Do you have a Christmas collection? Here are tips and helpful ideas for incorporating them beautifully in your Christmas home decor!
Do you have any Christmas collections? Do you like Santas or snowmen or stars or snowflakes or Christmas villages or nutcrackers or trees? Many of us love to collect something at Christmas! Today, let’s chat about using our Christmas Collections in beautiful and meaningful ways to decorate our Christmas home!
I’m not much of a collector but I LOVE little trees! Over the year my collection of Christmas trees has sneaked up on me! I really had not meant to collect copious amounts of little trees but I have a basement full of them!
So I Yvonne @ StoneGable, as much as I deny collecting anything, am a Christmas tree collector! And I have added to my Christmas tree collection this year!
The holiday season is short so we want to make the most of our collections by displaying them in beautiful ways!
As we chat about Christmas collections and how to use them, I thought you might like to see some of my tree collection and how I used them.
WHY DO WE COLLECT?
The reasons for collecting Christmas items is probably as varied as the things we collect.
Maybe you inherited a nativity scene from a relative and kept adding to it. Or maybe, you’re like me, and have always LOVED Christmas trees!
Your collection might have started by people gifting you Christmas mugs from time to time and you thought having a collection of them would be sorta cool and kitchy?
Or did your sister-in-law (me) start giving you Spode Christmas serving pieces as gifts decades ago and you (Sue) now have almost every piece there is!
Did your grandmother have a big collection of Christmas sheet music that you always loved so you started your own collection?
No matter the reason, our Christmas collections probably tug at our heartstrings… and often our pursestrings. Many of us are collectors by nature or maybe even nurture!
So if you have a bunch of Christmas stuff that is all one “category” then lets try to make it part of your home at Christmastime.
WHAT DO YOU COLLECT?
If you have a basement or garage or attic or space under your bed where Christmas collections multiply then this post will help you get out what you collect and display them at Christmas!
Or if storage is a problem for the snowflakes you have hoarded you are most definitely a collector! So let’s get that winter wonderland of snowflakes out and create a flurry of beauty in your home!
My friend, if you have even three of the same kind of Christmassy items you are on your way to collection! And collecting one category of special Christmas decor can be a fun hobby!
Christmas collections are fabulous accents for our Christmas home if we know how best to display them !
So what do you collect?
And if you are not a collector of Christmas things this post might encourage you to start a collection of your own this year!
The big question is…
HOW TO USE MY CHRISTMAS COLLECTIONS TO DECORATE OUR CHRISTMAS HOMES
Our collections can add Chrismtas spirit and holiday Cheer to our homes but they can also add clutter and disharmony!
The secret is to know how to use Christmas collections in a way that adds beauty and a sense of wonder or whimsy to your home!
Here are some useful tried and true designer tips for creating Christmas collection magic in your home!
USE THE BEST
I really have a huge collection of little Christmas trees! And I can honestly say I’m not sure how my collection got so large. I guess I have not seen a little tree I do not love!
Although, I know when I see a Christmas tree like the paper one above and it is on sale at 80% off I get six!
One of the most helpful tips I can give you if you want to display your reindeers or Christmas pillows is to use the best of your collection in your home! Especially if you have an exhaustive collection!
I have lots of beautiful Christmas ornaments I’ve collected over decades. I’ve never really thought of them as a Christmas collection until just now! But I guess they are. I like to use the heaviest and best ornaments displayed in shallow pedestal bowls or mixed with Christmas greens. I just don’t have room to display every ornament every year! Some ornaments stay in the basement. And some ornaments are culled and giving away.
There is usually an exception to almost every man-made rule. And here is the one exception to the use-your-best rule. If the most tired and ugly thing in your collection is the most memorable and has the greatest sentimental value attached to it, then display it!
But only one… or maybe two at most!
If a lot of your collection is not high on the decorative value scale but off the charts on the sentimental scale keep the collection in more private locations like a study or a bedroom.
EN MASSE COLLECTION
Grouping entire collections of nutcrackers or bells or Santa mugs can look impressive if you have the right spot to display them!
This is not the way I would display my collections but I have see en masse displays done just beautifully!
If you have a large collection and want to show it off in a big group here are a few things that will help your Christmas collection look its best!
WHERE TO PUT A GROUPED COLLECTION
Okay, let’s start where NOT to put a collection… the mantel!
Eventhough a fireplace mantel is usually the focal point of a room it is not the best place to display a collection.
A few taller items from your collection is fine to put on the mantel but not the whole collection!
A mantel is usually too high to get a good look at the details of a Christmas collection.
Lining up nutcrackers or mice or reindeer across the length of a mantel is not the most attractive way to display precious items you have collected!
It would be far better to find a lower-than-eye-level surface so you and others can enjoy all the details of a big group of Christmas angels or snowflakes.
Our eyes love to contrast and compare and our minds read this as interesting! We want our family and guest to linger over our collections and enjoy them! It’s hard to do from mantel height.
Here are a few other tips for displaying a Christmas collection en masse…
- Keep displaying Christmas themed items to one collection unless they work well together. Too many collections displayed together can look very cluttered!
- Use risers like books to give height to some of your collection.
- Don’t display your collection in a closed cabinet. They will be hard to see and enjoy.
- Put a mirror behind a display of a Christmas collection
- Wind tiny Christmas light around and between your collection. Christmas lights make everything look more special.
SPRINKLING CHRISTMAS COLLECTIONS THROUGHOUT YOUR HOME
My favorite way to display my little Christmas tree collection is to add small grouping of my collection alongside my other Christmas decor.
If you collect little wreaths then use them with your other Christmas decorations. Group several together on a wall, add them to a mirror or two, prop them up in front of books on a bookshelf or hang one on your kitchen hood.
I like to group my trees in small clusters and use them that way throughout my home! We may not be aware of it, but our eyes look for like objects, colors, shapes and more. And finding repeated patterns is perceived as very attractive!
However just remember that too much a good thing IS not a good thing. Just don’t go too crazy adding Christmas collections to every bookshelf and flat surface in your home.
CREATING EASY MINI COLLECTIONS IN YOUR CHRISTMAS HOME
One of the nicest ways you can group your collection is by coralling them.
This can be done by placing your jingle bell collection in a large shallow bowl! And think about using a dough bowl to contain your vintage Christmas cards.
My favorite way to keep a few trees together is to use decorative trays! Even a large platter works for collections like santa mugs or white houses.
When I am grouping my Christmas trees I think about the color palette, varying the heights of the trees and using trees with different textures!
USE AN ITEM OR TWO FROM A CHRISTMAS COLLECTION TO ENHANCE OTHER CHRISTMAS DECOR
This is probably the easiest way to use an item or two from any Christmas things you collect.
Use a piece or two to enhance a vignette or arrangement in your Christmas home.
In my kitchen I have a big white pottery lantern I’m using as a vase this year. It’s full of white hydrangeas and Christmas greens. Beside the hydrangeas I have another little glass filled with seeded eucalyptus and one green budding hydrangea and I also added a small gold votive candle. I like to pair one big floral arrangement with one smaller one and the addition of a candles!
The arrangement looked nice but when I added a little white Christmas tree it made a display and looked more cohesive with the rest of my Christmas home!
BEST PLACES TO DISPLAY COLLECTIONS
Here are the some of the best places to display your snow globes or any other Christmas collection you might have…
- on any flat surface
- tucked into a bookshelf
- perched on top of a book
- on a shef under a coffee table or end table
- on floating shelves
- along a deep windowsill
- on a nightstand
- in a vignette or arrangement
- on several stairs
- hanging on hooks or pegs
OTHER PLACES TO USE YOUR CHRISTMAS COLLECTIONS
- wired in your Christmas tree
- displayed on a wall (like dishes)
- down the stairs
- wired into garland
- attached to a wreath
The goal of any Christmas collection should be to stir up lovely memories, add enjoyment, and beauty and Christmas spirit to your home and be fun to collect!
I hope your collection does all this and more this holiday season!
Merry Christmas collecting!
Yvonne, so enjoy your blog every morning with my cup of coffee. You have a beautiful home. Could you tell me where you got your grey and white canisters on the kitchen countertop? Thanks for all your decorating advice, devotions and beautiful pictures!
Hi Susan, you are so welcome! Here are the little canisters:https://rstyle.me/+ZE5AUE-ZWuX75esh-Eqb7w
So pretty – love all your ideas!
I’m glad they help. Merry Christmas Donna
Super post – I’m a little behind, major decorating begins today. Perfect timing.
Thank you for your suggestions!
I love anything mercury glass! And if it’s in the shape of a tree, I’m getting it! I passed up a box of mercury glass ornaments because it contained one blue one and that’s not in my color palette, but now I seriously regret it and they are not to be found! Jingle Bell collection? Sounds intriguing! I decorate high up…anything within the 5 year old range is too much temptation for those little guys!
Yes, the little trees get me every time! So many cute ones!
Over the last 2 holiday seasons I have definitely developed a love of little trees, well some not so little! I’ve never collected anything else before, but little trees over the Xmas season & winter seem to speak my love language. I even printed off a winter pic of trees recently. Send help! Haha
I always learn something from you, I think I finally understand and have been able to successfully implement the art of giving your eye a place to rest as well repeating elements throughout my decor. Thanks for sharing and teaching.
I love all your beautiful Christmas ideas! Can you tell me where you got the tree napkins you have in your coffee cups next to the canisters?
This is why I love your blog. I love learning little designer decorating tips that make a big difference. I just moved my white wooden Christmas trees from my mantle to my buffet table. Yvonne, you making decorating fun and less scary! I now look in my Christmas bins and see like colors and textures rather than individual items. Using the best of the best makes so much sense and allows me to let go of the rest! Brillant!
Hi Marcia, try opening the blog in a different browser such a Chrome or Explorer. It might help!
Thank you for your suggestion, Lynette! So kind.
Yvonne,
I am finally getting my decorations up and took a break to have a cup of coffee and look at your website. You have such beautiful ideas without going over the top! I love to try new things with what I already have. You always seem to get it just right. Thanks for for all the inspiration! I know it is a lot of work to have all these ideas on your website.. Please know that there are people out there enjoying each and every one of them.
Nancy Werner
Nancy, you are so sweet to say! I LOVE inspiring my wonderful readers!
Yvonne, your tips exceed expectations! Yes, tiny white lights make everything magical, year round…and not mixing collections minimizes eye clutter. Mercury glass in several rooms elevates my Modern Southwest decor…transitioning among every style, from modern, to transitional, to traditional. Above my white transitional island are two giant mercury-glass modern globes, and everyone comments how they love them. Whites, creams and taupes look fabulous with touches of mercury glass, also black.
This post is a treasure
trove of great ideas for my little white houses!
Hi Darlene, thank you so much! Hugs and Christmas blessings.
Hi Yvonne,
I recently shared your blog with my daughters….. who felt so inspired by your content they pulled out all my christmas decorations (and also some of their own treasures). Our home is now full of cute little christmas vignettes ( which look rather well thought out – thanks to your inspiration)
Thanks for sharing Loise! And I’m thrilled your daughter’s designs look so pretty!