Christmas is one thing, but a Christmas celebration with a farmhouse touch is a whole different ball game. It’s magical when the Christmas spirit, rustic textures, and natural elements all come together to create a nostalgic holiday atmosphere. With the farmhouse style, it’s about making your home feel festive without overdoing it. Instead of colorful string lights and sparkly red baubles, the focus is on natural elements that blend in with the rest of your decor. These budget-friendly farmhouse Christmas decor ideas will help you achieve that with minimal effort.
1. Rustic Wreaths
Wreaths are essential Christmas decorations, so why not incorporate them into your farmhouse style? Craft your own natural, rustic wreaths with pine branches, dry twigs, berries, eucalyptus steams, pinecones, and cinnamon sticks. Enhance the Christmas charm with burlap or gingham ribbons tied into bows and miniature ornaments. You can hang them outdoors on your porch or front door, or indoors above your fireplace or on feature walls. The handcrafted look of DIY rustic wreaths suit the farmhouse style better than store-bought glossy alternatives.
2. Burlap Ribbon and Bows
You can use burlap ribbons and bows for more than your rustic wreaths. They’re simple yet highly effective accents that can bring the Christmas spirit to life while embodying the simplicity of the farmhouse style. Use the coarse, natural materials as garlands, tree ornaments and toppers, table centerpieces, and gift accents. You can also use it for decor on your mantel, over your staircase, and wrapped around homemade lanterns. Regardless of how you use it, burlap works well with sort greenery and wooden elements.
3. Mason Jar Lanterns
The standard flickering, colorful string lights don’t complement the farmhouse style. In fact, it may clash with your beautiful natural decor, taking the focus off it. There are many great lighting-related farmhouse Christmas decor ideas, but you can never go wrong with mason jar lanterns. Fill the jars with battery-operated fairy lights or tea candles and turn it into a mini holiday scene with fake snow, pine branches, and ornaments. Hang them with twine or display them on your mantel, eye-level shelves, or as centerpieces on your dining table.
4. Farmhouse Fabric Stockings
Don’t fall for the felt stockings this year. With the farmhouse style, farmhouse fabric stockings are all the rage. They have a functional, sentimental, and decorative purpose, and they’re great conversation starters. Craft your own burlap, linen, or cotton stockings and emphasize their elegance with plaid, stripes, and embroidery accents. Hang them from your mantel, over your stair railings, or on dedicated wrought iron hooks. You can personalize them with names, initials, or pine twigs and tiny bells, and combine them with natural greenery.
5. Wooden Ornaments
The beauty of wood is that it complements the farmhouse style beautifully, but it’s also incredibly versatile. Actually, it’s one of the most customizable Christmas decor ideas. Craft your own wooden ornaments that feature simple shapes like stars, hearts, trees, and snowflakes. You don’t have to carve mini villages from pieces of wood, because a simple wood slice with a white spray painted shape is timeless. Then again, if you’re creative enough you can create a mini wooden village from different sizes of wood. You can also purchase ready-made wooden ornaments from most stores that stock Christmas decorations. Use your simple yet charming ornaments on your tree, in your garlands and wreaths, and as tabletop or mantel displays.
6. Natural Garlands
Instead of colorful foil garlands, make your own natural garlands with pine branches, eucalyptus, holly, or cedar. They’re versatile and they add greenery and a touch of outdoorsy charm to your farmhouse. Leave them simple or adorn them with wooden ornaments, pinecones, burlap ribbons, and deep red cranberries. The organic look and earthy scent will fill your room and provide a sensory experience, so drape them over your mantel, windowsills, doorways, and staircases. Not only does it tie into the farmhouse style much better than store garlands, but it’s also a more affordable alternative.
7. Small Natural Touches
Not all of your farmhouse Christmas decor ideas have to be large statement pieces. Small touches here and there can have the same impact without overwhelming the space. Use natural pinecones to hold cards on your dining table or to display holiday messages on your mantel. Incorporate cinnamon stick bundles into your wreaths and garlands or simply tie them together with a twine bow and place them anywhere. Star anise and dried orange slices have the same rustic and fragrant effect. String cranberries onto your garlands and use natural wood slices as tea candle holders. Instead of pink or purple flowers, fill a vase (preferably a mason jar) with dried greenery and tie a burlap bow around it. The beauty lies in the small touches.
8. DIY Advent Calendar
The farmhouse style is all about personal touches and using nature to your advantage. Instead of advent calendars filled with bad chocolate wrapped in a box that you’ll throw away straight after, opt for a more durable option. Craft a calendar from wood or use mason jars that you can reuse year after year. Alternatively, use paper envelopes for a much cheaper option. Incorporate rustic elements like twine, wooden tags, and hand-painted names and dates. Fill the pockets or containers with your family’s favorite treats, tiny ornaments to put on the tree once opened, or sentimental messages. You can also make it even more personal with daily Christmas activities that you can do together. Display your DIY advent calendars on a wall in your living area, on the mantel, or in your entryway to show it off.
9. Farm-Grown Christmas Tree
Artificial Christmas trees don’t have the same effect as farm-grown trees. Those sourced from local farms or grown in your own backyard have organic imperfections like asymmetrical branches and varied shades of green that artificial trees can’t match. Not to mention the fresh pine scent that fills your farmhouse. Decorate your tree with wooden ornaments, natural garlands, and burlap bows and when Christmas is over you can plant it again. If that’s not an option, opt for a potted variety that you can reuse annually.
10. Nativity Scene
If you really want to reflect the spiritual significance and beauty of Christmas, a nativity scene is a meaningful option. Craft your own sculptures from wood, clay, or resin to create a focal point that serves as a reminder of the meaning of the holiday. You can choose any size and colors, but the key is to keep it neutral and simple to blend into your farmhouse interior. Position it on your mantel if it’s small enough, or create a dedicated space near your farm-grown tree or entryway. You can also share the scene with neighbors and passersby by using a durable sealant and setting it up on your porch. Pair it with soft lighting and a burlap ground cover to bring the figures to life.
11. Wicker Christmas Baskets
If your space is limited or your budget is tight, you can create an entire Christmas setup in a single wicker basket. The wicker basket ties into the farmhouse style beautifully, while you can choose the natural elements that you want to use to awaken the holiday spirit. Use the basket(s) to hold wrapped presents, pinecones and burlap, farmhouse fabrics and rustic blankets, and festive greenery. You can combine all of those things to create a festive atmosphere and add organization to your living space. Place them near your fireplace, under your farm-grown tree, or at your entryway.
