14 Christmas fireplace decor ideas – to create a beautiful festive focal point

A fireplace really comes into its own over the festive period, it's naturally the warm hub of the home where family and guests gather around. And visually always being the focal point of a room, they call out to be decorated for the holidays, draping garlands over the mantle, adding ornaments to the surround, hanging a wreath on the chimney. There's so much you can do to give this space a festive flourish.

'Enhancing my fireplace at Christmas is my favorite job,' says our print editor and stylist, Jo Bailey. 'I tend to choose my most treasured ornaments to show off here because they can easily get lost on the tree, but will be noticed around the fireplace.'

So with that in mind, we've rounded up all our favorite Christmas decor ideas for enhancing your fireplace no matter what your style.

1. Go oversize with your greenery displays

Pine, fir, eucalyptus and holly – evergreen Christmas foliage is an absolute hero of Christmas decor, so enjoy it in its fullest by using it in abundance around your fireplace.

‘Garlands of greenery, with a rope base and swagged heavily over mantelpieces look fabulous and will last for ages if you select hardy, evergreen foliage,’ says florist Philippa Craddock. ‘Or think about using different ingredients: a mass of naturally dried grass mixed with seasonal stems will give you something beautifully unique.’

It’s a decor trick that works wonderfully for rustic Christmas decor ideas, but it can make a real statement in a more formal setting, too, as shown in the Christmas living room above.

If you're looking for more enduring festive foliage that can be used year on year, explore our picks of festive faux garlands below.

2. Fill an empty fireplace with a show-stopping display

The best way to complement the humble simplicity of an open fireplace is with a standout floral display. This striking design, by florist Juliet Glaves, is nothing if not a showstopper, with layers of cut foliage and flowers working together to create a magnificent natural statement.

While fresh flowers only last a few days, branches and foliage can often be left for a much longer period of time. Consider replacing the fresh blooms or substituting them for dried flowers for a longer-lasting floral display.

3. Create a cozy feel with lots of candles

Complement the warmth and glow of the roaring flames of your fire with a collection of candles. Perfect for resting atop a mantel, or for placing on the fire surround, the best candles will always work wonderfully for festive decoration.

We love the cozy feel of this festive living room designed by Susie Watson and how the fireplace glows from all the different candles. The mix of shapes and sizes makes the candles more of a display and creates little pools of light at various heights.

4. Embrace an on trend vintage look

If you love a vintage look, it's easy to achieve with a combination of found items and dried flower arrangements. When choosing your designs, consider the look you’re trying to achieve; wooden frames suit rustic farmhouse Christmas decor, while ornate brushed gold will add an elegant festive flourish, for example.

5. Keep it simple with string lights

Sometimes you want your fireplace to speak for itself, and going back to basics is one of the most beautiful ways to decorate for the holiday season.

‘For me, the holidays are all about gratitude for the abundance we experience throughout the year, so I like to keep things very natural when I decorate’, says Anastasia Casey, interior stylist and founder of The Identité Collective.

Just a set of string lights running along and down the sides of your mantle could be all you need to make your fireplace a glowing focal point. ‘We use a lot of fairy lights in our Christmas decor – always warm white – as they can be adapted in a multitude of different ways, particularly when used to fringe a mantelpiece,’ suggests Angus Buchanan, creative director at Buchanan Studio.

6. Go simple yet elegant

Create a truly elegant look inspired by quiet luxury Christmas decor ideas with a candlelit foliage mantelpiece arrangement.

For the foliage, stick to traditional green colorways, such as classic holly and eucalyptus; play around with shapes of seed heads and leaves, but the shades should only vary from sage to emerald green. To add contrast, weave in clean, whites, such as boughs of glossy snowberries.

Enhance this look by using pure white tapered candles, sitting on crystal and silver candlesticks. Try creating movement with the candles by arranging these candlesticks in size order. Shop beautiful brass taper holders and taper candles from McGee & Co.

7. Hang a paper garland for a nostalgic feel

Paper decorations are not only wonderfully simple, they can make for fun festive craft to enjoy, ideal for DIY Christmas decor ideas or if you are doing some last minute decor.

Paper garlands are perfect for more traditional Christmas decor ideas, and can create a playful retro feel. We love the colorful paper garland used on this fireplace; perfectly coordinating with Christmas ornaments on the tree and with the colorful furniture.

8. Enhance your fireplace with a wreath

A glorious, wreath can make even the most humble of fireplaces into a true statement.

There are myriad Christmas wreath ideas out there, and certainly one to suit your interior style, but for a suits-all winner we love going with classic foliage as designer Emily Henderson has done in her own home here.

Real or faux, this natural display will bring nature indoors in a controlled and stylish manner. Remember that you can always add natural elements into faux arrangements – simply replace when dried out. For wholly real displays, be sure to mist with water daily to prevent it fading from glory before its time.

Co-ordinate your scheme with a matching Christmas garland, and candles picking up festive tones from within the wreath.

9. Make the most of a non-working fireplace

If you don't have a working fireplace in your home – or for whatever reason you don't choose to light yours – but you have the architectural detail remaining, there's still lots of fun you can have when making this a festive focal point and part of your Christmas traditions.

An oversized wicker basket is the perfect vessel to fill to the brim with Christmas baubles and decorations. Wrap with a slender wreath and then mirror this with a twin wreath above.

It's an easy but effective scheme, and perfect if you're short on time or perhaps are staying in a rental as there's no real commitment.

10. Keep it traditional with stockings

In years gone by there wasn't a fireplace to be seen on Christmas without a stocking. Reclaim this tradition by hanging a stocking for each member of your family, even if just for decorative purposes. Continue this old-school theme with the most delicate of filigree style ornaments.

For a truly classic look, avoid anything too overtly 'modern' like fairy lights, bold colors or glitter and instead rely on your stockings to take center-stage, or complement with more traditional decorations such as foliage, a shown here in this living room designed by Kit Kemp.

11. Enhance your fireplace with fragrance

A sumptuous garland lain over a mantelpiece is a classic Christmas move when it comes to decorating a fireplace, but make your garland work that bit harder by including seasonally scented elements. Add in dried oranges, lemons and cinnamon sticks, along with fragranced foliage like pine and eucalyptus, to be transported to Christmas Day with every inhale.

To build out the garland, add in textural detailing, such as hessian ribbon, seed heads, and delicate twigs. This Potpourri mix from Amazon has scent notes of fresh cut evergreen, crushed pine needles, orange zest, and fir balsam.

12. Decorate your mantel with a collection of festive ornaments

A mantel provides the perfect platform to get creative with a whole host of festive ornaments, you really can create the most pretty of festive scenes, as shown above by Layered Lounge.

You can also make the most of left over Christmas tree ornaments. Whether you simply rest them atop your mantel or hang them from a garland, it can create a wonderfully coordinated look with your Christmas tree ideas.

13. Mix fruit and foliage – and candlelight

This gorgeous idea from chef and lifestyle guru Clodagh McKenna is super easy to recreate, and its foodie theme works well for Christmas table decor ideas, too.

McKenna has simply taken foliage from the garden and dotted bright flowers and fruits in traditional Christmas colors amongst it. And, of course, candlelight adds to the atmosphere.

14. Make your display personal

How you celebrate Christmas is totally unique to every individual, so add some of your personality to the space above your fireplace.

In this home in Cornwall in the United Kingdom, a former vicarage belonging to Amanda Back, head of communications at Designers Guild, the fireplace decoration has been enhanced with beautiful garlands of shells, adding a wonderful note of individuality and uniqueness that beautifully pays homage to the home's coastal setting.

A bare fireplace at Christmas is a sad fireplace. These spaces are prime real estate for festive decor, and they are one of the key spots in your home to give a festive flourish.