Holiday Decorating Inspiration From 9 of Our Favorite Holiday Movies (2024)

There’s a lot to love about the holiday season, but the myriad of festive movies (and requisite binging of them) are certainly among the top joys of the winter months. Most of these films are largely designed to make us feel good—or at least, in the case of the many renditions of A Christmas Carol or It’s a Wonderful Life, they remind us of the importance of doing good and leave us with a happily ever after ending. It’s easy to take pleasure in their saccharine delight, and whether you’re watching a classic, a Lifetime movie, or one of the many new Netflix or Hulu additions, ogling the luscious decorations is often a large part of the fun.

Seeing how different movies decorate for the most wonderful time of year proves just how much room there is to show off your own unique sense of style while celebrating the holidays. Below we’ve selected wreaths, string lights, ornaments, and even body part-shaped lamps that’ll help you channel your favorite holiday flicks in your home this winter.

Let It Snow

Kind of like a Zoomer version of Love Actually, Netflix’s 2019 film Let It Snow follows eight loosely connected teenagers who’ve been variously affected by a snowstorm. Whether at the Waffle Town—where some work and some just hang out—or at their family homes, the movie’s youthful crowd embraces an updated approach to holiday decorations. The spaces don’t display allegiance to a red and green color scheme, instead incorporating decorations in a variety of colors and fun unexpected accents.

At just under two feet, this tinsel Christmas tree is perfect for a small apartment space or as an additional decoration for larger homes. The motorized tree spins and comes with ornaments already attached, making it both eye-grabbing and super easy to set up.

Light up your space with a festive neon sign just like the one that Keon’s family displays over their mantle.

No matter what holiday you’re celebrating, this hand-pleated wreath is a wonderful way of acknowledging the most jubilant time of year.

This throw pillow is a great fit for those who are both bored of traditional Christmas color schemes and looking to hop on the tufted trend.

Carol

While not technically a Christmas movie, Carol does take place during the holiday season and offers a peek into charming midcentury Christmas decoration trends both in the home and at the department store Therese works in. At Carol’s home, Christmas time means arrangements of red and white flowers, a tinsel-bedecked tree, and the ultimate ’50s gift: A train set.

Really go for the Carol vibe with a Christmas train set. Both genuinely fun to watch and useful for setting a vintage mood, this train set will be just as satisfying for adults and kids.

Dress up your tree just like Carol’s with these super cute old-style ornaments that come with a pipe cleaner to attach to the tree.

To bring in a slightly more subtle Carol touch, these ceramic Christmas trees can be placed on a console table or mantle, or set the mood in a guest bedroom.

We can easily imagine this Christmas village display in the windows of the department store Therese works in. Its bottle brush trees and paper polar bears look totally timeless.

The Holiday

One of the most charming Christmas rom-coms of all time, The Holiday follows Los Angeles-based Amanda and the English Iris during a home swap over the holidays. While staying at Iris’s countryside home, Amanda quickly falls in love with her brother Graham, a single father of two young girls. Graham’s house is just as easy to adore—his humble, whimsical Christmas decorations are kid-friendly and spread throughout the home.

These beaded garlands resemble the ones Graham has strung above his oven.

Especially with kids, the holidays are just as much about delicious treats as they are about gift giving. This apron celebrates that, and makes sure that your Christmas getup won’t be ruined by all the cooking.

Graham’s home reflects the coziness of its English countryside locale—bring a little of that coziness into the bedroom with these toile sheets.

These Cody Foster star ornaments have a charming handmade-like quality, just like the best of Graham’s holiday decor.

Jingle Jangle

Centered on Jeronicus Jangle, a down-on-his-luck inventor and toymaker, and his young granddaughter, Journey, the movie Jingle Jangle isn’t all fun and games, but its Edwardian- and Victorian-style interiors are certainly amusing. Scenes in Jeronicus’s toyshop during its heyday are particularly delectable, thanks to the rich wood interior and the excess of whimsical toys and tchotchkes spread about.

The elaborate handmade-looking design of this plywood advent calendar is reminiscent of Jeronicus’s thoughtful creations.

This wreath, constructed entirely of jingle bells, is sure to conjure the magic of the holiday season.

Pay homage to the hot air balloons that are hung throughout Jeronicus’s workshop with this ornament.

Eloise at Christmastime

If there’s two things even the casual admirer knows for sure about Eloise, it’s that she lives in The Plaza and she loves the color pink. This love of the color doesn’t waver come Christmastime—the movie opens with Eloise hiding in a large pink gift box. Needless to say, the uptown girl’s Christmas decorations are various hues of the color, too.

Eloise’s tablescape isn’t complete without classic Christmas crackers. She would definitely approve of these ones that are filled with candy.

If you wanna go full Eloise glam, a full-size faux pink Christmas tree is a must. This one’s pale color makes it super versatile.

If you’re not willing to commit to a full-size pink tree, these iridescent cones make for a fun accent that still nods to the whimsy of Eloise’s decorating style.

These glittery pink does add a fun pop of pink, and at just under a foot tall, they make a statement but are small enough to be placed throughout the home, whether that’s on a mantel, a dining table, or on a nightstand.

A Diva’s Christmas Carol

Though main character Ebony Scrooge’s willingness to embrace Christmas isn’t exactly in full force at the beginning of the movie, because of her job as a glamorous singer, she finds herself in extremely festive environs throughout the film, whether she likes it or not. Much like her own personal style, the decorations in these spaces are generally classy and sophisticated.

In the opening scene, Ebony is filming on a richly dedicated set which includes a sleigh filled with gifts. Recreate the splendorous vision with a sleigh basket—it’s certainly less dramatic, but the smaller footprint means you’ll have room for all the other knickknacks of a diva Christmas.

The set that displays the aforementioned sleigh is drenched in faux snow, an undeniably pleasing holiday accent. Your home is just one bag of everlasting snow away from being a total winter wonderland, just like the one Ebony occupies.

Nothing says A Christmas Carol like long tapered candles. And, of course, the diva spin on the classic story opts for chic glass candle holders, as opposed to the iron ones of yore.

The faux poinsettias offer the elegance of the distinct flowers without the worry that they’ll wilt before Christmas day rolls around.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)

The original animated Grinch remains a delightful, colorful masterpiece. Its vibrant colors and distinct shapes create a wacky, playful image of Christmas decorating, whether it’s Max the dog’s reindeer antlers, the teeny tiny socks lined up on the mantel at one of the homes that the Grinch steals from, or the iconic tree that all the Whos gather around in the town square.

The gifts under the trees in How the Grinch Stole Christmas remind us how much well-wrapped gifts can add to a Christmas display. With these big ribbons, you can create an under-the-tree vignette just as delightful as that of the Whos down in Whoville.

The eccentric look of Whoville is pleasing for many of the same reasons that Memphis Design continues to be popular. These hand-painted ornaments are perfect for creating a space that’s both Memphis and Grinch-inspired.

This tree topper is reminiscent of those that the Grinch plucks from atop the unsuspecting Whos’ trees. The simple gold color also means it won’t distract or clash with other more colorful accents.

A Christmas Story

Set in the turmoil of the 1940s, the decor of A Christmas Story is much more humble than most other movies featured here. Though not particularly elaborate, the Parker family’s looming Christmas tree and infamous leg lamp have left quite the impression.

For the diehard fan, the perfect way of showing a love of the movie is with a replica of the leg lamp that Ralphie Parker’s father was so proud of that he buried it in the backyard when it wound up broken.

There are no fancy ornaments on the Parker tree or around the house, but the simple colored ball ornaments are plenty charming when light twinkles off of them.

Cozy up with a throw blanket in plaid fabric that’s reminiscent of Ralphie Parker’s winter attire.

This elaborate midcentury-style tree topper is similar to the pointed topper the Parker tree features.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

When Jack Skellington, “The Pumpkin King” of Halloweentown, becomes bored with scaring others every year, he stumbles upon a door to Christmastown and becomes enamored with its various decorations and customs that he’s never encountered. He spearheads a mission to celebrate Christmas in Halloweentown, and thus calls upon the most classic of decorations to liven up the spooky town.

In the film, Skellington attempts to cut up paper snowflakes to use as decoration, but his first few attempts amount to only jack-o-lantern style paper cutouts. These paper snowflakes, which measure a foot and a half tall, make quite the statement without any of the worry of cutting them out yourself.

The traditionally-shaped light bulbs on these string lights are in line with the picturesque decorations of Christmastown, and their bright colors also match the jolliness of the town.

To fully capture the clash of classic Christmas decor and the spookiness of Halloweentown, try some black garland.

For something a little more on the nose, try this Nightmare Before Christmas tabletop tree—a fitting collection for anyone looking to lean in on the more goth side of Christmas decor.