The Magic is Already in Your Home: Styling What You Have This Holiday Season

Here's a secret: the most memorable holiday spaces aren't filled with the newest, shiniest decor—they're layered with pieces that tell a story.

This year, decorators are embracing a collected approach with pieces that carry history, and we're here for it. Whether you're hunting through thrift stores or rediscovering forgotten treasures in your own storage bins, creating a beautiful holiday home doesn't require starting from scratch.

Thrifting Gold: What to Look For

Vintage Ornaments Designers are encouraging clients to hunt for vintage ornaments online and ask family members to dig through their storage. Those slightly tarnished glass baubles and retro Shiny Brite ornaments? They're exactly what makes a tree feel collected rather than catalog-perfect.

Mercury Glass & Metallics Mercury glass and warm metallics like aged golds are trending this season. Thrift stores are treasure troves for vintage silver bowls, brass candlesticks, and tarnished trays that add instant sophistication.

Velvet Ribbons & Textured Textiles Velvet ribbons are making a major comeback. Check the craft section of thrift stores for vintage ribbon spools, or repurpose velvet fabric remnants into bows and garland ties.

90s Nostalgia Pieces Yes, even those colorful string lights from your childhood! There's a strong nostalgia trend for the warm glow of vintage colorful lights rather than stark LED whites.

Styling What You Already Own

Layer With Intention Don't hide your collection—Christmas 2025 is about embracing abundance. Pull out every ornament, every candle holder, every piece of holiday joy you've collected over the years. The key is mixing textures and finishes intentionally.

Go Green (Literally)Green is taking center stage as both an anchor color and neutral this season. Use it as your foundation—greenery, sage ribbons, forest green candles—then layer in your existing golds, silvers, and reds.

Create Vignettes Everywhere No mantel? No problem. Your console table, bookshelf, or dining table can become a holiday moment. Designers are converting console tables into mantel displays with wreaths and coordinating stockings.

Mix Your Metals Instead of sticking to one metallic, decorators are mixing finishes—brushed gold beside antique silver, soft copper paired with champagne brass. This gives you permission to use everything you own together.

The Best Part About This Approach

When you thrift and style what you have, your home tells your story. Those ornaments from your grandmother's tree, the candlesticks you found at an estate sale, the stockings your kids made in kindergarten—it's less about magazine-worthy trees and more about creating something that represents your personality.

The holidays aren't about perfection. They're about creating a space that feels like home—warm, layered, personal, and full of memories both old and new.