Why, Nearly 60 Years In, ‘Ralph Lauren Christmas’ Is the Nostalgic Holiday Trend Defining 2025’s Festive Season

Ralph Lauren, founded in 1967, has dressed Olympians, prep-schoolers, mall moms, and the homes of half the Met Gala guest list – so why, after almost six decades of unflappable Americana, is social media suddenly obsessed with an interior trend called 'Ralph Lauren Christmas'?

Scroll through the tag on TikTok and find designers and ex-RL employees eagerly explaining the ‘rules.’ According to longtime Ralph Lauren Home stylist turned designer Desir’ee Delgadillo, number one is that Ralph Lauren Christmas decor is less of a look and more of a feeling, defined by the brand’s cinematic house codes like deep color, saddle leather, crackling firelight, and champagne flutes that look inherited, even when they’re not.

‘The palette is anchored in deep, moody tones like hunter green, oxblood, navy, and espresso brown, sometimes offset with cream, and always with polished silver,’ adds New York–based designer Kati Curtis. ‘Textures like velvet, cashmere, and “saddle” leather are essential, as are heritage plaids and subtle equestrian motifs.’ Still, as Desir’ee warns, the Ralph Lauren aesthetic is best executed in abstract, rather than splashing 'literal branding or plaid everywhere.’ In other words, rule number two is don’t appear to have panic-ordered flannel napkins after one too many New England-core tablescapes hit your FYP.

There are plenty of Ralph Lauren residences to study, but TikTok’s version borrows heavily from the interior style of the designer's Bedford estate – arguably the urtext of quiet luxury at Christmas.

‘If Ralph Lauren’s life was a movie, we would find him at Bedford reading by the fire, strolling the property with a walking stick and a hunting dog, and generally deep in thought as the air grows cold and the last of the leaves slip from the trees,’ muses interior designer Angela Wainscott. The aesthetic hinges on this aspirational escapism, harking back to phone-free festivities and perfectly creased trousers.

But perhaps the biggest draw toward a Ralph Lauren Christmas, according to designer Hannah Griffiths of Studio Palindrome, is that ‘you probably already own half of what you need. Pull out those decorations in deep forest green, burgundy, and warm gold, then layer in accents of navy, camel, leather, dark wood, and brass or polished nickel,' she suggests. 'Velvet and plaid are already holiday staples, but add some heritage tartans to really get the look.’

The latter abounds at Petite Plume, which recently debuted a tartan-clad collection of Christmas tree skirts and stockings, while Magnolia offers the perfect counterparts in carved woods, aged metallics, and other vintage-inspired details.

This notion of ‘staples’ might make Ralph Lauren Christmas sound an awful lot like ‘classic Christmas,’ and plenty of TikTokers would agree. With tradition at the core of the RL universe, are these styles genuinely Ralph Lauren – or, given TikTok’s habit of renaming basic baby blue ‘blueberry milk’ and brown ‘chocolate glaze,’ is this simply a case of 90s Nancy Meyers Americana with new PR?

Designers insist there’s a difference. ‘A traditional holiday look often leans heavily on red and green, sparkly ornaments, and a kind of kitschy maximalism,’ says Hannah. ‘A Ralph Lauren Christmas is more layered and curated. It’s about evoking warmth and intimacy through “heritage” cues.’

Ralph Lauren Christmas 'allows you to choose your style, whether sparkly and silver, plaid, or mountain-inspired, but it’s always aspirational,’ adds Dan Mazzarini, Principal and Creative Director at Mazzarini & Co. ‘Unlike the more traditional Christmas aesthetic, it’s location-specific but has universal appeal, working perfectly across mountain lodges, city apartments, and country homes.’

Sure, RL Christmas flirts with old-money and quiet luxury tropes in our current post-pandemic, post-Succession, post-The-Row-sample-sale-2025 trifecta, but designer Desir’ee Delgadillo insists it’s not reserved for the elite. ‘When I was a young woman working at RL in California, I aspired to one day have this same look in my home,’ she recalls. ‘Today, my 20 years of styling at RL and my eye for beauty is obtainable. Ralph Lauren’s vision of luxury is not just for the ultra wealthy' – or people who decide to order his entire home catalog – 'but for anyone that has the passion and desire to always go beyond the ordinary.’

‘I think people are really over the lack of personality in their interiors and the whole minimalism thing,’ explains Florida-based designer Rebecca Merritt of this seemingly out-of-nowhere resurgence. ‘This was the year of maximalism and bringing back things that spark joy. Ralph Lauren is such a nostalgic brand when it comes to the holidays and traditional design, so bringing that back just feels right.’

Ultimately, Ralph Lauren Christmas isn’t really about Christmas at all. It’s a mood that predates influencer tablescapes and ‘neutrals only’ policies – a return to holidays that were, ironically, decades away from TikTok entirely.

The Ralph Lauren Christmas Edit

Ahead, shop the Christmas decor trend that encourages you to step inside Ralph’s wintered Americana – phone-free – and remind us what ‘home for the holidays’ used to feel like.

Trends come and go, but Ralph Lauren Christmas proves that heritage codes don’t. Learn how to design a space that never dates, all year (and years) long.