Looking for simple ideas to transition your fall decor to Christmas? Here are some decorating ideas and tips to make your holidays a breeze.

Hello November.

Nice to meet you.

I’m so all about you right now.  There’s something about November first that says hot chocolate and marshmallows and plaid blankets and pinecones and pine branches and chilly days and snowflakes and the wonderful, incredible indisputable fact that the holidays are just around the corner.  I want to get out the Christmas lights and turn on the Hallmark channel and pack up the pumpkins for another year.

But here’s the thing.

Truth?

It’s still fall.

It’s like I have one foot in fall and one foot in Christmas.  How do I ease my pumpkins out and my fir branches in?  How do I stop drinking pumpkin spice latte and start drinking peppermint mocha?

How do I get my feet to come together?

Here are some of my favorite ways to transition decor from fall to Christmas.

Simple ideas to transition your fall decor to Christmas

1. Wreath

Decorating for me always starts and ends at the front door.

In November, I typically take down my fall wreath and add more of a winter wreath to the front door.  I make it more winter and less Christmas.  This is just an inexpensive wreath that I found at a discount store.  It was super affordable.  All I did to make it extra special was to wire in fresh magnolia.

The cold weather helps keep the magnolia fresh for several weeks.

And then?

When Christmas gets here, I replace it with an evergreen wreath.

2.  Lanterns

Here’s one of my best transitional pieces.

Lanterns.

I put a picture of my fall lanterns and then my Christmas lanterns.

Around the first week of November, I phase out the pumpkins.

I clean out all the stuff the pumpkins leave behind and get them ready for winter.

Sometimes I tie on a white bow with a sprig of greenery.

I’ve used boxwood in the past because it’s not too Christmasy and still has a little bit of fall with it, too.

3. Centerpieces

Here’s my centerpiece transitioning from fall to Christmas.

I start off with pumpkins.

And more pumpkins with pumpkins on top.

Then I transition out some of the pumpkins for pinecones.

Then I transition to ribbon and ornaments right before Christmas.

DO NOT over think your centerpiece.

Promise?

Just start off with a big dough bowl or tool box or long rectangular container.  Something you can fill.  Add in pumpkins and greenery and pinecones.  Take out the pumpkins.  Leave the greenery and pinecones.  Then later add ribbon and ornaments.

4. Throws

Nothing is easier to help make the transition from fall to Christmas than a throw.

I start with fluffy, textured throws for fall.

Those stay with me through winter.

Plaids and faux fur throws and neutral, chunky woven throws are tossed over chairs and put in baskets and folded up on stools.

Right before Christmas, I add in a few brightly colored plaids to layer in a little holiday cheer.

5. Pillows

I mostly keep my pillows neutral.

When fall starts, I put away the lighter fabrics and pattern and bring out the textured and woven pillows.

And because I do that—see the pillow transition from fall to Christmas?

It’s literally all of THE SAME PILLOWS.

The key is keeping everything textured and simple and then right around December, adding in one or two statement pillows like this snowflake.

6. Display

Sometimes it’s all about changing out a few pieces.

Here’s the hutch from fall to Christmas.

The white plates are the same.

All I did for fall was add a few pumpkins.

Then transitioning into Christmas, I took away the pumpkins and added a few trees.

Then in December I amped up the trees with reindeer.

7. Pinecones

And lastly?

The simplest way to transition from fall to Christmas to winter?

Umm.

Pinecones.

Or some facimile thereof.

There’s an entire category of pinecones and their friends that make the journey with you through the transition.

Here are some of my favorite transitioning friends:

Pinecones (obvi)

Acorns

Snowflakes

Branches

Driftwood

Boxwood

Velvet ribbon

Paper leaves

White dishes

You got this friends.

Truly.

All you need to go from this….

…to this.

Is a little imagination.

A little texture.

A little transitional decor.

And a few pinecones and some of their friends. 🙂

PS  A GIANT thank you for all the ideas yesterday.

You all are BRILLIANT.

Seriously.

I never would have thought about making the needlepoint into a pillow and I just might try that.

If I’m brave enough. 🙂

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