How To Decorate A Small Living Room For Christmas On A Budget
LEARN HOW TO DECORATE A SMALL LIVING ROOM FOR CHRISTMAS WITH SIMPLE IDEAS THAT ARE INEXPENSIVE AND EASY, BUT ALSO INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL!
Tiny living room? No problem. We’re going big on charm, small on footprint. If your sofa sits too close to the wall and your cat thinks the ‘tree skirt’ is a litter tray, you’re in the right spot. Here’s how to decorate your small living room for Christmas, cottage style, budget-friendly, and totally doable even if you hot-glued half your wreath while watching Netflix in your pajamas
Decorating small spaces for the holiday season can be a challenge, especially when introducing a large tree indoors! But over the years, I’ve managed to find ways to make it work.
For those of you with small spaces, I thought I’d share a few tips on how to decorate a small living room for Christmas. Including putting up trees in small spaces, easy Christmas accent ideas, and decorating on a budget that’s smaller than your living space!
Pick the Perfect Christmas Tree for your small Living Room
Regardless of how small your space is, there are a number of ways to fit a beautiful Christmas tree, large or small. Here are a few different versions I’ve tried over the years to give you some ideas.
Full-Size Tree In Small Living Room
Even in a small space, you can have a full-size, gorgeous Christmas tree. Although I love real trees, I’ve found it to be best to have an artificial tree because it’s easier to control the exact size.
With an artificial tree, you can also keep some branches folded in so you can push it closer to the wall. Every inch matters in small spaces!
With the tree above, I added a few real branches of a Frasier Fir tree to make it look a little more realistic and to give the Christmas tree scent.
As you can see, it’s every bit as beautiful as a real tree!
Even with a small-sized tree like the one above, I still have to remove a piece of furniture to fit it in our living room. I removed a side chair and put it in a bedroom while our tree is up. It’s worth it to me to have a full-sized tree.
If you buy a full-size tree for your small space, I highly recommend a pre-lit. You don’t have to worry about having enough room to circle the tree a dozen times to string lights onto it.
If that is not an option for you, consider a small Christmas tree instead. They can be just as beautiful without the hassle!
Mini Tree Alternatives
One year, I decided to forgo the full-size Christmas tree and go with a mini version in our living room.
What was nice about this was that I used a real tree. A real mini tree is much easier to manage in a small space. I didn’t have to move any furniture for this one. I simply placed it on a side table and wrapped the base with a plaid scarf.
This is a great option if you don’t have the space to store a large tree for the rest of the year. Additionally, you don’t need a ton of storage space for ornaments, lights, and tree fillers.
Another fun reason to use mini trees is that you can experiment with different pots, baskets, or planters to put them in.
Put the tree in another room
Who says the tree has to be in the living room? Not all of us have large spaces with a roaring fireplace to display a tree. One year, I used this mini tree on a side table in our small breakfast nook.
Maybe you have a larger dining room or porch that would fit a tree better. You could even place it in a bedroom to enjoy the glow at night.
You can enjoy the tree in whichever room it’s in! There are endless choices when it comes to tree sizes. See where one would best fit your space and go from there.
easy Christmas accents with big impact
Even without a tree in your room, you can create a big impact with the simplest of accents! Sometimes, less is more this time of year!
decorating with branches
Whatever the holiday or season, decorating with branches is my favorite go-to when it comes to decor. Mostly because I love adding natural elements wherever I can. But also because they’re cheap (or free) and because a little really does make a large impact!
You can find them in your own backyard, or take a walk through the park and pick up fallen branches. The taller and more interesting, the better.
In the photo above, I cut a few branches from a pine tree and placed them in a vintage crock. I used a mason jar with water inside the crock to help keep the branches alive longer.
You could even hang ornaments from the branches and make that your Christmas tree.
Use Candlelight
Nothing – and I mean nothing – brings the ambiance like candlelight does! Even with the most minimal of Christmas decorations, adding several candles to the room can make it look magical.
Even a small grouping of items with a single candle, as above, creates a beautiful vignette. That one was on my kitchen table, but could easily be used on a coffee table as well.
Another idea to bounce light around is to place a group of candles on a mirror or a mirrored tray. Mirrors always work well in a small space decorating.
One year, I even made my own floating candles to use in a Christmas centerpiece.
Here is another simple setting I put together on my coffee table a while back. Again, I used everyday items such as candles and books, but I added a small, live mini Christmas tree. This one was so simple and still one of my favorites. The only thing I bought for this vignette was the small tree.
If you aren’t a fan of real candles, the flameless type works just as well for ambiance. Use flameless candles or battery-operated candles for safety if you have small children or pets.
decorate with fresh greenery and garland
Whatever size space you have, fresh greenery (or faux garland if you don’t love the mess) is your best friend. Nothing adds life, color, and texture to a room like greenery!
It doesn’t need to be a giant garland. Even just a few snips of greenery added here and there make a significant impact. Use it around doors or around a mirror for an impact that doesn’t take up any floor space. Vertical decorating is another small space decorating trick!
Find Your Focal Point
I like to create a focal point with my Christmas decor just as I would when decorating a room normally. You don’t need a mantel to do so either!
Choose one main area, such as the Christmas tree, a console table, or even a wall display.
Some ideas for a holiday focal point in your living room (that don’t take up any space) are: hanging a wreath over a mirror, using a vintage tray as wall art, hanging greenery or ribbons on your existing wall decor.
Christmas Mantel Decor
We don’t have a real fireplace, but I created a faux one with this wood mantel. Because our living room is small, this mantel shelf gives me a place to decorate seasonally.
go vertical
As I mentioned, in a small space, using vertical space is key. Rather than covering every available surface in holiday decor, hang a few things strategically to bring in the Christmas spirit.
Our front door opens right into our living room, so I created a makeshift entry space with a small side table.
Using only what was already there, I added Christmas decorations. Such as fresh greens in the umbrella stand, and a Christmas horn hung over the mirror. Other years, I’ve also had a wreath over the mirror.
Also, consider using Christmas lights on walls or around doors and windows. That is an easy way to make it really beautiful.
Hanging Christmas wreaths on your windows is another space-saving idea to add holiday cheer. Windows are the perfect place to add accents without taking up any space.
Another idea is to change out your normal decor, such as small area rugs, to something more festive. Last year, I replaced my normal entry rug with one that has shades of red to match my Christmas color scheme.
These are all simple ideas to make your room festive without taking up any extra floor space.
how to decorate a small living room for Christmas – Use What You Already Have
Everyday items can often double as decor.
Using everyday items as decor is something I not only use at Christmastime but all year long. It is very helpful when living in a small space.
To do that for the holidays, I will often use gifts as decor. Wrap them beautifully and keep them in sight. This is a money saver too.
I always buy plain colored wrapping paper. This way, I can use it all year long and dress it up with seasonal ribbon. Nothing gets wasted. Wrap gifts in plain kraft or white paper, with a pretty ribbon, and add a sprig of greenery – easy!
Or simply stack your books on a table with a small Christmas detail, such as a deer or a favorite ornament, on top.
How to decorate a small living room for Christmas – 10+ Quick Small-Space Christmas Decor Ideas
Here are a few more quick, easy, and budget friendly ideas for decorating a small living room for Christmas. These can even work anywhere in your home.
- Fill a pretty bowl with colorful ornaments
- Tie ribbons from chandeliers or wall sconces
- Use amaryllis bulbs or paperwhites in pots for live greenery other than a tree
- Use Christmas cards to form a wreath on the wall
- Swap out throw pillows for holiday covers instead
- Use battery operated candles in your windows
- Use holiday-wrapped candies in a bowl on your coffee table
- Hang wreaths in your windows
- Hang a grouping of ornaments in your windows with ribbon
- Make paper stars and hang them from the ceiling with command hooks
- Scatter pinecones on a table
- Tuck string lights or fairy lights anywhere you can
I always try to make the most of my small living room space for the holiday season without going overboard or making it too cluttered. You don’t have to do all the ideas here, just pick two or three that make sense for your small space!
You really don’t need a ton of decor to create Christmas cheer this holiday season. Whether you live in a small apartment or have the tiniest of living rooms, it can become a winter wonderland with a few well-thought-out accents!
Wishing you all a happy Christmas season!
This post was updated for the 2025 holiday season. For more holiday decorating inspiration, check out our seasonal decorating magazine, Simply Christmas, Volumes 1 and Volumes 2. Enjoy!
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