Although Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year no matter where you live, there's just something about a country Christmas that's extra magical and cozy. Perhaps it's the lovingly-prepared, home-cooked meals or the holiday craft projects and holiday decorations that make December in the countryside so special. No matter the reason, it's hard to beat it.
To help you bring that down-home feeling to your neck of the woods, we've rounded up some of the best country Christmas ideas that you'll love for your holiday farmhouse. From personalized Christmas stockings and vintage wall decorations to setting out seasonal centerpieces and mini Christmas trees, adding any one of these country Christmas ideas to your home will do the trick.
When you're done decorating, we've also included some small-town Christmas activities that your whole family will enjoy. Whether it's simply hanging Christmas lights and heading to a tree farm to find your perfect Christmas tree, or visiting your local Main Street and buying Christmas presents at the general store, we've equipped you with many activities that you can cross off your country Christmas bucket list. If you think you and your family will love an old-fashioned country Christmas, then you've definitely come to the right place.
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Pine Ridge Cabin Lit Building
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Host a Christmas Movie Night
For easy Christmas decor that's bound to impress, add garlands of greenery and dried citrus to your bar.
SHOP DRIED CITRUS
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Up Your Charcuterie Game
Charcuterie boards are always crowd-pleasers, and they're easy to execute: create little groupings of dried and fresh fruit, nuts, cheese, olives, and cured meats on a large cutting board, then add touches of green with rosemary and sage garnish.
SHOP CUTTING BOARDS
Christmas is all about family, right? Therefore, you should decorate with classic photos that'll have everyone reminiscing.
SHOP WREATHS
Display your Christmas spirit everywhere you go by decking out your truck (or car). Show off your favorite wreath or get creative with different seasonal elements.
SHOP WREATHS
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Make a Country Centerpiece
There are so many ways to make your tabletop feel seasonal, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't also be rustic. Set bottlebrush trees in a repurposed wood box for the ultimate country centerpiece.
SHOP BOTTLEBRUSH TREES
From soft pillows and blankets to rough burlap, adding a little texture can go a long way. Bonus points if there's plenty of plaid!
SHOP BLANKETS
Ditch traditional Christmas stockings, stars, and photos for more unique options. Instead, swap stockings for seed bags and top your tree with a tiny house.
SHOP CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS
It only takes a handful of ornaments to make this mini tree merry and bright! And instead of a traditional stand, try a vintage candy box instead.
SHOP CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS
Add some bits and baubles to your work space. This collector uses both grown-up and school-house staples as merry accents.
SHOP VINTAGE CHRISTMAS SIGNS
Holiday displays don't have to strictly be all Christmas items. Emulate this collector by adding Christmas-colored everyday items to your festive figures.
SHOP SANTA FIGURINES
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Craft an Unexpected Wreath
You can make a wreath out of nearly anything: All you need is a circular object and some ribbon! This vintage metal tree skirt does the trick when a bow is tied to the top.
SHOP WREATHS
The more, the merrier! Emulate this Michigan homeowner and hang both your stockings and your garland together for a super festive finish.
SHOP GARLAND
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Hang Some Natural Garland
This fresh garland is super simple to recreate: Just puncture
a hole through an apple, close to the center, then string wire through the fruit and secure wire to the garland.
SHOP GARLAND
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Celebrate Around the Campfire
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Shop Your Local Main Street
Pick out a special present for everyone on your list by heading into town. If you don’t live in a small town, visit one for the day or weekend to get your festive fix.
Grab your warmest coat and snow boots for an afternoon spent outdoors. Go sledding, snowshoeing, ice skating, or take your family on a classic horse-drawn sleigh ride. Silver bells are a must!
You simply can’t go wrong with a handcrafted token of your love. Pass out candles, soaps, and other heartfelt DIY presents, or serve ‘em something sweet like cookies, biscuits, pies, and other food gifts.
SHOP CHRISTMAS BOXES
Draw some inspiration from the Junk Gypsies, who assembled this hay bale Christmas tree outside their Wander Inn in Round Top, Texas. Make your own by stacking straw and adorning it with lights, a star, and some ornaments.
SHOP STRAW BALES
And go for something a bit more rustic and retro! A vintage potato chip pail makes the perfect container for a mini tree, while an upcycled drum or stock tank works well for larger ones. Visit your local thrift store and get creative with whatever they have in store.
SHOP PAILS
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Decorate with Festive Tartan
Blogger and Connecticut homeowner Nora Murphy infused her home with holiday charm using tartan blankets as tablecloths, plaid dishware in her tablescape, and buffalo check blankets in her bedroom.
SHOP BLANKETS
Add a touch of green year-round by installing forest green lamps on the exterior of your home or barn, then dress things up for the season: Outfit a drape of greenery with lights, ornaments, or berries. Finally, use what you've got: Stash plain planters, pots, and pails with birch logs and tiny pine trees bedecked with pinecones.
SHOP GARLAND
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Attend a Small-Town Parade
Move over, Macy's! We love the pomp and circumstance of the big-city pageantry but, to us, nothing signals the start of the season—or shows off the heart of a small town—quite like a quaint Christmas parade. The excitement is everywhere, from the moment the homemade floats find their places. Folks happily take a break from the hustle and bustle the season brings. They slow down. They gather. They bid one another well. Year after year, along the never-changing route, Boy Scouts wave and toss out candy while little ones scramble to scoop up a treat or five. The local marching band cheerfully bears the cold, performing for friends and families huddled together. This year, don your mittens and scarves and hit Main Street to welcome the season the small-town America way.
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String Your Own Garland
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Hang a Country Stocking
Hang a grain sack, seed sack, or gingham stocking—they're just waiting to be filled with delicious dry goods.
SHOP BURLAP STOCKINGS
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Add Rustic Charm to a Card Display
Show off the influx of season's greetings on a vintage tobacco basket by tucking well wishes into the overlapping strips of reed. (For old baskets, try eBay, Etsy, or CL Fair vendor Great Stuff By Paul).
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Showcase Your Little One's Artwork
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Set a Festive (Not Fussy) Table
Say what you will about the convenience of an artificial tree, but there's nothing like holiday decorating from the ground up. So pile into the station wagon (or your family's equivalent) and go on a hot cider-fueled pursuit of this year's specimen at your local Christmas tree farm.
As is true for most family outings, good-natured arguments will ensue (That one's too wide! Why, why are we walking so far? Mom, put down the axe!), but all will be forgiven by the time that one-of-a-kind fir finds its way home. And after Dad hauls down the ornaments from the attic and you go to hang that clay handprint from 1972, you'll be reminded that family, like the "too-wide" tree and its humble homemade trimmings, is perfect in its imperfection. Take that, plastic.
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Stack a Mason Jar Christmas Tree
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Hang a Wreath Made Out of...
...pinecones, wood, pom-poms, bells, paper, a wagon wheel, or rope! Or make your own Christmas wreath with flea market finds like Christmas carol sheet music, tinsel, bulbs, or shiny brite ornaments.
Simply affix the decoration of your choice to a Styrofoam wreath and secure them u-shaped greening pins, tape, or hot glue depending on their size, weight, and shape.
SHOP WREATH FORMS
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Top the Tree with Punched Tin
Yet another reason to spring for the next dough bowl you run across at the antiques store: It makes for a beautiful centerpiece (or menorah). Fill the wooden bowl with floral foam, insert candles (we love the simplicity of plain old white), and nestle seasonal greenery in between the tapers.
SHOP DOUGH BOWLS
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Shop at an Old-Fashioned Country General Store
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Prepare a Christmas Day Breakfast
Blame it on the hurried pace of our hyper-connected world, but the sit-down breakfast, it seems, has fallen out of favor. Let's change that.
This year, on Christmas morning, after the gifts are unwrapped and the shiny new bikes make their inaugural trips down the driveway, assemble your family around the table to revive the lost art of a leisurely country breakfast.
Just promise us this: Between bites of sugar-cured bacon, pause, for a second, to sop up this delicious moment, when the humans you hold most dear are gathered, together, around the table, breaking flaky, buttery bread. This, this sunny-side-up moment is what matters. The rest—the tree, the gifts, the bikes—is just gravy.
SHOP CHRISTMAS MUGS
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