and fluffier. 😉 I like to throw all types of greenery in — one year I added eucalyptus to the garland
Christmas greenery with eucalyptus

That one was so pretty! 

I later draped some ribbon and hung some baubles to add some pretty details to the mantel: 

Christmas mantel with ribbon
This year’s mantel decor is the fullest yet! I shared how I create our fluffy Christmas mantels years ago, but I just take the greenery I’ve collected over the years and stack them on top of one another. 

Makes sure to weave them together a bit to make it look more organic.

This year I used Command strips to create a swagged, asymmetrical look: 

swagged mantel greenery with berries
Remember that brass Merry Christmas garland I shared a couple weeks ago? This is what I had in mind when I bought it, and I love how it turned out!

Most of the year I like to simplify our decor, but the older I get, the more I want to go all out at Christmas. I love how full and textural this year’s mantel is: 

swagged asymmetrical mantel garland

I absolutely adore how it all came together. I still need to hang our stockings!

Now let’s take a look at some of the beautiful Christmas decor from all over the internet. 

natural garland with magnolia leaves

The magnolia leaves, ribbon and I think even baby’s breath add so much texture and beauty. The baby’s breath is such an unexpected addition, and I love it. 

My friend Beth’s mantel is stunning enough with the layers of greenery, but the snow capped Christmas village lined up takes it over the top: 
snow covered village on mantel

I love that the houses make it feel whimsical and less formal. So beautiful! 

I love the nutcracker trend that has exploded the past few years. You can find them so inexpensively at craft stores and then finish them any way you’d like. 

nutcracker mantel decor
vintage Christmas mantel thermos

Plus the festive thermoses lined up — so unique and fun! 

bottle brush tree mantel

It only takes a few minutes to make these chalk trees — I do this on our mud room chalkboard every year as well. 

Just break off a small piece of chalk and turn it on its side to draw the fluffy trees. 

red white green Christmas mantel

I think candlelight is a must on a Christmas mantel! I always try to add some kind of candle glow — either real or faux. 

There are so many fun LED candle options available now, so you can add the look of candlelight without the worry. 

taper candles fresh greenery mantel
fluffy asymmetrical garland on mantel

I thought mine was full — this is awesome! I really love the addition of the gold ornament garland. 

farmhouse mantel with brick

There is beauty in every design style, even more so at Christmas! 

southern design traditional mantel

sugared fruits boxwood mantel

Instead of traditional greenery, she used eucalyptus and preserved boxwood — how beautiful!

I say there are no rules when it comes to Christmas decor…the colors and decor don’t have to be traditional. As I always say, it’s your house, do what you want

I hope these amazing Christmas mantels gave you some inspiration this holiday season.  



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