2021 Hottest Holiday Trends

Believe it or not, the holiday season is right around the corner—and may behoove you to get your preparation started early. While supply chain problems might interfere with holiday shopping plans, your winter decor aesthetic can still come to life just as you envision if you get started now.

1. Decorate Early

Time hasn’t always seemed so linear since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Sometimes, it’s moved at a snail’s pace and other times it seems to be at warp speed. It has also opened society’s eyes to just how precious our time is. This newfound sense of time, paired with the amount of it that we’ve been spending at home, has led to one major holiday trend for 2021: decorating early.

There’s no need to wait until after Thanksgiving to put on the Bing Crosby and hang the mistletoe. Infuse a little joy into your home and decorate whenever you want.

2. DIY

The pandemic also gave rise to the DIY trend as we found ways to pass the time inside our homes with tie-dyeing and bread-making. The holidays are a great time to exercise your crafty side. Go traditional by stringing popcorn garland or modernize it by tying your own ribbon garland. Display your loved ones by arranging holiday cards in the shape of a tree on a bare wall, or splay paperback books on top of one another to build a tree.

3. Eco-Friendly Options

Sustainability is top of mind across all sectors this year, and the holiday season is no exception. To reduce waste, consider using reusable wrapping paper—like wrapping cloths or even wrapping a toy in clothing that’s also part of the gift—or recycled wrapping paper—like using newspaper or buying wrapping paper made of recycled paper. If you’re sending out holiday cards, consider printing them on environmentally conscious materials, or opt out of paper entirely by emailing virtual ones instead.

If you’re getting a tree, take into consideration the pros and cons of real vs. fake. Real trees are a renewable resource, but they need to be disposed of properly so they don’t end up in a landfill; make sure you check your local disposal recommendations. The carbon footprint of a fake tree is much higher than a real one when it is thrown away, but if it can be used year after year without replacement, it can even out.

4. Lean Into Nostalgia

Tie dye didn’t have a recent resurgence just for the DIY factor—it also ties into another trend we’ve been experiencing in the past year and a half: nostalgia. For this time of year, this means leaning into the sense of childhood wonderment that always surrounded the holidays. This could be different for everyone depending on the traditions that you grew up with, but expect to see a lot of classic decor and retellings of iconic holiday tales from the past.

5. More is More

Spending so much time at home inspired many to declutter and redecorate or even renovate. But this holiday season, after being deprived of so many things for so long due to Covid-19 restrictions, going over the top is welcomed. Mix and match your decor aesthetics, hang both tinsel and garland, use the colored lights and don’t worry about looking tacky or mismatched. We have a lot to celebrate this holiday season, so feel free to explore the more is more trend.

6. Snow Day

You can’t control the weather, but you can control this weather-inspired decor trend. Whether you live in a cold climate or not, you can have a white Christmas this year with a white tree, icicle lights, fake snow accents (of the fuzzy or paper variety), white textured wall hangings and more to evoke the sense of walking in a winter wonderland.

7. Personalization

This year, make the holiday all about you (and your loved ones, of course). This trend can encompass ornaments with your names on them, sending out holiday cards with family photos, hanging stockings that have been passed on for generations and anything else that is special to you, your family and friends. This season can sometimes seem like a commercialized circus, but it’s really all about appreciating the people and things you care about, and bringing joy to the world.

8. Front Porch Decor

Bring the festivities outside by decking the halls—or rather, the front porch—with boughs of holly. You can even extend the fun into the yard to spruce up winter landscaping. The aesthetic can go any which way, but make sure that you have decorations (and lights, if you’re using them) that are appropriate for outdoor weather.

9. Baking

This isn’t technically decor, but thanks to the pandemic baking is a hot trend this holiday season, particularly as people begin to spend more time indoors again as the weather cools down. The pandemic popular sourdough isn’t quite aligned with the seasonal spirit, but you can try your hand at any number of holiday favorites like gingerbread cookies, eggnog cheesecake or even fruitcake.

10. Year-Round Decor

There’s always something to be celebrated and one trend this year is a holiday-agnostic aesthetic. Instead of investing in decor that can only be used for the winter holidays, consider more versatile pieces that can be used over and over again (or left up year-round—we won’t judge). LED lights, ribbon garlands, glitter accents and neutral colors can be added to any room, at any time of year, to add a little extra sparkle that doesn’t need to be reserved only for the holidays.