Home for the Holidays
Cottage Christmas Decor Ideas
Here you’ll find Christmas decor ideas from our 1920 beach cottage on Puget Sound… home tours, quick vignettes, vintage finds, and small-space holiday decorating.
Most of the year, you’ll find me out in the garden. Then November rolls in, the dahlias are tucked away for winter, and my attention turns indoors.
Our 1920 cottage is small, which means no corner gets skipped at Christmas.
This is where I keep it all… home tours from past seasons, room-by-room ideas, the quick vignettes I put together when time runs short, and the vintage finds that come out of storage every year.
Jump to: Home Tours | Kitchen | Small Spaces | Quick and Simple | Vintage and Natural | Plan Ahead | FAQ
Our Cottage in Country Home Magazine
Our little cottage was featured in Country Home Magazine’s 2026 Christmas issue.
Most people pack up Christmas in January. I kept ours up a few extra weeks and invited the magazine crew in. The tree stayed up. The garland stayed up.
Jax and Ollie were very confused about why the house was suddenly full of people, lights, and cords.
Curious how the shoot came together? Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at our Country Home photo shoot.
Cottage Christmas Home Tours
Every year I share the whole cottage, dressed for the holidays, room by room. If you want to see how a small 100-year-old house comes together for Christmas, start here.
The Cottage Christmas Home Tours collection gathers every holiday tour in one place. For a quieter take, the neutral Christmas bedroom keeps things soft with whites, linens, and a little greenery.
Christmas Kitchen Decor Ideas
The kitchen works the hardest in December, so the decor has to share space with cookie sheets and a cocoa bar.
A vintage Santa mug, a few ornaments in a bowl, and some greenery tucked along the shelves go a long way.
Open shelves are the easiest place to start.
From there, a little greenery and a bowl of seasonal fruit can turn an everyday counter into a Christmas vignette.
Christmas Trees and Decorating for Small Spaces
Rooms were smaller in 1920, and ours still are. A full-size tree isn’t always the answer.
Over the years, I’ve filled the cottage with small Christmas trees instead… pencil trees in the corners, little pines in vintage crocks, bottlebrush trees on the kitchen shelves, and a few left bare, just green.
Bottlebrush trees are perfect for vignettes, whether they’re lined up along a windowsill, tucked into creamers and ironstone bowls, or set next to a vintage galvanized village.
Quick and Simple Christmas Decorating Ideas
Some years the decorating happens in one weekend. Other years it happens fifteen minutes at a time.
A bowl of ornaments, a few evergreen clippings, and a candle can make a corner feel finished.
Vintage and Natural Christmas Decor
Thrifted ornaments, old books, and greenery cut from the yard do most of the work in our cottage. They cost very little, and they look like they belong in an old house.
Vintage Christmas decorations are authentic pieces, usually from the 1940s through the 1970s.
Some of my favorites are Shiny Brite ornaments, mercury glass candleholders, plaid thermoses, and Santa mugs with a little age on them.
Plan Ahead for Next Christmas
The best time to make next Christmas easier is while you’re packing away this year’s decorations. Label the bins. Toss the lights that only half work. Make a note of what never came out of storage.
Even More Christmas Decor Ideas
Still looking for ideas?
Cottage Christmas Decor FAQs
Cottage Christmas decor mixes vintage pieces, natural elements like evergreen and pinecones, and soft, simple colors. It favors thrifted and handmade items over matching store-bought sets, so the house feels collected over time rather than decorated in one trip.
Choose a few focal spots instead of decorating every surface. Use a tabletop or slim tree if floor space is tight, keep walkways clear, and group decor into small vignettes on shelves, counters, and the coffee table. Greenery and lights add a lot of holiday feeling without taking up much room.
Start with a few true vintage pieces, like old glass ornaments, a ceramic tree, or a Santa mug from a thrift store, and let them lead. Add natural greenery, use warm white lights, and choose worn or muted finishes over shiny new ones.
Fill a bowl or basket with ornaments, add evergreen clippings to vases you already own, and light a few candles. Small vignettes in three or four places make a house feel decorated in under an hour.
From Our Cottage to Yours
Thanks for stopping by the cottage this season. Grab a warm drink, poke around, and take whatever ideas fit your own home.
Happy Decorating!
