How to Decorate Simply: High-Impact Minimalist Holiday Ideas
For me, the holiday experience is less about gifts and decorations and more about sensory experiences—breathing in the crisp scent of a live fir Christmas tree, savoring the rich flavors of my husband’s seasonal cooking, and gazing at the gentle glow of twinkling holiday lights.
For many years, I didn’t decorate for Christmas at all. In 2021, I began a new tradition when I brought home a simple live tree to decorate with my husband. We still keep our holiday decor very simple, but it is high-impact.
In this post, I’ll share my favorite ways to decorate for the holidays with a minimalist mindset.
Our live Christmas tree in the corner of our living room
Bring the outside in
I always opt for a live tree over a synthetic one. Bringing life indoors is instantly refreshing, and catching the scent of our live fir grounds me in the season. I also incorporate temporary natural elements through seasonal blooms. Last year, I bought an Amaryllis bulb and watched the bright red flowers unfurl near Christmas—it was a lovely, ephemeral burst of color. Once the foliage dies back, the bulb can be planted outside or stored for the next holiday season.
Minimize off-season storage
Since we don’t have an attic, garage, or shed in our condo, we must be mindful of seasonal storage—we fit everything onto the top shelf of our linen closet. Getting a live Christmas tree eliminates the need to store a large plastic one, which is a significant space-saver. For our other items, we intentionally seek out flat-pack festive pieces. For example, our paper ornaments and garland fold flat when not in use (I found them at IKEA). Similarly, the small wooden trees on our cabinet also disassemble and pack away easily.
The Amaryllis bulb I bought last year
Our Skagerak wooden tree decorations
Embrace natural materials
When there is less decor, each item speaks louder and the details matter more. Natural materials—like wood, wool, and jute—make a sparsely decorated home feel warm and inviting. Synthetic materials, such as plastic, can have the opposite effect; they also attract dust more easily and don’t tend to age as well. I always opt for something natural whenever possible, ensuring every item contributes to my philosophy of warm minimalism.
Add gentle illumination
I love low, warm lighting in the evenings, which is a powerful way to support healthy circadian rhythms and improve sleep quality. We light our spaces with soft lamps and candles rather than bright overhead lights. In winter, we rely on candles even more, allowing the soft glow of the Christmas tree to seamlessly enhance this cozy, twinkling mood. For optimal warmth, I always look for lights labeled “warm white” or “soft white”; my favorites for achieving this ambiance are GE Reveal and IKEA TRADFRI.
Our IKEA ornaments and Skagerak Stella tree base
Our IKEA garland
Introduce seasonal scents
Because the sensory experience is paramount, I use scent to amplify the existing decor. This keeps the aesthetic clean while maximizing the cozy atmosphere. Instead of relying on strong artificial fragrances, I use natural materials. For example, I arrange evergreen cuttings from a nature walk in a simple vase. In the kitchen, my husband simmers a pot of water with sliced oranges, cinnamon sticks, and cloves—the simple, warming steam is an immersive experience that requires no extra storage space after the holidays.
Cultivate a winter ritual
Instead of buying a new object, I focus on a simple activity that becomes part of our cozy winter routine. This could be lighting one beautiful, slow-burning, pillar candle every evening, or settling in for a cozy session of nostalgic family videos. The ritual itself—the ambiance and the sentiment—becomes the decoration, linking the sensory experience directly to the feeling of the season.
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