If you live in a house or apartment with a fireplace, you own some prime Christmas decorating real estate. A quick glance at social media or the latest holiday-themed TV commercial confirms that your mantel is second only to the Christmas tree in the Christmas decorating hierarchy.

A mantel is a long, narrow, relatively confined space - which can present some challenges of its own.

Whether you've successfully decorated a mantel in the past, failed miserably, or you're new to mantel decorating, let us introduce you to some Christmas mantel decorating tips and tricks.

Follow in the footsteps of professional decorators: Don't throw yourself into renovations without a plan. Decide on a theme, style, or color scheme, and identify anything that will serve as your "signature" or main focus.

If your Christmas tree is located near a fireplace, decide if and how to coordinate your fireplace decorations.

Clean and dust the mantel so you can start from scratch. Is there anything hanging over the fireplace? Holidays to keep or put away?

A Christmas wreath can replace a sign, artwork, or mirror above your fireplace - or you can hang a wreath over your fireplace.

Now is the time to "shop" your current decor and pick out what you want to put on your mantel. Take out everything you think you might need.

An incomplete list can include:

Wreath

Table decorations (various heights)

Candles (traditional or flameless)

Snowflake decoration

Christmas banner

1. Start big. Often the largest ornament on the mantel is the wreath, so it should be the first thing you put down. Some people like to attach their wreath to a removable hook placed on top of the mantel to keep it from "falling off" later in the season.

There are a few different ways to hang a wreath.

Position it along the length of the mantel, with the ends hanging down.

Hang it under the mantel, tucked snugly under the ledge.

Drape it over the fireplace in loose strips from two or more anchor points.

If you don't have a mantel, don't worry! The wreath frame around the fireplace is equally beautiful.

2. Vertical. Next, place the large, tall mantel decorations. These might include candle holders, a tabletop honeycomb Christmas tree or two, or something broad like Christmas paper star lights. Weave ornaments inside and outside the green space, some in the back and some in the front. This helps add depth and prevents the wreath from overwhelming your arrangement.

3. Reduce the size. Mix medium and small fireplace decorations, keeping height level variations. Try clustering items of different sizes for added visual impact.

4. Add texture. Depending on the style and theme of your Christmas mantel decor, use items such as pine cones, bows and feather trees to create texture. Christmas banners also add interest and come in a variety of styles. Everything from twigs to red berries to golden branches topped with tiny gold stars can be placed above the fireplace to fill in the void.

5. Add some gorgeous elements. Just like your favorite holiday attire, your Christmas mantel deserves some sparkle! Sprinkle snowflake accents or metal tabletop and mantel accents throughout your mantel arrangement to really make it sparkle! A mirror above the fireplace adds to the shine.

Ornaments of the same height lined up along the fireplace will look tedious. Instead, include some very tall mantel ornaments for added dimension and to visually "scoop" your fireplace garland or Christmas artwork into the arrangement. Or hang a sign and place the wreath directly on the mantel.

When decorating a mantel, aim for balance, not symmetry. For example, place a pair of tall honeycomb Christmas trees at one end of the mantel and a hurricane light at the other.

If your fireplace is a working fireplace, do not hang or hang stockings and ornaments in front of the fireplace, or remove them to a safe place while the fireplace is in use.

Christmas decorations are part of the fun and magic of this season. With a little forethought and creativity, you can incorporate a mantel into your home's holiday makeover.

The above briefly introduces the ideas and steps to decorate the mantelpiece for Christmas, if you want to customize Christmas decorations, welcome to contact us.

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