How To Decorate Shelves & Bookcases For Christmas

Breaking down decorating your shelves & bookcases for Christmas using 7 simple steps.

This post is all about How To Decorate Shelves & Bookcases For Christmas. The best part? This works on shelves of all sizes, and is just 7 simple steps.

step 1: start with a blank slate

how to decorate your shelves & bookcases for Christmas

The first thing I always do is clear everything off of my shelves, so I can’t start with an empty space. Even if I know something will be going back on, I will still take everything off.

I then make piles of all of the decor I may want to use.

step 2: add winter/holiday artwork

Each season one of my favorite things to do is to change out my artwork. After changing out each frame, I then place them throughout my shelves. I like to vary the size, material & shape of each frame.

Note: Changing out artwork seasonally can be done really affordably by using digital prints. I love Etsy & Juniper Print Shop for this. I then get my digital prints printed at Mpix.com – giclee print on their fine art paper.

step 3: add family photos

After adding the winter artwork, I love to layer in family photos. We always get our family pictures done around the holidays, so it’s fun to display the different photos over the years on my shelves for Christmas. No need to be family portraits though- love candid holiday shots too!

step 4: the top shelf

The next thing I like to do is style the top shelves. I like to add bigger, more substantial items to the top so they don’t get lost up there. I find it easiest to start with the top shelf, because you can then balance out the rest of the based on what the top looks like.

step 5: add books

Next, I add in a few coffee table books. (Note: we have a lot of closed storage where all of our books are stored. If you have a lot of books, you may find this article helpful on Room For Tuesday’s Blog: 10 Tips For Shelf Styling With Lots Of Books)

I like to vary the way I’m placing the books, vertically & horizontally, and for holiday I love to add fun Christmas-like items as bookends. Think tiny trees, candles, vase of festive flowers, bells, ets.

step 6: add larger decorative items

Now comes the really fun part! Placing the larger items. I’ve been collecting items for years for these shelves, so it is always so fun to unpack it all and remember what I have. I add to it each year with a few items. This year I added these Gold Trees, along with these Stoneware Trees.

Tip- it doesn’t have to be all Christmas-y items. Add in vases & pots in darker, more winter-like colors. I like to leave some empty and fill some. Large hurricane candle holders are another example of items that don’t scream Christmas, but are perfect for your holiday shelves.

step 7: add smaller decorative items

The last thing I do is add in a few smaller, decorative items. Think candles, small vases, tiny trees, etc.

I hope you enjoyed my blog post on how to decorate shelves & bookcases for Christmas! If you have any questions regarding where something is from, you can shop my holiday decor & home here.

The built-ins are an IKEA Hack, you can read all about them here: IKEA Billy Bookcase Hack – Wall Of Built-ins