Create a Beautiful Holiday Mantel

Easy and Creative Ways to Decorate Your Fireside for Christmas

Oct 29, 2007 Mary McCarthy

Creating your own Christmas mantel? Here are some beautiful ways to decorate your fireplace for the holiday season.

The fireplace mantel is often the centerpiece of the coziest room in your home- especially during the holiday season. Invite your guests to enjoy a beautiful fireside setting when they visit to celebrate the holidays with you and your family. Here are some easy, inexpensive, creative ideas for decorating your Christmas holiday mantel.

Creative Christmas Holiday Mantels: Silver & Gold

The classic scene of red Christmas stockings lining the fireplace mantel brings Currier and Ives images to mind. Why not try a twist on the classic this year by making or purchasing a new set of glittery gold matching stockings for each member of the family? The real ones that are used can simply ‘appear’ on Christmas morning- but hanging pretty matching stockings lets you set up a striking mantel scene. On the mantel shelf you can place an oblong mirror with various sizes of silver candlesticks topped with various sizes of gold candles. Add a few gold and silver Christmas balls in various sizes to tuck between the candles. Sprinkle real glitter across the scene for added twinkle.

Christmas Mantels: The Twelve Days of Christmas

This is a unique and original idea for a holiday mantel. You’ll need 12 matching candlesticks- these can be purchased inexpensively at any ‘dollar store.’ Go here for the lyrics to the 12 Days of Christmas. Then, ‘google’ Twelve Days of Christmas under Google Images. You will come up with many different images of the twelve days’ symbols: everything from a partridge in a pear tree all the way through the 12 drummers drumming. Choose your favorite set of images (vintage-style looks best) and cut and paste them into a document on your computer. Print the 12 images (about 2-3 inches each in size) onto pretty paper- holiday or parchment if available. Cut each image out in an oval or round shape, using decorative-edged scissors. Line your twelve candlesticks across your mantel. Then, using spirit gum or sticky tack, affix the twelve images to the centers of the candlesticks, adding twelve same-colored candles. Finally, add fresh holly sprigs and clippings from your Christmas tree along the mantel between the candlesticks. Voila! A mantel your true love would be proud to give to you!

Strut Your Stuff: Christmas Collections

Do you have a collection of decorative Santa Clauses, holiday music boxes, nutcrackers, snowmen, gingerbread men or other holiday decorations? Select some of your favorites and put them together on your mantel with fresh evergreen in between for fragrance so your guests can enjoy viewing your favorite holiday collectibles.

Read more ideas for beautiful Christmas holiday mantels.

Or explore some clever family holiday photo ideas or creative Christmas gifts for kids, grandparents, and creative hostess gifts.

The copyright of the article Create a Beautiful Holiday Mantel in Interior Decorating is owned by Mary McCarthy. Permission to republish Create a Beautiful Holiday Mantel in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Holiday Mantel