A blinking, or twinkle, bulb makes Christmas lights blink. Usually, this type of bulb has a silver or red tip, making it easily distinguishable from other non-blinking bulbs. Most packages of Christmas lights come with additional blinking and non-blinking bulbs. Additional bulbs can be purchased at a hardware store or online retailer.
Elegant Christmas decor: Easy DIY ideas you’ll love
Make Santa (and the rest of your household) swoon this year with these elegant Christmas decor ideas that will have your space brimming with holiday cheer.
Elegant Christmas decor isn’t reserved for bloggers and influencers — anyone can create a beautiful winter wonderland with a few easy ideas. But where do you start?
This guide features four elegant Christmas decor ideas that make it easy to create an Insta-worthy look in every room. We’ve also included extra tips to help you spread the cheer throughout your home.
Our top 4 elegant Christmas decoration ideas
These Christmas decoration ideas are sure to make Santa swoon this year, and they’re all DIY-friendly to keep your holiday season sweet and simple. You can use all four ideas together for a merry Christmas makeover or pick your favorite to upgrade your holiday home. Each idea features a list of the essential elements you’ll need to bring it to life, plus optional extras to help you make it your own.
1. Minimalist Christmas tree with a two-tone color palette
Tree decor takes on an elegant air with a two-tone color palette and minimalist aesthetic. Pick two colors that work well with your home decor — you might try white and gold, navy and silver, red plaid and burlap, or red and gold.
Regardless of your chosen colors, it’s almost impossible to go wrong with this look. And if you’re worried about getting bored with just two colors, pick a new combination for next year, then alternate between the two.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- White frosted Christmas tree
- White and gold glass balls and snowflake ornaments
- White string lights to wrap around the tree
- Gold ribbon wrapped around the tree and tied in a bow on top like a Christmas tree topper
- Frosted mantel garland with matching ornaments and lights
Ways to make it your own:
- Uniform brown wrapping paper with white ribbon bows
- Burlap tree skirt
- Lanterns with LED candles around the tree
- Mini Christmas tree with matching burlap skirt
- Snowy white area rug
Bonus idea: Add a white rocking chair draped with a soft, white blanket for the perfect fireside seat.
2. Christmas mantel above a faux fire
Bring your living room to life with a faux fire beneath the mantel and elegant Christmas decor draped across the top. This idea is also excellent for real fireplaces that don’t see much use — just clean up the firebox, add some wood panels at the back, and you’re good to go.
This idea can work beneath a floating shelf or under a console table if you don’t have a mantel. You don’t even need a shelf or a table— lighted logs can create the fireplace aesthetic almost anywhere.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Small logs draped with white string lights for the “fire” in the fireplace
- Stockings and stocking holders for each guest
- Lit garland draped across the mantel
- Candles and votives to light the top of the mantel
Ways to make it your own:
- White Christmas lights draped over stockings
- Small Christmas wreaths on the walls
- Decorative wrapped gift for extra holiday cheer
- Christmas decorations, pinecones, candy canes, or extra greenery to add depth
Bonus idea: Skip the logs and lights — use a glamorous freestanding fireplace that produces cozy heat instead.
3. Lighted entryway and outdoor decor
You deserve to feel like you’re walking into a winter wonderland whenever you come home during the holidays. And a lighted front porch with beautiful door decor will give your guests an experience they won’t soon forget.
While you’ll likely need to make a few adjustments to suit your home’s porch or walkway, it doesn’t matter what you’re working with — elegant Christmas decor can bring any front door to life.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Traditional Christmas wreath wrapped in white lights on the front door
- Garland greenery decorated with Christmas ornaments and white lights framing the front door
- Decorated mini Christmas trees on either side of the walkway
Ways to make it your own:
- Red and gold bow at the top of the wreath
- Lanterns with LED candles lining the walkway
- Lantern hanging above the front door
Bonus idea: Continue the theme inside the entryway, decorating your coat rack or hall tree with a matching aesthetic.
4. White and gold dining table settings
Your table decor will set the scene for Christmas dinner, and it’s just as important as a delicious holiday feast. This glam table setting features a white and gold color scheme, but it’ll look beautiful in any colors you use to match an existing holiday theme in your dining room.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Grey, white, or silver table runner and cloth napkins
- Gold candle holders, cutlery, and napkin rings
- White or silver dinnerware
- Frosted greenery for the table centerpiece
Ways to make it your own:
- String Christmas lights with gold accents to accent the centerpiece
- Glass ornaments or baubles with gold accents
- Crystal stemware with gold accents
Bonus idea: Instead of cluttering the table, serve your dishes and drinks from a serving cart during mealtime. Also, try wrapping lights or garland around the cart’s edges to match the table.
Easy, elegant Christmas decor tips
Elegant Christmas decor should make you look forward to spending the holidays at home with loved ones, so have fun with it. These tips will help you come up with creative ideas to make your Christmas decor as unique and beautiful as you are.
- Use simple Christmas ornaments: Simple ornaments like glass balls, clip-on snowflakes, and ribbon bring elegant decor to life without overdoing it. Plus, they’re usually less expensive than extravagant decor.
- Choose a two-tone theme for every space: Two-tone color schemes make beautiful holiday decor an effortless endeavor, especially if you keep one unifying color throughout your home. For example, you might have a white and gold living room and dining room with a red and white front porch and entryway.
- Drape lights in unexpected places: String lights make it easy to add extra holiday cheer to every corner of your home, be it a multipurpose guest room or charming reading nook.
- Add a second (or third) Christmas tree: You can add more than one Christmas tree if you have a large living room. Try using two or three Christmas trees of different heights in the living room for a winter forest effect, or add a small tree to the corner of your dining room.
- Go wild with greenery: Garland can add Christmas cheer to anything, especially when decorated with lights, ornaments, or bows. Try placing garland over doorways and windows, around banisters, draped from a chandelier, or in the corners of countertops.
- Add a few personal touches: Simple is excellent for an elegant appeal, but don’t be afraid to add your Christmas favorites. For example, you might place a beloved nutcracker in the center of your tabletop decor or a family heirloom nativity set on the mantel.
- Don’t forget to soundscape: For extra cheer, soundscape your home with Christmas carols, holiday classics, nature sounds, and other ambient holiday music. Just set up a few speakers in key points or put an aesthetic soundscape video on the TV.
Prepping to Make Christmas Lights Flash
There are several holiday lighting do’s and don’ts, but your safety should always come first. You can wear rubber-insulated gloves for an added layer of protection since you’ll be working with electrical outlets and wiring. Unplug the strand of lights you’ll work with to reduce your risk of shock. Before figuring out how to make Christmas lights flash, make sure the strand of lights is in good condition. Not only will this keep your home merry, bright, and safe, but you will save time and effort down the line.
Locate or Buy a ‘Blinking Bulb’
Christmas lights usually come with “flasher bulbs” or “blinking, bulbs”—those are what you’ll need to make your lights twinkle. You can easily spot blinking bulbs by their red or silver tips. One of these bulbs makes the other bulbs in this circuit blink, too. If you didn’t hang on to the extra bulbs that came with the initial box, you can buy blinking and non-blinking replacement bulbs at most hardware stores.
You’ll want to have enough bulbs on hand to troubleshoot. But having a few extra blinking and non-blinking bulbs nearby is also helpful in case you break or lose any in the bulb-replacement process.
We shed some light on this common holiday decorating task
4 Steps to Making Christmas Lights Blink
Now that you’ve got all your supplies in place, it’s time to make those little lights twinkle. Here’s how.
Remove and Untangle Your Lights
Photo: Alliance / Adobe Stock
Locate and Remove the Right Bulb
Secure a Blinking Bulb Into the Light Strand
Test the String of Lights
Photo: Jo Ann Snover / Adobe Stock
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro
Bright, twinkling Christmas lights are the focal point of the holiday season. Installing blinking holiday lights is something a professional Christmas light installer can handle if you don’t want to do it yourself. But this project is easy and affordable to complete, so you’re better off taking a DIY approach to make Christmas lights blink.
If you’re looking to expand your holiday cheer to larger, more advanced light installations, consider hiring a holiday decoration service. The cost to hire a Christmas light installer runs between $220 and $650 for an entire house. Pros can drape your entire home’s exterior with holiday cheer while you sip hot chocolate by the fireplace.
