Last-Minute Ways To Create A Warm & Welcoming Home This Season

It’s not too late to add festive details to create a warm and welcoming home for the holiday season!

Today I am sharing easy last-minute ways to deck your halls with natural elements, greenery, candles, ribbons, books, and other things you might have on hand, or which you can pick up easily when out doing the last of your shopping!

It’s All About The Details

I have said it before, and you will surely hear me say it again — design is in the details.

It is the small things that make a home feel warm and welcoming.

That is a good thing at this point in the holiday season!

It means you don’t have to make major changes to your home to make it feel festive in time for Christmas and New Year’s!

I know you are busy — and so I am.

So I will cut right to the chase and keep it short today.

If, instead, you want to dive deep into my holiday decor this season, check out my recent posts:

Planning My Holiday Home Part 1 | Greenery and Decor

Planning My Holliday Home Part 2 | Pillows, Throws, and Table Setting

Settle in For a Long Winter’s Nap With Cozy Flannel Bedding

My Holiday Mantel | How to Get That “Wow” Full-Garland Look

Personality, Meaning, and Joy | Decorating Your Christmas Tree

Greenery

You may have noticed that a lot of my holiday decorating simply involves adding greenery to something.

I put it in pitchers. Drape it on light fixtures. Lay it across the mantel and on top of furniture.

I have 11, yes ELEVEN wreaths hanging on the house. Plus, a swag around the front door.

My mantra: when in doubt, add greenery!

Sometimes I have to stop myself from adding too much. But then I think, is there such a thing as too much greenery this time of year??

And the nice thing about greenery is that you can leave it out into January as winter decor.

I have a large bin of faux greenery — both garlands and stems — that I have collected through the years to pull from.

It is late enough in the season, though, that you can use fresh greenery, and it should still look good for the holidays. And you might even be able to get it on sale at this point.

Or better yet, maybe you can clip it from your yard or nearby woods.

I repeat: When in doubt, add greenery! It will immediately make your home look more festive!

Natural Elements

Another easy way to add that warm holiday and winter feeling to your home is to bring in natural elements.

If it exists in nature at this time of year, it is fair game, in my opinion.

Dried hydrangeas Last year I spray-painted them a matte gold for the holidays.

Branches and twigs You know I can’t stop myself from picking up those lichen-covered branches when I am out walking with Maddie and Cisco. I keep adding them to the mantel garland, so it is looking pretty wild at this point… I also mix them in with the greenery in my blue and white pitchers.

Or you could spray paint branches white for a simple but lovely look in a tall basket.

Bark and moss are nice tucked into plants or added to garlands and wreaths.

Berries add a great pop of color to greenery! We had a number of huge Nandina bushes at our previous home, and I always cut some branches for holiday decor.

And of course, pine cones I have baskets and bowls of them around the house. They are nestled in greenery and sitting on shelves. Oh yes, there is also a tree covered in them…

If you can’t forage them, Lowes and Home Depot often sell bags of those cinnamon-scented ones. And depending on where you live, there might still be time to order them from Amazon. I will link below!

Shop Pinecones:

Grocery Store Items

Yes, you can shop for holiday decor at the grocery store!

Oranges are my favorite this time of year. They are another thing I pile into bowls and baskets.

It is not too late to to dry orange slices for decorating: 4-6 hours in a 175°-oven on convection mode, flipping the orange slices once around halfway through. I also add these to greenery and garlands.

Red and green apples in a white bowl would be beautiful.

Pomegranates or figs

Limes are a fun pop of holiday green!

Nuts in the shell I glued them to a small tree last year and added them to bowls of oranges and greenery.

Hmmm… I should add them to my shopping list…

Ribbons

I feel the same way about ribbons as I feel about greenery.

Add a ribbon to pretty much anything, and it is immediately holiday-ready.

Baskets, light fixtures. and candle holders.

Stockings — yes!

A wicker top hat? Defiinitely!

Carved wooden seagulls — oh yes!

A pair of wooden pins — how about two ribbons and a dried orange slice?!

You might still be able to get ribbon delivered from Amazon. Or check out Walmart or your local fabric, craft, or flower store.

I used a blanket I had on hand to make “scarves” for my outdoor wreaths.

Jute twine is an option for a rustic or coastal look.

You can even make your own ribbon by cutting or tearing fabric into strips.

And you don’t have to tie it in a bow! For a more casual look, just tie it once and let the ends hang down.

Lastly, don’t be wedded to typical “Christmas” colors or patterns. I use a lot of rusty orange ribbon. Brown is lovely too. A bright green or pink would be fun! And of course blue works year round for me!

Candles

Candles are an immediate way to add warmth and ambiance to a room.

I think taper candles are so elegant. And I like colored ones that pick up on my holiday palette — greens, blues, and orange this year.

For my holiday table, I am using a mix of colored tapers contrasting with white pillars and votives. All in glass holders for extra sparkle.

The beautiful taper holders are from my friends at Caskata. The Pool Balance Glass Candlestick Holders come in a set of three, each holder a little different from the others!

I generally use real flame candles, but I have blogging and social media friends who are speaking very highly of the “flameless” battery powered tapers I have linked below.

You can still pick up candles from Walmart, Target, HomeGoods, and hardware and specialty stores. Many grocery stores also carry them. Add them to your shopping list!

Shop flameless candles

Books

Yes, books.

You definitely already have them around the house. And they are great as decor.

Pull the paper jacket off and see what color lurks underneath!

I use them instead of a tray as a base for other decor — maybe pinecones or candles!

And I grabbed a few cookbooks with orange and green covers to add a pop of seasonal color to my hutch.

I also have them stacked on the mantel in the bedroom.

Plants

I created a last-minute holiday “garden” around the giant Money Tree in our entrance area by placing it in a large tray basket and then surrounding it with other seasonal plants — paperwhites, a tiny cyprus “tree”, and a small holly bush. I couldn’t resist adding some of my favorite lichen-covered branches.

The plants were from a local flower shop and a garden store.

I know our grocery store also has a lovely selection of mini trees and seasonal plants this time of year.

Bonus! This is also decor that will last and continue to bring cheer to the dark days of January.

This Week Into Next

Nine sleeps left until the big day, and I am calling my holiday decorating done.

Well, mostly. I might continue to tweak a few things.

And I definitely need to tidy and pull all the guest spaces together.

If you aren’t done, I hope this post has given you a few easy ideas to help you make your home look festive.

But remember — your home will feel warm and welcoming if you welcome your family and friends into it with warmth and love.

Memories of your table setting or mantel decor will fade; it is the conversations you have around the table, or time spent together by the fire that really matter.

So only focus on the decor if it brings you joy.

If, instead, you are all about the food, I will be sharing our menus for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day on Tuesday. Plus, some pics of my plans for the table.

Then I will be signing off until 2024.

Wishing you joy and peace,