Places with smaller square footage can be tricky to decorate because it doesn’t take much to make them feel cramped and crammed. Come holiday season, it becomes even more difficult to flex your styling and decorating muscles. Nevertheless, there are ways you can make your small place all bright and merry this holiday season – even without the big old Christmas tree.

Dining Room Decor

Try some of these space-savvy, dreamy decor hacks and turn your small apartment into a cozy space oozing with happiness and holiday cheer.

Garland and Christmas cards as a lovely doorway decor

Stairs decor

Many of us love keeping the tradition alive and sending out a number of Christmas cards each year. While you might love getting them, living in a small space doesn’t exactly allow for too many keepsakes, which is why Christmas cards are often the ones to go.

Instead of throwing them, you can also give those cards a purpose. A plain, dull doorway can be instantly enhanced with the help of garland, clothespins, and some Christmas cards. Attach the garland and use some colorful, cheerful clothespins to attach the cards onto the garland. It’s a perfectly thoughtful and easy way to work with what you already have.

A Christmas wreath made from seasonal greenery and foliage

Try some of these space-savvy, dreamy decor hacks and turn your small apartment into a cozy space oozing with happiness and holiday cheer.

Even if you haven’t got enough space to fit a Christmas tree, you can still add elements of it. Decorating with a twig or a branch can be the perfect solution for your small abode, yet interesting enough to catch the eye without looking over-the-top. Hang a twig wreath on your wall for a perfectly minimalistic appeal. If you like to keep things traditional, go for a round wreath.

No need to hit the store though – you can easily make one yourself using seasonal greenery and foliage like eucalyptus, baby’s breath, cotton flowers, and ivy, or simply arrange pinecones in a circle, paint them using silver or white spray, pop on a bow, and you’re all done.

Christmas scented candles to accentuate your space

Try some of these space-savvy, dreamy decor hacks and turn your small apartment into a cozy space oozing with happiness and holiday cheer.

The holiday season also brings with it the traditional Christmas scents and an instant way to make your home feel all Christmassy is to infuse it with pleasant, luscious fragrances of beautiful Christmas candles and spread the yuletide cheer.

From cinnamon and vanilla, spices and berries, to the pine needles, anise, and nutmeg, there is a wide range of scented candles that perfectly capture the festive feel of the holiday season. When the lights go down, the soft flickering of the flame will make those holiday evenings even more magical, and the candles themselves won’t take up too much space in your small home, either.

Decorative ladders as a makeshift Christmas tree

Try some of these space-savvy, dreamy decor hacks and turn your small apartment into a cozy space oozing with happiness and holiday cheer.

If you’re into minimalism, you’ll probably like this idea because it involves something that is often seen in contemporary minimalist spaces (although they mix well with various design styles), and that is decorative ladders.

A smart, versatile, and practical storage solution, these ladders aren’t only meant to hold your small plants, blankets, and towels. They can also act as a makeshift Christmas tree if you’re creative enough. Pop on ornaments of different shapes, colors, and sizes, and wrap up the ladder in twinkle lights to give it a festive feel.

Branches in a jar for spreading the holiday cheer

Mason Jar Decor

In case you’re working with a small space and a small budget for Christmas decor, you’re probably wondering how you can decorate your home for cheap. Go out in nature to see whether there are some branches you can accessorize with or go to the florist and look for leftover branches you can get for cheap.

Simply place them in a jar or a tall vase and pop on a couple of ornaments to embellish them. An easy way to add some pizzazz to your home without spending much.

Twinkle, twinkle Christmas lights

Try some of these space-savvy, dreamy decor hacks and turn your small apartment into a cozy space oozing with happiness and holiday cheer.

If you’re like most people, you simply can’t imagine a Christmas without some colorful, flashing twinkle lights. There’s something about twinkle lights that makes the holiday atmosphere ten times more enjoyable, and they’re quite a versatile tool for decorating your home long after the holiday season is over.

They can be hung from ceilings, placed around mirrors, doorways, and fireplace mantels, or used to line TVs, shelves, and cabinets. The more twinkle lights you add, the merrier Christmas will be.

Christmas season can get quite hectic, especially for us, small apartment dwellers who need to get rely on Christmas tree alternatives to dress up their tiny homes.

‘Tis the season to be jolly, so don’t let this limit your holiday cheer!

Deck the halls relying on some of our tips and you’re sure to impress your guests and make your small space all cheerful and jolly this holiday season.

Which is your favorite decor hack? Do you have any you’d like to contribute to the list? Let us know in the comments!