How to Decorate for Winter after Christmas, Farmhouse Style + Before & After Pics
Need some inspiration to change over from Christmas to winter decor? Here are some budget-friendly ideas, in farmhouse style! Keep reading for a load of helpful ideas, plus before-and-after pictures!
How Do I Decorate My Home After Christmas?
It’s usually just a day or 2 after Christmas that I start getting the itch to de-Christmas and move on to winter. I’m not sure why…maybe because the Christmas season is so…consuming.
It’s everywhere, in everything – and I love it…but by December 26, I’m ready to put a period on it and move on.
Today I’m sharing some easy ways to incorporate decor into your home for January – so it feels like winter and not Christmas.
Easy Tips for a Cozy Home after Christmas
There are a few guidelines I like to follow when I’m decorating for winter. Basically, I try to keep out whatever I can from Christmas, removing any Christmas signs, anything red (besides berries- sometimes I’ll keep them out), holiday and Christmas accents and decor.
Often, there’s still a lot left behind, and I only have to swap out a few things. Below are some things I incorporate for my home to have a winter feel but not a Christmas feel:
1| Winter Whites
Snowy decor, chunky blankets, cotton stems, evergreen decor in white (candles, candles holders, trays, ceramic pitchers), white birch trees or branches
2| Natural Elements
Pine cones, greenery, wooden logs, faux evergreen trees, white birch trees
3| Clean & Simple Look
Streamlined theme, texture for depth rather than quantity of items; minimalist; lots of white space
4| Soft & Neutral Colors
Tans, greys, creams, wood, white for couches, pillows, wall decor, accessories
5| Black & White
Buffalo check, rugs, pillows, blankets, wall and shelf decor, accessories to add contrast
Those were pretty much the ‘rules’ I was going to follow when putting together my farmhouse decor, going from Christmas to winter.
Other Budget-Friendly Pro-Tips for Winter Decor
There are a few other things you can do to keep this a pretty simple transition and do it in a way that’s cost-effective.
1| Decorate for Christmas with winter in mind.
As you decorate for the holidays, keep in mind that you’re going to have to take it all down and decorate for winter.
Of course, you can just go back to your regular year-round decor. Growing up, I’m pretty sure my mom decorated for Christmas and that was it.
But if you’re wanting to decorate for winter, include some pieces in your Christmas decor that can easily translate: flocked trees, pine cones, greens… anything that is woodsy, snowy, green, white, tan... those pieces transfer very well!
If you want some inspiration for winter decor that’s budget-friendly (as in DIY, lol), check out this post with 35 DIY Winter Wreaths (Easy Non-Christmas Ideas) and 35 Cozy DIY Winter Decor Ideas (Farmhouse Style).
These projects are suitable to put up at Christmas and leave them up after Christmas all through the winter!
Pro-Tip: If you avoid red and anything overtly Christmas (colorful ornaments, Christmas sayings, etc.), you can probably keep it around for winter.
2| Shop the post-Christmas sales for WINTER decor, not just Christmas.
It can be hard to resist gift bags for a quarter and a set of ornaments for $2. Grab those for sure. But also keep an eye open for winter decor.
You can grab some amazing pieces that you can use right now, for winter decor, not just for Christmas next year.
Pro-Tip: Start looking for deals BEFORE Christmas. Many places are already down 50% the week before Christmas and are putting out Valentine’s Day items. If you go after Christmas, go first thing in the morning on December 26th. You’ll get the best selections as great discounts.
Now, it’s true, the discounts get bigger the longer you wait, but the selection gets smaller.
To be honest, I made several trips, lol.
3| Modify what you have
There are somethings you have out that you might be able to make a few adjustments to and still use.
I had a galvanized pail with berries and greens and pine cones, and I just removed the berries and added in some extra greens.
One year, I did a big orange-slice-and-ribbon theme for Christmas. I probably could have kept it for winter, but it was a little too Christmasy for me.
Instead, I replaced the orange slices with pine cones and use the ribbon to hang wreaths instead of as garland with orange slices.
How to Decorate for Winter After Christmas
Before and After Pictures of Christmas-to-Winter Decor
OK, so how does all this come together? I’m going to share some before and after pictures
Porch
BEFORE
AFTER
For more winter porch inspiration, be sure to check out 25 best winter porches for inspiration!
Entry Way Bench
BEFORE
AFTER
Floating Shelves
BEFORE
AFTER
And here are other versions from prior year:
Top of Cube Cabinet
BEFORE
AFTER
Shelves and Mantels
BEFORE
And then another year:
AFTER
And another year:
Dining Table
BEFORE
Lots of lush greens, which I just adore. But I needed much more practical and simple for winter!
AFTER
Much more simple and clean! You can check out the full winter tablescape post right here as well as more winter tablescape ideas here!
Fireplace and Mantel
BEFORE
You can see I went with a lot of green, intentionally, because it makes things a lot easier to change for winter. Lazy girl decorating for the win, right?
AFTER
For more winter mantel ideas, be sure to check out this post!
Winter Inspiration to Keep You Going Until Spring
I hope you found some ideas you can use! I had a great time putting this together – there’s something about letting your creative energy fly when you’re cooped up for the winter.
With a little pre-planning, going from Christmas to winter decor around the home can be a fairly easy transition.
Even if you’re last minute, you can throw winter decor together very easily! Let me know if I can be of help!
I’d love to see what you come up with! Tag me on instagram @100affections!
Thoughts? I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment below!
Your ideas are great, I was wondering if you could help with an old ornament tree that I would like to use as a porch decoration is there any way I can send you a picture
I’ll do my best! lol You can send it to 100affections@gmail.com 🙂
Very well idea.
https://rugstore.ae/
I had trouble seeing your beautiful decorating ideas due to the fact Google ads were covering most of your content. There was only a 2″ x 4″ space to see your content. If you have another site that you post to please let me know so I can see your beautiful decorating.
Hi – thanks for coming by! I’m sorry you had problems! I’ve checked w/ my ad network and they’ve assured me my ads are within the normal range, on level with other sites. They recommended I ask for screenshots of particular problems so they can look into it further. If you’d be willing to attach them to an email, I’ll pass them on. Thank you! kate@ahundredaffections.com
I’ve recently come across your site and enjoy your decorating so much. In fact, I saw a few ideas I’d like to incorporate into my home. Love the ‘Winter’ print. Do you have a printable on your site? Thanks for the inspiration.
Hi Bonnie! Thank you so much for your kind words and coming by! The winter print is a from my Etsy shop – it’s a printable download that comes in 6 different size ratios, both in PDF and JPG. It’s $3.99 – and if you’re on my subscriber list, you get a 25% off coupon you can use in the shop! Here’s the link if you’re interested – https://www.etsy.com/listing/924762430/winter-definition-print-dictionary-print?
I enjoyed your variety of ideas for WINTER DECORATING!
I appreciate that so much! Thank you!
I love your before and after pictures! Great idea! It’s my first year holding back my winter decorations from my Christmas decorations. I’m excited! Thanks for the inspiration!
Oh, I love this, Laura! I’m so glad you found some ideas that were helpful! Yes, just adding a few different things can add a whole new feel! Thank you so much for letting me know! 🙂