After years of having a mashup of holiday decor in different colors, themes, and styles, I have five tips to share to make it all come together! By the time you’re done, it will look like you meant for it to be that way all along.

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Every year I see influencers showcase their beautiful homes decorated thoughtfully and flawlessly, and I think to myself, “this year I’m going to do that in my house!” But when I would unpack my holiday decor, I found that I had quite a few different styles to work with, none of which go to together. At all. Whimsical, modern, rustic, traditional, and whatever the previous year’s trend was, all there competing against each other. And it’s loud.

I know how it happens. Most of the time, I find something that is so cute or looks amazing with the way it’s decorated in the shop or boutique. Surely it will look that way in my home too…except then it doesn’t because I don’t have the 50+ other decorations, accessories, or aesthetic that a well-lit store stocked with brand new merchandise and shiny displays does.

This continues to happen for years, especially as I find things on clearance when the holidays are over, and suddenly I have all these one-off, cute-on-their-own things, but nothing is cohesive and it all looks like everything is trying too hard to stand out on its own and suddenly it looks like Santa is having a garage sale.

Sound familiar? Last year, I was determined to figure out how to make all my holiday decor work together and make it look stylish. I successfully solved this problem in five simple steps.

This first step is tough but necessary. Go through your holiday decor and get rid of anything that you no longer LOVE. Like LOVE with a capital L. This should include any items that have not made it out of the box in 2 years.

I had some hand-me-down decorations that I had been holding on to that I hadn’t used in years because they were broken, worn, or because I just plain didn’t like them. I finally donated or threw away what I didn’t want and freed up the space in the box for things I actually do use. I’m not saying to start over from scratch, or get rid of everything you have, especially if they are cherished items or heirlooms. The point is to purge what you don’t like and aren’t using.

On another note, if you are holding onto things that no longer bring you joy…during a season that is supposed to bring joy…do you see the irony here?

“But this is all I have for holiday decorations and I can’t afford new ones.” I totally understand. I’ve been there too. Don’t worry–these steps will still work for you, even if you don’t have your dream decorations yet. Keep reading.

Now that you have cleared out the clutter, take a look at your remaining items. Try to identify any patterns in your existing holiday decorations. Do you have a tendency toward a specific thing, just in different styles? Such as trees, reindeer, snowflakes, gnomes, elves, Santa, etc. Maybe it’s a color or pattern, like red, blue, or buffalo plaid. After I did this, I figured out (unsurprisingly) that I have a ton of Christmas tree decorations. Not ornaments, but actual trees of various shapes, sizes, prints, and materials.

This made it easier because a theme started to emerge. I like trees, so I decided to lean into that. I also noticed a color scheme. Yes, trees are an evergreen color, but I also saw a lot of whites, silvers, and golds. And a lot of sparkle.

Group things together in piles that look Iike they belong together. I had a couple of small piles and one really big group of things. My smaller piles included some rustic looking pieces in one, and some whimsical pieces full of bright colors and fun patterns in another. The biggest pile was full of trees, whites, golds, and silvers.

Now that I had it all laid out in front of me, it was easier to figure out how to make it all work together because it was already…working together. Instead of pulling things out one by one from a bin and trying to figure out what to do with it or where to put it piece by piece.

By now the question remains–how do I tie all of these piles together? I still like all of these items but making whimsical and colorful work with glam neutrals is tricky. Here’s the key to success. Choose one thing and use it on repeat to bring everything together. Let me explain.

Remember my tree decor obsession? Anything you have that repeats itself can be used to marry your different aesthetics together and make everything feel more cohesive. I ended up incorporating trees into every space I was decorating. It helps that Christmas trees themselves are a pretty big holiday staple, but truly this can work with almost anything.

For example, I have a 4-pack of reindeer that I used in both my whimsical aesthetic AND my neutral glam aesthetic. I just used a reindeer here and there where one would fit. Using them brought the two styles together like an invisible handshake between two spaces.

Finally, as you decorate your rooms and spaces, keep in mind that everything does not have to go in one place. Use less items to decorate one space and decorate more spaces with less items.

I realized that I was trying to force my decorations to work together by using everything in one or two big spaces. Spreading it out throughout the home makes it feel a lot less mismatched. I ended up using some glam neutral in my entryway space as the first thing people see when they walk in AND up in our bedroom which makes for a nice, cozy retreat. Exactly what I want my bedroom to feel like.

In our main living space, I did all whimsical + color. We have a pretty neutral living space, so the colors don’t clash with anything in our normal decor. Our big family Christmas tree is also in our main living space and has colored lights and bright ornaments, so the colorful and whimsical decor goes with it. I also want it to feel festive and fun since that will be where we celebrate the holiday.

Because my smallest pile was a rustic vibe, I added those to my kitchen where I don’t want a ton of decor anyway because I have very little counter space and don’t want anything to get too gross from food or cooking.

Below are some of my own spaces decorated using just a few things.

The biggest thing to remember when decorating for the holidays is to go with what feels good. If you like it, that’s what matters most. This time of year is meant to be enjoyed, wrapped in comfort and warmth, reminiscing, and making new memories for years to come.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the latest trends each holiday season. Remember that you don’t have to buy brand new holiday decor every year. That gets expensive, wasteful, and hard to store! It’s also way less personal. Your spaces should reflect you and your taste. One of the best things about the holidays is pulling out your favorite decorations to use again and again.

Whatever your decorating style happens to be this year, or next year, or the year after, I hope these five simple steps help you create a space that makes you feel joyful and merry as you celebrate the holidays.

Merry Christmas!