9 Christmas Trends That Will Be Huge in 2022

We're sharing our best tips and inspiration to help you transform your home for the holidays.

green and copper table setting with lantern centerpieces
Photo: Adam Albright

One of our favorite seasonal traditions is hauling our holiday boxes out of the attic and decorating the house with trees, garlands, and twinkling lights as Christmas music plays in the background. This season, we'll be decking our halls with bright colors and recycled materials in addition to some annual favorites.

And after adjusting some Christmas traditions over the past few years, we've found that the pandemic didn't just change the way we celebrate the holidays, it also changed the way we decorate for them. Many people are skipping the traditional red and green decor for playful, nontraditional accents. Others are embracing the nostalgia of the season, decorating with vintage Christmas decorations and retro-inspired accents.

With so many possibilities, we're more excited than ever to bust out the ornaments and start wrapping gifts. We've rounded up the most popular holiday ideas from Pinterest, Instagram, Etsy, Google, and the editors of Better Homes & Gardens to bring you the top Christmas trends of 2022. Plus, we'll show you how to blend these ideas with the classic decorations you already have, so you can save your holiday budget for thoughtful gifts for friends and family.

01 of 09

White Christmas Trees

green, gold, and black christmas decorations
Jay Wilde

Move over, evergreens—white Christmas trees are flooding our social media feeds this season. This Christmas tree color lends itself well to almost any palette, so you can use it to create a rustic farmhouse look or cover it with a rainbow of bright ornaments. Whether you opt for a white tinsel tree or go with the snowy look of a flocked Christmas tree, the white backdrop will make your ornaments pop.

02 of 09

Kitchen Kitsch

santa Christmas mugs
Jay Wilde

According to Dayna Isom Johnson, Etsy’s trend expert, vintage kitchen pieces are the hottest holiday trend of 2022. With an 85% increase in searches for vintage mixing bowls and a 26% increase in searches for retro decor, you can expect to see a lot of vintage Santa mugs and kitschy decor pieces. “This trend is all about embracing bright, retro styles from the ‘50s and ‘60s,” Johnson says. “From unique mixing bowls to old-school cookie jars, this trend is perfect for adding pops of nostalgia and personality to your home this holiday season.”

03 of 09

Cozy Aesthetic

black and white bedroom with christmas decor
Adam Albright

After spending so much time at home, people are giving their spaces a cozy, welcoming vibe. And now, the aesthetic is spilling into holiday decorating and planning. People are skipping the elements of the Christmas season that feel frantic and hectic and creating holiday sanctuaries at home instead.

“As Pinners prepare for the new year and form their resolutions, we are seeing rising interest in the 'slow life,'” says Jeremy Jankowski, lifestyle expert at Pinterest. “Slow life is all about doing things at the right speed. This movement focuses on doing things better, but not faster—doing less and spending time on the things that matter most to you.”

Searches that support the comfy at-home aesthetic have tripled since last year: Pins with a soft, cozy aesthetic are up 14 times compared to this time last year. So grab your softest blankets (like this Better Homes & Gardens Chenille Throw, $17, Walmart), queue up classic Christmas music, and spend the season celebrating at home.

04 of 09

Inexpensive Decor

Have a Merry Little Christmas overlapping hanging pictures
Adam Albright

Many of us use the same holiday decor every year because it's easy and practical. But incorporating new Christmas decorating trends doesn't mean you have to do a complete overhaul of your existing decor. This year, we won't be spending a lot of money on new accent pieces—rather, we'll be repurposing our existing items and pairing them with inexpensive holiday decorations so we have more budget left for a big holiday meal and travel expenses to see far-away family and friends.

05 of 09

Nostalgic Decor

Shiny Brite ornaments

Kim Cornelison

Retro-inspired holiday decor has made a major comeback over the past few years. The iconic jewel tones of Shiny Brite ornaments, first made popular in the 1950s, are all over store shelves this year. And according to Instagram, we aren't the only ones scouring Grandma's attic for vintage holiday decorations: There are more than 875,000 posts tagged with #vintagechristmas, and people are already sharing this year's finds.

You can find modern versions of these retro holiday items in just about every decor aisle this year, but Dayna Isom Johnson recommends stopping by your local vintage or thrift stores first. “When buying vintage, shoppers are not only getting something uniquely special but also shopping sustainably by breathing new life into an existing item,” she says.

06 of 09

Farmhouse Neutrals

christmas tree in basket
Aniko Levai

Whether farmhouse whites or midcentury modern blacks and grays, neutral decor isn't going anywhere this year—which means neutral Christmas decorations are decidedly in. According to Google Trends, searches for farmhouse Christmas ideas are spiking again ahead of this holiday season. The best Christmas decor is the kind that matches your existing color scheme. You don't have to go all out on red and green if that's not your normal year-round aesthetic: White, black, navy, natural wood tones, and other neutrals can all look just as festive as more traditional Christmas colors.

07 of 09

Woodland Magic

greenery gnomes diy
Carson Downing

Johnson says you can expect to see a woodland theme among ornaments and accent pieces this season. “Over the past few years, shoppers have increasingly looked for ways to connect with nature as a form of escapism,” she explains. “So it comes as no surprise that many are gravitating towards magical, nature-inspired decor this holiday season—what I like to call the ‘enchanted forest’ trend.” Get the look by placing a few Christmas gnomes on the front porch (try these Better Homes & Gardens Outdoor Ceramic Gnomes, $12, Walmart) to greet holiday guests.

08 of 09

Home for the Holidays

green and copper table setting with lantern centerpieces
Adam Albright

During the pandemic, much of the holidays were spent at home, a reminder of the importance of spending time with loved ones. This year, we'll be skipping any holiday parties and events we don't really want to go to, and spending more quality time at home together instead. Prep the home with thoughtful, personalized touches that make guests feel warm and cozy.

09 of 09

Recycled Materials

colorful grid of fabric wrapped gifts
Jacob Fox

This season, go green by wrapping gifts with fabric instead of paper and purchasing eco-friendly decor items. Sustainable Christmas products are top of mind this year, and an easy way to make an impact is to switch up your traditional wrapping routine. Stay on-trend while supporting the environment by ditching paper and investing in reusable fabric gift wraps or cloth gift bags instead of wrapping paper, which is often not recyclable.

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