Are you in the process of decorating for the Christmas season? With the holidays just around the corner, the time to get ready is slowly running out! If you’re on the search for the perfect decorating materials this season, you don’t have to look far. This time of year, festive ribbon can be found on the shelves of nearly every big-box store, craft store, and bargain shop. These colorful ribbons are often underestimated, used only for wrapping presents or adding an accent to a holiday wreath, but that’s just the beginning!
In this guide, we’re going to take a deep dive into 60 different Christmas ribbon decoration ideas ranging from simply DIY Christmas tree ornaments to impressive entryway displays. We are confident that there are options on this list for every style and size of space.
Time is ticking so let’s get started!
Table of Contents
Create Large, Elaborate Ribbon Bows for Display
Walk through the aisles of your local craft or big box store and you will find large decorative bows in a variety of different sizes, styles, and colors. These bows can easily be incorporated into your holiday display; however, you don’t have to be limited to just the options that you can find for sale. Decorative bows are surprisingly easy to make, allowing you to make your own with whatever ribbon best suits your decorating style. Stick with a single solid color or mix and match, the choice is yours.
Build a Ribbon Wreath
Do you often look at the decorated wreaths on people’s front doors with a touch of envy? This holiday season, create your own ribbon wreath using nothing but a wire wreath form and multiple lengths of ribbon. One at a time, take a piece of ribbon and tie it into a bow on the wire ring. Push the bows together tightly after you add each bow, adding to the fullness. This project uses non-wired ribbons that are thin enough to be tied easily. Don’t forget to add a large loop of ribbon to the top for hanging your wreath when you’re finished!
Tie Ribbon Around Pillar Candles for A Festive Touch
Pillar candles are often used in traditional holiday decorating; however, a plain white pillar candle may not have the holiday flair that you are looking for. Don’t let that discourage you. You can elevate the appearance of that pillar candle quickly and easily with a piece of ribbon and some holiday greenery. Simply tie your favorite ribbons around each of your candles, adding a pop of color and giving them some personality. Tuck a small piece of fresh greenery or a small holiday ornament into the ribbon to finish the look.
Add a Bow to Table Lamps
One easy way to add a little holiday cheer to your home is to decorate the items that are already present, like your table lamps. Tie a wide ribbon in a color that matches your holiday décor around the lampshade with a simple bow in the front to add a festive pop of color. If you aren’t a fan of the look of ribbon on the lampshade itself, consider tying the ribbon around the body of the light itself instead.
Decorate Your Mailbox with A Large Bow
The holiday season is a busy and stressful time for mail carriers across the country as they work hard to stay on top of the influx of Christmas gifts and cards being sent to friends, family, and loved ones. This year, bring a little holiday cheer to your mail carrier by decorating your mailbox. Tie a large decorative bow to the top of the mailbox, against the post, or attach one to the front of the mailbox door. Just be careful not to interfere with the function of your mailbox.
Wrap Indoor Doorways
If you are looking for easy décor ideas for your home this season, here’s a low-cost solution that can be used in any space. Take a roll of ribbon in a color that compliments your indoor holiday décor and wrap it around the doors in your home as if they are oversized holiday gifts, including a large, decorative bow on the front. This can be done on any door in your home. You can personalize it further by adding a gift tag to each of your bedroom doors with the name of the person whose room can be found on the other side.
Use Ribbon As A Table Runner
During the holiday season, festive table runners are often displayed on coffee tables and dining room tables. While these runners are usually made from a strip of cloth, another fun way to add some color to your space is to use lengths of ribbon. Roll out a single ribbon down the center of the table for a minimalistic approach or combine multiple ribbons side by side or layered on top of one another to create more elaborate displays. This is a great choice for those that are planning to host a holiday dinner, providing a colorful base for your tablescape.
Create a Wooden Bead and Ribbon Wreath
This adorable decoration can be hung from your Christmas tree or placed in the center of your place setting to welcome your guests. All you need to make it is a length of string, large wooden beads, and a colorful ribbon for the accent at the top. Add the beads to the string before tying it off creating a circular wreath form. Before cutting the excess off, tie another knot further up the string to create a loop for hanging. Tie your ribbon into a small bow at the base of the hanging loop and you’re done! These tree decorations are a nice touch for a rustic-themed tree, incorporating the natural touch of wood.
Fill Clear Ornaments with Bright, Bold Ribbon
Clear plastic ornaments are a popular choice for holiday crafting, acting as a blank canvas that can easily be transformed to suit any style. Homemade ornaments can be as simple or as elaborate as you choose, depending on your creativity and crafting abilities. One incredibly easy option that will add a fun and whimsical touch to any space is to fill your plastic ornaments with a long piece of ribbon. Slowly feed it into the ornament allowing it to curl and collect randomly, filling the ornament. These can be used as an accent on your holiday tree or (if you create a larger number of ornaments) the foundation for your holiday décor.
Hang Your Holiday Wreath with Ribbon
A basic greenery wreath is a popular choice for adding some festive cheer to front entrances and patio spaces. This holiday season, consider trading in your metal wreath hangers for a bright, bold holiday ribbon. Not only is this a fun way to add a personal touch to your front door display, but it’s also a safe way to hang your wreath without causing any damage to your home. Create a ribbon loop long enough that it can reach from the wreath up and over the top of your door and hook onto a Command utility hook on the inside of the door.
Decorate Dining Chairs with A Large Bow
If you are hosting the family Christmas dinner this year, you may be reading through these ideas for inspiration to bring some holiday cheer to your table. While many people will do this by creating a festive table centerpiece or adding Christmas-themed details to the individual place settings, there is one big opportunity that is often overlooked – your dining room chairs. An easy way to take your holiday décor to the next level before the big day is to wrap your chairs with a large tree ribbon, tying a decorative bow on the back. Do this to every chair or, if that feels like too much, every other chair around the room.
Tie Ribbon with a Large Bow Around Presents
We often put a lot of time and effort into creating a stunning tree with the glow of LED tree lights and colorful ornaments, many of which are tied to a special memory or inside joke. After all that work, why would you settle for filling in the bottom with ‘basic’ looking presents? This year, allow your holiday wrapping to do double duty, concealing the contents while adding a decorative touch to your space. Elevate your wrapping this year by tying off each present with patterned ribbons that compliment your holiday décor.
Hang Pinecones with Velvet Ribbon to Make Rustic Ornaments
Are you on the search for the perfect rustic tree decorations to compliment your tree décor? The solution may be easier than you think! All you need to create these homemade holiday ornaments is an assortment of pinecones and pieces of ribbon. You can use velvet ribbon to further embrace the rustic aesthetic or any other ribbon that brings feelings of holiday cheer into your day. Simply tie a loop of ribbon with a decorative bow at the bottom and attach it to the base of your pinecones with a hot glue gun. You can leave the pinecones as they are, or add other decorative touches like fake snow or glitter to match your décor.
Use Large Tulle Ribbon to Frame an Entryway
Often when we think about ribbon, our minds immediately go to the thinner curling ribbon that is used when wrapping gifts. However, ribbon comes in a wide variety of different sizes including the extra-large tulle ribbon that is often used to decorate Christmas trees. Outdoor holiday decorations are often centered around porch spaces or front doors, welcoming your guests, and leading them into your home. One fun way to do this is by stringing ribbon up around your front door, combining it with fresh greenery and an assortment of ball ornaments to create an archway-like display.
Create a Ribbon Loop Mini Christmas Tree
Put your crafting skills to work this Christmas by creating decorative Christmas trees out of ribbon. To start, you will need a foam cone from your local craft store to use for the base. This will determine the size of your finished tree, so keep that in mind when shopping. While you can use any type of ribbon for this, we recommend using thinner satin ribbon in your color of choice. Cut your ribbon into smaller pieces, large enough for each individual loop on your tree.
Starting at the bottom, take a piece of ribbon, fold it in half and pin it into the base of the cone using a straight pin. Continue doing this all the way around before moving up to the next row. Space your rows out so that the loop falls approximately halfway down the loops of the previous row. When you reach the top, use a piece of ribbon to wrap over the top, hiding the remaining foam at the top of the cone. These can be done all in one color, in stripes of color, or even using an ombre technique going from the darkest shade at the bottom up to the lightest shade at the top.
Add a Ribbon Bow to Traditional Lanterns
Holiday lanterns are a popular option for decorating. They can be used as they were originally designed, holding a pillar candle for a festive glow, or filled with other holiday-themed items including greenery or colorful ornaments. If your holiday décor includes one or more of these lanterns, consider adding a large ribbon bow to the top to add some more color and holiday cheer to your display. This is a great way to tie your lantern into a larger color palette or holiday decorating theme.
Decorate with DIY Ribbon Flowers
If you enjoy the look of festive flowers during the holiday season but can’t include real flowers in your decorating plans, why not create some artificial flowers using ribbon. There are many ways to make ribbon flowers depending on the amount of work that you want to put into making them. This ranges from simply cutting the ribbon into petal shapes, securing them in the center with a hot glue gun, to surprisingly life-like ribbon roses that are sewn together. Experiment with different colors and styles to create larger displays or place a single flower at each place setting when putting your holiday table together.
Add Ribbons to Holiday Planters
Decorative holiday planters are a staple of the holiday season, bringing festive greenery, holly berries, painted branches, and other Christmas-inspired elements together to create a beautiful holiday display. When assembling a planter, one important factor to consider is how your various elements work together to hide the floral foam inside the planter. Ribbon is a fun way to incorporate some additional color into the planter while filling the gaps between various parts of the planter. It’s also a great way to introduce a holiday them into a traditional planter display.
Transform Posts into Candy Canes with Red Ribbon
Porch posts and columns are a beautiful, decorative touch on many front porch spaces. Due to their size, however, it can be challenging to decorate them and incorporate them into your outdoor decorating plans. If your posts are white, a simple decorating solution is to wrap them with spirals of red ribbon, transforming them into large candy canes in front of your house. Tie this into a larger decorating theme by turning your house into a candy-covered gingerbread house or carrying over the red and white color scheme into your other decorating choices.
Create Mini Wreaths with Rosemary and Ribbon to Add Flair to Table Settings
Rosemary likely isn’t an item that you considered when making the list of supplies for your holiday decorating, but it can be used to add beautiful detail to your holiday tablescape. Taking a sprig of rosemary, carefully loop it to make a circle and secure it with a small piece of floral wire. Tie a ribbon around the wire creating a decorative bow with your holiday color scheme in mind. These can be placed as is in the middle of your holiday place settings or used as a place card by adding a strip of paper with your guest’s name across the center.
Tie A Bow Around Throw Pillows for A Pop of Color
Many homeowners will swap up their throw pillows for the holiday season, storing their everyday pillows and displaying a festive option in their place. However, this means spending the money on multiple sets of throw pillows which can add up quickly. One budget-friendly solution is to simply add a coordinating ribbon to your existing pillows, giving them a festive ‘glow up’. Simply wrap an extra-wide ribbon around the pillow and tie a decorative bow on the front. If you want to go a step further, you can also hang an ornament or two on the front for a little extra holiday cheer.
‘Wrap’ Your Kitchen Cupboards
The kitchen is often a central space during the holidays from baking Christmas cookies to preparing the holiday feast. With so much time spent in one space, it makes sense to want to add some holiday cheer! One easy way to decorate for the season without compromising the functionality of your kitchen is simply to add some ribbons to your cupboard doors. Similar to the earlier suggestion of wrapping bedroom and closet doors, wrap the ribbon around the kitchen cupboard much like an oversized package and either tie it with a bow on the front or attach a decorative bow after the ribbon has been secured.
Add Ribbon to Vases and Houseplants
Do you have a vase or two stashed away at home, ready to pull out if they are ever needed? This holiday season, consider filling your vase with something festive like small, delicate ornaments, evergreen boughs, or branches painted in glittery, festive colors. To complete the look, tie a decorative ribbon around the vase tying it off with a large bow in the front. Do you have vases or planters already in your home showcasing your favorite plants? Add a ribbon bow to give your everyday houseplant a holiday twist.
Replace Garland on Your Railings with Ribbon
A popular way of decorating railings and banisters is to hang traditional garland, however, that much garland can feel a little overwhelming in a smaller space. Simplify your holiday decorations this year by trading in your holiday garland for a length of colorful ribbon. Drape the ribbon in the same way that you would your garland, with a bow at each point that you secure it to the banister. If you feel like your decorating needs a little extra something festive, consider hanging a couple of evergreen boughs at each point where the ribbon is secured, placing the bow overtop.
Tie Bows on Your Door and Cupboard Handles
Dates back centuries to the Pagan practice of hanging bells from the doorknob to protect the home from unwanted spirits, many houses continue this tradition (without necessarily knowing the history) by suspending festive jingle bells from their doors during the holidays. For this with young children or pets that are fascinated by the bells and the noise that they make, however, this may not be an ideal setup. A quieter way to decorate your doors and cupboard knobs is to trade in the bells for a decorative bow. This will allow you to bring a little color and holiday cheer to the space while still holding onto your sanity (or what’s left of it during the holidays).
Create a Wall Hanging with Letters and Ribbon
Create a statement piece that you can hang on your wall or front door using extra-wide ribbon and some oversized letters. To begin, choose a short word that represents the holiday for you such as ‘JOY’, ‘HOPE’, or even ‘SNOW’. Cut your letters out of a sheet of plywood or even cardboard (if they will be inside and safe from the elements). The larger your letters, the larger the ribbon you will need to hang them. Using Mod Podge, cover the front of your letters with glitter in a color that will compliment your holiday décor, adding a second layer of Mod Podge on top to seal everything in place. Finally, hang your letters vertically along the ribbon and you’re ready to hang!
Use Ribbon as Garland on Your Christmas Tree
Arguably the most popular use of ribbon on this list, many Christmas trees are decorated with festive ribbon garland. Decorating your tree with ribbon is easy. To do this, you will need a larger tree ribbon or tulle-style ribbon in your chosen holiday color scheme. After your tree has been strung with lights, take your ribbon and anchor it near the top of your tree by twisting it tightly around a single branch at the back of the tree. Wind your ribbon around the tree in a spiral, twisting it occasionally and creating loops to add some movement to your ribbon. Avoid wrapping the ribbon too tightly or lining the twists up in a way that looks overly planned. If you get to the end of a roll of ribbon, secure it at the back of the tree around a branch and start the next in the same spot. When you’ve made your way to the bottom of the tree, anchor the end of your ribbon at the back before adding your ornaments to finish your decorating.
Make Wine Bottle Luminaries with A Decorative Bow
Wine lovers: here’s a fun way to incorporate your love of a good merlot into your holiday decorating. Plus, it’s a good excuse to enjoy a bottle of wine in the days leading up to Christmas! To make one of these luminaries, you will first need to empty a bottle of wine, rinse it clean and give it time to fully dry. Carefully drill a hole in the bottle near the bottom for the power cord. Using a string of fairy lights, slowly feed the lights into the bottle through the hole until all the bulbs are securely inside. Taking a scrap ribbon from your larger holiday decorations, or a smaller piece of ribbon that will match your décor, tie it around the neck of the bottle tying it off with a decorative bow on the front. This is a great way to add a festive glow to your accent table or fireplace mantle.
Work Ribbon into Your Holiday Garland Display
If you have a love for the look of a traditional evergreen garland, you can use ribbon to add a pop of color and give your decorating a more professional and polished look. Drape your garland along your front porch railing or around your front door as you would every other year. Take a roll of ribbon in a color or design that complements the rest of your holiday decorations and tie this ribbon into bows that are large enough to stand out against your garland. Place your new accent bows at each point where the garland is secured to the railing or wall, making it look as though the ribbon itself is holding the garland in place.
Choose a Bold Ribbon Pattern
There are many different ribbon colors and patterns available, depending on your holiday style. This holiday season, allow your ribbon to make a statement anywhere that it is put into use by choosing a bold, eye-catching pattern. If you prefer a more traditional decorating style, try a colorful plaid ribbon. However, if your style is more whimsical and fun, you can find ribbons with large decorative snowflakes or cartoon holiday characters. Mix and match patterns or pair your bold pattern with a solid color to help make it ‘pop’. Holiday lovers that feel that they have hit a rut in their holiday decorating can use this as an opportunity to experiment and step outside of their comfort zone this season.
