Easy Christmas Decorating Ideas For Last Minute Decorators

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Transform your space into a festive wonderland with these quick and easy Christmas decorating ideas for the busiest of schedules.

wood china cabinet with glass doors with a Christmas garland across the topPin

Ah, the frantic jingle of bells in the distance signaling that Christmas is mere days away! I know firsthand what it’s like to feel the pressure to “get it all done” and how impossible it may seem.

If your holiday schedule has been busier than Santa’s workshop on December 24th and decking the halls slipped down the priority list faster than melting snow, welcome aboard the sleigh of last-minute decorators.

wood china cabinet with glass doors with a Christmas garland across the topPin

Whether you’ve been juggling work deadlines, dashing through endless shopping aisles, or simply lost track of time faster than a gingerbread cookie disappears, fear not!

These super fast and easy decorating ideas will have your home singing “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” in no time at all!

Easy Christmas Front Door Ideas

The key to decorating a front entry in a flash is to use pre-made everything.

With the wide variety of pre-decorated Christmas items on the market today, there’s no need to start from scratch when decorating around your front door.

Instead of decorating a wreath from scratch, use a pre-decorated swag. Tie a bow with a bit of ribbon and boom – you’re done and it looks customized.

Christmas swag hanging on a gray front door with glass panesPin

In just a few minutes longer you can add a pre-decorated garland, a holiday doormat, and a couple of lanterns for a totally festive entryway!

gray front door with glass panes and white sidelights surrounded by a Christmas garlandPin

If you simply must make your own wreath, you can’t go wrong using a grapevine wreath for the base.

They’re very inexpensive and are easy to work with.  Oftentimes, I can just poke Christmas’y picks in between the vines of the wreath and don’t have to wire or glue anything in place. 

To make this easy wreath, I poked the ends of four picks between the grapevine and added a pretty plaid bow.

I used floral wire to make the bow, but made sure to leave the ends long enough so that they could also be poked into the grapevine.

Christmas wreath with natural elements hanging on a front door with glass panesPin

If you’re into the vintage look at Christmas, this “wreath” couldn’t be any faster or easier to put together. 

A tobacco basket + two evergreen sprays + one cute Christmas decoration = done!  Everything is held together with jute twine.  The wreath looks simply enchanting!

square tobacco basket and faux pine picks on a front door being used as a Christmas wreathPin

Easy Living Spaces Decorating

A coffee table is one of the most eye catching spots to decorate in your living room. To be honest, I almost always struggle with mine. That is, until I came up with an easy formula. 

This coffee decorating formula for Christmas is super simple and can be put together in about 5 minutes! Formula: table runner + multiple sized white candles + faux greenery sprigs + small and large Christmas tree ornaments.  Like I said, sooo easy and I love it.

Assorted white candles on a coffee table with faux greenery and red Christmas ornaments on top of a table runnerPin

Not only is this an easy to make arrangment, it’s a great way to use bits of pieces of faux greenery.

Grab any size or shape tray, add multiple height pillar candles to the center, tuck in a variety of greenery bits, and use ornaments and pine cones to fill in any gaps. Add a simple length of Christmas ribbon for a really festive look.

round wood tray on a coffee table filled with red candles, bits of greenery, oranaments and a piece of ribbon.Pin

Have a bowl that’s filled with various greenery and wicker orbs throughout the year?

For Christmas, add a few ornaments, pine cones and faux berries. Done in less than 5 minutes!

brass bowl filled with wicker and greenery orbs, Christmas ornaments and pine cones.Pin

Don’t forget those end tables. What could be easier than grabbing a few Christmas decor pieces and combining them together on a table?

Angel, ceramic Christmas tree and bowl of red berries on a wood end table for ChristmasPin

Don’t leave bowls empty – fill them will faux berries, pine cones or small ornaments.

white and gold decorative Christmas bowl filled with faux red berriesPin

Keep the existing decor on a coffee table, but add faux greenery to a container for Christmas. Add a Christmas’y dish to the tops of coffee table books.

wood coffee table filled with easy decorations for Christmas consisting of coffee table books, Christmas dishes and a bowl filled with faux greenery and berriesPin
large blue and white container filled with faux greenery and red berries for Christmas on a wood coffee tablePin

Easy Kitchen Christmas Decor

My kitchen always becomes a real workhorse during the holidays.  Lots of memories are made there! 

Christmas vignette on a kitchen counter with blue and white accessories and red berries in a small vasePin

While I want my kitchen to be festive for Christmas, I also want to make sure that I don’t clutter the counters with too many decor items that have to be moved out of the way.

bowl filled with minature blue and white ginger jar Christmas ornaments with red velvet ribbon bowsPin

Glass canisters are fantastic to use for adding Christmas touches to your kitchen.

Fill an empty one with a deer Christmas ornaments and a bottle brush tree, placed on a saucer for stability.

clear glass cannister filled with deer Christmas ornaments and a bottle brush tree for ChristmasPin

Switch out everyday scoops with Christmas mugs. Tie a spring of greenery, ribbon, and a cookie cutter to the knob on the top.

clear glass canisters with red and white striped ribbon and faux Christmas greenery tied to the topPin

A basket becomes an easy-to-move way to contain everything you need for a hot chocolate station.

round wicker tray with a Santa holding a hot cocoa sign and Christmas mugsPin

Add a glass canister filled with a cute Christmas house to a vignette placed on a wood cutting board.

Only takes a few minutes to throw together and using a cutting board for the base of the vignette makes it easy to move things out of the way when the space is needed for food prep or cleanup.

Christmas vignette on a kitchen island with a small tree and ceramic Christmas house.Pin

Probably the easiest and quickest Christmas kitchen decoration is to just fill your largest bowl with a variety of leftover ornaments.

Place the bowl in the middle of a wreath on the kitchen island. Having just this one decoration will make the whole kitchen seem festive.

large blue and white bowl filled with red, green and blue Christmas ornaments on a kitchen islandPin

Easy Christmas Centerpieces

Just like a wreath is probably the first thing you think of for your front door, I bet that a centerpiece is the first thing that you think of for the table in your dining area. 

Once again, no need to spend a lot of time putting together something complicated. 

Here’s a less than 10 minute formula for a centerpiece that only looks complicated: tray + scarf + lantern + mini trees + candles + fake greenery sprigs + a few Christmas baubles = a fabulous looking centerpiece!

wicker tray on a table with a lantern, candles, mini Christmas treesPin

Here’s an even easier centerpiece.  I’ve used a breadboard for the base and added a pitcher filled with fake greenery, another empty container of the same color, and a stack of plates topped by a cute Christmas decoration.

Add a few tree ornaments on the greenery for something unexpected.

Christmas centerpiece on a kitchen tablePin

If you need something fast, but elegant for your dining room table, look no further than your stash of bits and pieces of greenery.

Gather your supplies, layer, and tuck in decorations to your heart’s content. Super easy and super quick.

Look at this post if you’d like more detailed instructions for creating a centerpiece such as this one.  

Christmas centerpiece on a wood dining room table made with burgundy, green and gold elements.Pin

There are so many other places where you could add more Christmas decorations, but just hitting these few strategic spots in your home will make you feel like you spent days decking out your home for the holidays.

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19 Comments

  1. Beautiful tour, Suzy! Love all of your rooms and awesome options. You have an amazing knack for turning packages into works of art. Love the sweet touches in the kitchen, too. Merry Christmas from Susie at The Chelsea Project

  2. Suzy, what great information you have given us here. You make it all seem so easy and your results a simply gorgeous! I think your dining room centerpiece is my favorite but I also love the simple grapevine wreath on your front door.

    Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year!

  3. Norma Rolader says:

    Oh so beautiful as always I love love your decor

  4. Jeri Bingham says:

    Thanks Susie for all the adorable ideas! The way you pulled things together for your coffee table decor was just exactly the inspiration I was hoping to find! Love the joyful feel of your home!

  5. I just want to thank you for all your wonderful decorating ideas & recipes. It make thinks a little less stressful. I really enjoy reading your posts. Thank & have a wonder holiday.

  6. So, So Merry!!! You are great!!!

  7. Your home looks just beautiful! I enjoy seeing your ideas and thank you for bringing them to all of us!!

  8. Oh, girl, won’t you please just hop in your car and come on over to Durham? It’s not very far, you know. . . .

    Your house looks absolutely amazing! Thank you for arranging so much into this post–there are so many good ideas here, it boggles the mind! Pinning to my Christmas board right now!

  9. Hi Suzy,
    You have given me a great ideas for every room, especially the kitchen where I spend most of my time. Your home is beautifully decorated with attention to every detail that makes a guest feel warm and welcome. It is a pleasure to share this blog tour with you and thanks so much for sharing your beautiful home.
    Miz Helen
    Miz Helen’s Country Cottage

  10. Your home always looks beautiful no matter the season, but there really is something about Christmas decor that takes it to the next level. I love all your tips, the cozy spaces, the festive colors and those darling little skates I see peppered around. Charming! Merry Christmas and Happy Hopping! Kim

  11. Oh Suzy, I love it all! I’m a little behind but I just have to get my wreath together and I will be done! Such great tips! Thanks for the inspiration!

  12. Suzy, so simple but very festive,. I can’t imagine Christmas time without red, I think of colorful cardinals during the winter always brightens what seems so dreary during the winter months. I love the simple ness of live greenery, so elegant!

  13. Beautiful, as always. Merry Christmas to you and yours!

  14. Your home is always beautiful, but I love the Christmas decor! Everything looks so cheerful!

  15. I love visiting your blog to be inspired and rejuvenated. Thank you for sharing so many simple ways to decorate for Christmas. Sometimes I make it too complicated. I definitely need to apply your KISS method.
    Thanks so much for sharing your lovely Christmas home.

  16. Your tips are so great! I especially love your tobacco basket “wreath”! I might snag one the next time I’m at Hobby Lobby now!

  17. Your decorating is beautiful! Very homey, not too fancy. I love your “Into each day…” print. My son and daughter-in-law just moved and I would love to give them this print for a house-warming gift. Could you please tell me where you purchased it?

    Thanks and Merry Christmas

  18. Everything looks beautiful, Suzy. I love all of your holiday decor too. Merry Christmas to you and yours.

  19. Everything looks stunning! This gives me great inspiration for next year.