Feel that? The frost in the air is officially, well, frosty. The passing of daylight savings time (please, a moment of silence for daylight) means we’re well and truly into the holiday season, which also means it’s time to start decorating! While I’m a firm believer that everyone should decorate their homes in whatever way makes their holidays feel the most magical, it is also my duty as a homes and style editor to keep you informed of what is trending (and what is not) during the holiday season. Bows? So last year. Tartan? The classic is set to make a comeback as the must-have pattern of the year.
Below, I’m covering the five holiday decorating trends you’re going to see everywhere this winter. Happy decorating!
A Ralph Lauren Christmas
Social media has been flooded with the term “Ralph Lauren Christmas” since even before Halloween, so it’s safe to say we’re going to be seeing a ton of the look this year. If you’re curious what exactly a Ralph Lauren Christmas is, don’t worry—we’ve got you covered with this full explainer story, complete with tips and ideas on how to bring the look to life in your own home.
The short version is pretty simple: Ralph Lauren Christmas is all about a return to classic Christmas motifs. Think layers of tartan, silver baubles, lush greenery, and a thread of Ralph-approved rusticity, all shown through a classic red-and-green palette. Prepare to see a lot of it this year—and next.
An Elegant, Vintage Christmas
Similar to the Ralph Lauren Christmas look, the elegant, vintage Christmas aesthetic is informed by the embrace of Art Deco-style motifs that we’ve seen pop up this year. While the spirit of a Ralph Lauren Christmas is rustic Americana, the spirit of an elegant vintage Christmas is more martinis and white tablecloths—it’s glitzy, but not glam thanks to the warmth and patina vintage metallics bring.
Silver Revere bowls offer the perfect nesting spots for your collection of vintage ornaments.
If Ralph Lauren is all about reds and greens, this style leans heavily into the cooler tones of winter, like silver and blue. Picture party-ready silver champagne buckets or trees decked out in tinsel with presents wrapped with sumptuous velvet ribbons.
A Handmade Holiday
You could also call this Christmas decorating look a “Little Women Christmas,” if you feel so inclined. If the Ralph Lauren aesthetic feels “overdone,” then this is for you. Everything about a handmade holiday feels cozy and lived-in—think dried citrus accents and paper garland. The emphasis here is on making something—anything—and displaying it with pride. Shop vintage for whatever you can’t craft yourself and be sure to bring in elements from nature to give it a Louisa May Alcott-approved feel.
A Folksy Scandi Holiday
If you like the idea of a handcrafted holiday but want it to feel a bit more intentional and polished, then this year’s trend of a Swedish-style Christmas may be for you. This cozier, homier take on Scandi design is worlds different from the minimalist Scandi style that ruled a decade ago. Instead, this trend leans into the folksy handicrafts of the Swedes—think paper stars hanging from the ceiling, trees draped with wood bead garlands, and hand-painted accents. It’s less ski chalet and more cozy cabin, with plenty of fresh greenery and soft knits.
RELATED: This Utah Family Home Has a Simple, Hands-On Approach to the Holidays
A Full-On ’90s Christmas
You’ve heard of dopamine decorating, but what the kids of the ’90s are doing today is a lot more like oxytocin decorating. As this generation starts having kids of their own, they’re leaning hard into a very specific kind of nostalgia, reprising the motifs of their childhoods in the hopes of giving their kids a “good” Christmas just like they had.
That means ditching the blue-tinged LED lights for something like colorful Tru-Tone lights to ensure their 2025 Christmas tree has that same warm orange-red glow that their 1995 one did. It also means embracing a little—emphasis on little—bit of kitsch. Love a polar bear or penguin motif? This is your chance to play it up. Shopping at your local vintage or thrift store (or, you know, just calling your mom) is the best way to bring this aesthetic to life. Each piece you bring in should have a story—a connection to family or past experiences—and none of it should be perfect.
Anna Logan is the Senior Homes & Style Editor at Country Living, where she has been covering all things home design, including sharing exclusive looks at beautifully designed country kitchens, producing home features, writing everything from timely trend reports on the latest viral aesthetic to expert-driven explainers on must-read topics, and rounding up pretty much everything you’ve ever wanted to know about paint, since 2021. Anna has spent the last seven years covering every aspect of the design industry, previously having written for Traditional Home, One Kings Lane, House Beautiful, and Frederic. She holds a degree in journalism from the University of Georgia. When she’s not working, Anna can either be found digging around her flower garden or through the dusty shelves of an antique shop. Follow her adventures, or, more importantly, those of her three-year-old Maltese and official Country Living Pet Lab tester, Teddy, on Instagram.
