Christmas Decor Traditions from BC Interior Designers

For most of us, the holidays are all about memorable family traditions passed down through the generations, from decorating trees with twinkling lights and cherished ornaments to eating advent chocolates from behind tiny doors. Perhaps you’ve started your own rituals with your family. There’s time-honoured Christmas decor traditions aplenty.

BCLiving went to some of the Lower Mainland’s top design minds—including interior designers, a home decor photographer and the owners of a home decor shop—to ask them about their special holiday decor traditions. Here’s what they told us.

Quotes have been edited for length and clarity.

7 Christmas Decorating Traditions from BC’s Design Minds

Filling the home with fresh greenery

“Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year. The day after Halloween my girls are asking how soon we’ll be pulling out the Christmas tree and getting things underway. I undertake the process slowly, so that the house becomes increasingly full and romantic as Christmas day grows near.

I lean into nostalgia, abundance and enchanting details for Christmas decor. It begins at the front door, with a fresh wreath and planters spilling over with eucalyptus, evergreens and berries. Inside, the fireplace mantel becomes a focal point, layered with Christmas greens, dried florals, ornaments and twinkling lights. The dining room is set aglow with candles, each place setting personalized with a small gift like a gingerbread house or beautifully wrapped parcel. The result is an enchanting experience of Christmas for our family and everyone that’s close to our hearts.”—Kelly Deck, Kelly Deck Design

Designing a holiday tablescape

“Our holiday tradition in our home is to create a fresh tablescape every year. This year, we styled a modern, yet elegant look with tones of burgundy, black and soft green from fresh greenery. Using decor from our boutique, we tied everything together with taper candle holders and deer figurines.

Not only does it smell amazing with the scent of fresh eucalyptus, it adds a special touch to the dinner table for our friends and family. It’s a mother-daughter tradition that gets our creative ideas flowing—we look forward to it every holiday season!”—Shawn Corke and Madison Stanyer, Beach Grove Café & Décor  

Putting together a model train

“Christmas has always been a time to relax, get cozy and connect with family at the Banfield household. A mechanic for CN Rail and a lifelong lover of trains, my father’s fond memory from his childhood was this metal train set that would be pulled out around the holidays each year.

Over the past few years, nostalgia has played a big role in our Christmas traditions. We love incorporating old, vintage and found pieces into the tree and overall decorations. Each year, we add a few new items to the tree while removing some of the less meaningful ones.  We’ve seen our tree evolve from chrome and green to green and brown to (this year) more gold and ambers working their way through the tree—this is all due to purchasing a few good and special pieces each year.”—Jamie Banfield, Jamie Banfield Design Inc.

Hosting a themed holiday party

“One of my most treasured holiday traditions is a party I have hosted with my high school friends since 2000. I’ve always themed my decor based on what we were doing for this party, whether it be a ‘roaring ‘20s’ theme for our 20th anniversary with black-and-gold art-deco-style décor, or a tropical theme with leis and bright ornaments, or a masquerade with bejewelled masks.

This year marks our 25th party—our silver anniversary, so to speak—and that means an ‘all that glitters’ theme with silvery decor and white sparkly snow. Our guests dress to the theme and the decor sets the stage for an evening full of laughter, reminiscing, dancing and fun. It’s the only event each year that brings this whole group together. Even our friends that have moved out of town come back for it. It’s become a staple tradition for all of us, one that I hope we continue for many more years to come.”—Sarah Gallop, Sarah Gallop Design 

Decorating not one, but two Christmas trees

“I have a five-year-old son and my personal favourite tradition is having two separate Christmas trees in our home. We have one in the living room, which I decorate in a simple, neutral theme.  My son has been receiving ornaments from family since he was born and he loves colour, so in his own bedroom we have given him a small Christmas tree to decorate. He has old family ornaments on there, ones he has made and ones that he has been gifted. Personalizing his own tree means the world to him, and he looks forward to it every year. Every year my mother buys him a new ornament and it is his favourite gift.”—Josephina Serra, Form Collective 

Repurposing and reusing decorations

“I’ve always loved the challenge of creating a beautiful, meaningful Christmas using what I already have. Every year, our Christmas tree takes on a different personality, a mix of treasures I’ve collected over time. I have a soft spot for wooden ornaments, but they don’t have to be traditional ones—napkin rings, small pieces of birch bark or even handmade crafts all find their way onto my tree. The softness comes from touches like pom-poms, little brass bells and handmade details. Making pom-poms together has been a tradition since my kids were little, and I love how these small, simple moments add so much heart to our home.

Foraging is one of my favourite ways to bring the outdoors in, especially during the holidays. Pinecones, branches, moss, berries—there’s so many options, and each piece tells a story. I love clustering pinecones in bowls or hanging them from the tree. Greenery draped on bookshelves, tucked into big, beautiful vases, or arranged as garlands over windows creates such an organic, festive feel.”—Ami Mckay, Pure Design Inc.  

Simple, understated decor and a real tree

“For our Christmas tree, we’ve always chosen to buy a real tree, as we love the fresh scent of evergreen that it brings into our home.

In the last few years, I’ve seemed to go very simple with the decor on our tree.  I’ve chosen to put as many strings of lights that can fit—I think for me, it’s all about the magical warm twinkle that the tree boasts.

A few years ago, I found some old vintage baubles which I used to place on the boughs of the tree, but nowadays I like to display the pretty pastels on our windowsills just to add interest and colour. But one of my most favourite pieces out of  everything, besides Mr. and Mrs. Claus, is a big vintage metal star that my sister-in-law gave me. We hang it from the ceiling so that hovers perfectly on top of the tree. Lastly, in our home, we have lots of windows and doors, so it wouldn’t be right if we didn’t stick a wreath on each one, now would it?  Yup, each door and window boasts a wreath.” —Tracey Ayton, Tracey Ayton Photography