Cottage Christmas Home Tours: A Year-by-Year Holiday Decor Collection
Every year before I start decorating, I scroll back through our old Christmas home tours. They’re the best decorating notes I own.
They show the color palettes I couldn’t get enough of, the little experiments I tried, the vintage finds that came home with me that year, and how many photos Jax and Ollie managed to wander into, which is more than I can count.
Some years were bright red and nostalgic. Some went coastal, with greens and blues. Others were soft and garden-inspired, with dried hydrangeas tucked into the branches.
So, grab your favorite drink (mine’s an iced latte, even in November and December) and take a walk through Christmas past with me. Year by year, room by room, tree by tree.
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Looking for more Christmas living room ideas? I’ve gathered my favorite cottage-style trees, mantels, vignettes, and living room styling in one place: 32 Christmas Decor Ideas for Bringing Comfort and Joy Home.
Our Cottage Christmas Home Tours at a Glance
Here’s every tour in one spot, with the palette and rooms each one covers. Click any title to see the full tour.
| Year | Tour | Palette and style | Rooms |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Moody Christmas Cottage Tour | Burgundy, navy, olive, brown, and cream; vintage mixed with new | Living room, kitchen |
| 2024 | Classic Christmas Charm | Soft greens and cream, dried hydrangeas, dried orange slices, copper | Living room, kitchen |
| 2023 | Vintage and Modern Christmas Decor | Flea-market finds with modern sparkle, brass and copper | Kitchen |
| 2023 | Green and White Christmas Decor | Green and white, dried hydrangea tree, velvet ribbon | Living room |
| 2022 | Cozy Christmas Cottage Kitchen | Red and copper, greenery, hot cocoa station | Kitchen |
| 2022 | Rustic, Natural, and Neutral Christmas | Earthy neutrals, cedar, pinecones, warm wood | Living room |
| 2021 | Vintage-Inspired Cottage Christmas | Vintage ornaments, thrifted finds, galvanized metal | Living room, kitchen |
2025 Christmas Home Tour: A Moody Cottage Christmas
Moody Christmas Cottage Tour: Mixing Old and New
I went all in on a moody palette in 2025 with deep burgundy, navy, olive, brown, and cream. Vintage pieces sat right next to newer textures, and the whole cottage felt rich and cozy.
The trick that made it work was repetition. I used the same garland, ribbon, and moody ornaments in the living room and the kitchen. Each room kept its own personality, but walking from one room to the other felt connected.
Mixing old and new this way adds depth to a small space without moving into clutter. It also reminded me there aren’t any rules here. If it feels like you, it works.
2024 Christmas Home Tour: Simple, Classic Cottage Christmas Decor
Embrace Christmas Charm with These Classic Decor Ideas
This one looked a little different. I was still recovering from knee surgery, so we only took out about half of my usual Christmas decorations.
I didn’t miss the other half. A few intentional pieces made the cottage feel every bit as warm as when we had a full house of decor.
In the living room, I stuck with vintage-inspired pieces and natural elements, including twinkle lights, soft greenery, and a few well-styled corners. The trees got dried hydrangeas and dried orange slices, a nod to the garden even in December.
The kitchen stayed quiet, with copper on the open shelving catching the light. No full-house decorating marathon, and the cottage still felt peaceful and welcoming.
If you’re decorating with less this year too, these quick and simple cottage Christmas decor ideas are a good place to start.
Sometimes the simpler season is the sweetest one.
2023 Christmas Home Tours: Vintage and Modern, Green and White
How to Mix Vintage and Modern Christmas Decor
In 2023, I stopped choosing between vintage and modern and used both. Flea-market finds, sentimental ornaments, and old-world textures went right alongside newer pieces that fit the cottage style.
Twinkle lights sat next to brass candlesticks. Vintage ornaments hung near modern wreaths. Slightly imperfect antiques shared shelf space with fresh greenery. The mix kept the house from feeling dated or overdone.
If you love vintage but want a little modern sparkle, this tour is full of ideas you can borrow.
Green and White Christmas Decor Ideas for Your Holiday Home
We went a different direction on the second 2023 tour with a calm, classic green-and-white palette.
Those two colors mean something to me. Green symbolizes the evergreens, everywhere you look in the Pacific Northwest, and staying full through the darkest months. White represents the fresh snow, quiet and clean.
The dried hydrangea Christmas tree was the star that year. Its muted tones and papery texture made it the room’s focal point, with lush greenery, green velvet ribbon, and a few simple cottage touches filling in around it. Light, airy, and calm.
This color palette works whether your style runs traditional or modern.
2022 Christmas Home Tours: Cozy Kitchen and Rustic Neutral Decor
Quick and Easy Cozy Christmas Cottage Kitchen Decorating Ideas
2022 was about keeping Christmas simple and doable, especially in the kitchen. I wanted it festive without adding clutter or covering up the cottage charm that’s already there.
The small things that made the biggest difference:
![kitchen table with Ollie watching from the window seat]](https://shiplapandshells.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Christmas-kitchen-tour-27-SQ-765x1024.jpg)
You don’t need a big decorating plan, or a big kitchen, for any of these.
Cozy Christmas Decor Ideas for a Rustic, Natural, and Neutral Style
The second 2022 tour skipped bold color entirely, focusing on earthy tones, soft textures, and elements brought in from outside.
I decorated with cedar branches, pinecones, dried stems, and natural garlands mixed with warm woods and cozy fabrics. Soft neutrals kept it light. A few rustic accents, like a wicker deer wrapped in a cream scarf, added charm without crowding the room.
Christmas doesn’t have to be loud to feel festive. This theme was made for slow, cozy holiday days. For more ways to bring the outdoors in, see Using Natural Elements for Cozy Christmas Decor.
Shop My Holiday Home Decor Favorites
Shop my favorite online holiday home decor items from Christmas trees and stockings to candles and pillows.
2021 Christmas Home Tour: Vintage-Inspired Cottage Christmas
Vintage-Inspired Cozy Cottage Style Christmas Home Tour
Vintage Christmas won me over completely in 2021. Every corner had something I loved, like an old ornament, a thrifted find, or a piece that’s been with us for years.
I draped greenery over the shelves, and vintage-style ornaments caught the twinkle lights. A galvanized bucket on the kitchen table held a Christmas flower arrangement, with garland framing the windows.
If you love patina and pieces that look like they’ve been around a while, start here. Then browse my 22 charming Christmas vintage decorations for more.
What Five Years of Christmas Home Tours Taught Me
Looking at every year side by side, a few cottage Christmas decorating ideas keep proving themselves.
Repeat the Same Garland and Ribbon Room to Room
Matching garland, ribbon, and ornament colors is what made the 2025 living room and kitchen feel like one house. In a small cottage where you can see from one room into the next, this matters more than any single statement piece.
Half the Decor Can Be Enough
In 2024, I put out about half of what I usually do. Nobody noticed what was missing, including me. Pick your favorite pieces first and stop when the room feels finished.
Pull From the Garden
Dried hydrangeas, dried orange slices, cedar, and pinecones have shown up in almost every tour. They’re free or close to it, and they tie the house back to the garden in the middle of winter.
You Don’t Have to Choose Between Vintage and Modern
Some of my favorite corners pair a flea-market find with something brand new. The 2023 tour is proof that brass candlesticks and twinkle lights get along just fine.
Let a Color Palette Do the Work
Every year has its own palette, and that one decision makes everything else easier. Burgundy and navy, green and white, earthy neutrals… once the colors are set, deciding what goes out is simple.
Cottage Christmas Decorating FAQs
Use fewer, more intentional pieces and give each room one focal point, like a tree, a mantel, or a styled table. In our 1920 cottage, small trees, a tree in a basket hung on the wall, and garland on open shelves add plenty of Christmas without crowding small rooms. For more ideas, see Christmas trees for small spaces.
Almost any palette can work in a cottage. Classic red and copper, green and white, warm earthy neutrals, and moody burgundy, navy, and olive have all worked in ours. Cream shows up in nearly every one and helps soften bolder colors.
Pair a vintage piece with something new in the same vignette instead of separating them by room. Try brass candlesticks next to twinkle lights, vintage ornaments near a modern wreath, or an old dough bowl filled with fresh greenery. Repeat one color or material so the two styles feel as one look.
Use the same garland, ribbon, and ornament colors in every room. Each space can still have its own focal point, but the repeated elements connect them. This is especially helpful in small homes where rooms are visible from each other.
Yes. Dried hydrangeas tucked into the branches give a tree soft, muted color and texture, and dried orange slices add warmth. Both are easy to make at home from the garden and kitchen.
Focus on one or two rooms and a few favorite pieces. The year I was recovering from knee surgery, I used about half my usual decor: twinkle lights, greenery, a few vintage pieces, and copper in the kitchen. The cottage still felt warm and festive.
Final Thoughts
Thank you for taking a walk down memory lane with me. Decorating this little 1920 cottage for Christmas has become one of my favorite traditions, and sharing it with you is a big part of why.
Whether you’re planning a full holiday makeover or just adding a few cozy touches, I hope you found an idea or two to borrow.
I’ll add to this collection every year, so you’ll always have one place to find every Christmas tour from the cottage.
Now I’d love to know: which year was your favorite? Tell me in the comments.
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Absolutely gorgeous!
Happy New Year!
Thank you Amber! Happy New Year sweet friend.