Reese Witherspoon's traditional Christmas mantel is how everyone should decorate this season – it is timeless, enduring, and goes beyond 2024 trends

Breathe new life into your festive display by bringing greenery and rich red colors into your decorations

Reese Witherspoon attends the WSJ. Magazine 2024 Innovator Awards on October 29, 2024 in New York City
(Image credit: Getty Images / Dimitrios Kambouris / Staff)

The mantelpiece or fireplace surround really comes into its own over the holiday season. It is the perfect surface to add a decorative festive flourish – and can become the star of the show in an instant. We'd go as far as to say that a beautifully decorated Christmas mantel can even rival the Christmas tree.

The mantle is also a nice place to start with your Christmas decor ideas. You can start giving it a festive feel as soon as Thanksgiving is over bringing in touches of seasonal foliage, velvet ribbons, and oversized stockings to nod to the upcoming holidays.

American actress Reese Witherspoon's timeless Christmas fireplace idea is one of the best I've seen in recent years. The final look is classic and everlasting, forgoing modern fads and decorating trends. Reese Witherspoon's Christmas porch decor is equally delightful, too.

Traditional Christmas decor ideas are always my go-to when stuck for inspiration. On the rare occasion when I do decide to go modern, I always wish I stuck with the tried-and-tested formula of red and green with a little shimmer in between – and I am not the only one.

'This year, many of us are opting for Christmas decor that is reminiscent of a time before technology, one that was filled with the simpler pleasures in life and returning to a wholesome rustic lifestyle that celebrates simplicity, tradition, and nostalgia,' says Dayna Isom Johnson, Etsy's trend & design expert. For traditional Christmas mantel decor, the key is to lean into classic festive tones, cozy textures, foraged decor, and vintage pieces.' Reese Witherspoon's festive display is the perfect example of this sentiment.

There are plenty of big box retailers that do fantastic faux Christmas garlands, but if you do want to forage for your own, take advice from floral stylist Willow Crossley.

'We need more color in our lives at the moment,' says Crossley. 'I love pink and red so I will use lots of berries and dried pink straw flowers. Try a mantelpiece garland with eucalyptus, ruscus, and dried hydrangea, plus scented paperwhites and hyacinths.'

If in any doubt, stick to simple, classic Christmas color schemes and decor – you won't regret the final look.

Jennifer Ebert
Editor

Jennifer is the Digital Editor at Homes & Gardens. Having worked in the interiors industry for a number of years, spanning many publications, she now hones her digital prowess on the 'best interiors website' in the world. Multi-skilled, Jennifer has worked in PR and marketing, and the occasional dabble in the social media, commercial and e-commerce space. Over the years, she has written about every area of the home, from compiling design houses from some of the best interior designers in the world to sourcing celebrity homes, reviewing appliances and even the odd news story or two.