Joanna Gaines' Christmas living room is a masterclass in traditional decorating for 2024 – it is timeless, sophisticated, and will never date

The holiday season is without a doubt my favorite time of the year. So much so that I like to get the Christmas decorations out early, the mulled wine flowing, and the festive music on full volume. When decorating for this season, I always turn to interior designer, entrepreneur, and HGTV star Joanna Gaines for yuletide inspiration. For one, Gaines and I share a penchant for decorating early, and we both prefer traditional Christmas decor ideas over modern trends and fast-fading fads.

'This year, many of us are opting for Christmas decor ideas reminiscent of a time before technology; one that was filled with the simpler pleasures in life and returning to a wholesome rustic lifestyle that celebrates simplicity, tradition, and nostalgia. For traditional Christmas decor, the key is to lean into warm tones, cozy textures, foraged decor, and vintage pieces,' says Dayna Isom Johnson, Etsy's trend & design expert.

Creating the right atmosphere with your holiday decor can allow us to properly switch off and enjoy this precious time with our family and friends. Joanna Gaines has the traditional seasonal look down to a fine art.

Christmas is a special time for many people, so crafting the right atmosphere is vital.

It doesn't get more timeless and traditional than embracing Christmas tree ideas over the holiday season. Often sitting at the heart of our festive displays, having a classic green Christmas tree in your home is a classic way to make your home feel more joyous.

To keep things delightfully traditional, you cannot beat the beauty of having a real tree, such as a fir, spruce, or pine. Of course, these are not always the most practical options, and luckily, many wonderful faux designs can look just as good – Balsam Hill is one of our favorite places to shop for stylish artificial Christmas trees.

Michael Giannelli, owner of East Hampton Gardens says: 'For a more traditional look this Christmas, choose a large, classic fir tree and decorate it with twinkling lights, red, green, and silver or gold beaded garlands, decorative bows, and neutral ornaments – guaranteed to create a cozy, classic look.'

Many classic festive decorations look to the beauty of nature, such as wreaths for Christmas door decor and glorious Christmas garlands, creating a wonderfully rustic, seasonal feel – perfect for decoration both inside of the home and for outdoor Christmas decor ideas, too.

Set the scene for your living room by framing a door with generous swags of greenery. Choose a mixture of leaves with a variety of textures and tones and group them together in a relaxed style, leaving a few stems flowing freely to soften the edges, similar to Gaines' design. For a fuller, more dramatic look, collect pine cones, rose hips, and other foraged foliage to bump up texture – just make sure to secure properly with wire to avoid any unexpected garnishes ending up in your holiday cocktails.

Another important element of classic festive decor is the Christmas mantel. Adding a row of stockings to your mantel decor during the week or even on the night before Christmas will give you a decorative addition to look forward to. Consider coordinating your stockings with your existing room color ideas. In this example, the neutral trio of stockings perfectly coordinates with the green foliage and the muted gray-green and blue decor.

Shop the look

If, like me, you're missing the yuletides of yesteryear, then you'll find a lot to like in the Magnolia Holiday Shop and Hearth & Hand with Magnolia shop at Target.