Halloween is behind us, and Christmas is just around the corner. This leaves us at a time of year where we’re taking down all the decorations from celebrating the spooky season in preparation for snowmen, Christmas trees, and whimsical elves.
If you’re anything like me, you may not be ready to stash away your Halloween decorations that quickly. In fact, there are many Halloween-themed decorations that remain up all year long in our home. My love for Halloween doesn’t mean that we overlook the Christmas festivities. Each year as the snow starts to fly, we find fun and creative ways to repurpose Halloween décor for Christmas decorating.
Are you looking for an excuse to avoid packing up your life-size skeleton? Check out my tips for celebrating Christmas with a spooky twist!
How Can You Repurpose Halloween Décor for Christmas this Year?
Embrace a Non-Traditional Christmas Color Palette
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When selecting the color palette for your Christmas décor, choose colors that will embrace your existing Halloween décor. This will likely mean considering something non-traditional, breaking away from the standard red, green, and white. That being said, if you’re trying to find a way to hold onto your Halloween décor, there’s a good chance that your friends and family wouldn’t describe you as traditional.
Some color combinations that make it easier to bring your Halloween decorations into the mix include:
- Black, white, and red
- Purple and orange
- Black, white, purple, and lime green
- Monochromatic black and white
In our house, we have chosen different color palettes for different areas of this house. This allows us for a little more freedom, moving our Halloween decorations around to the area in which they best fit with our festive décor. The living room, for example, is all decked out in black and gold while our entryway carries over the black with a color palette of black, white, and red. The trick is to keep at least one color consistent to tie it all together.
Add some Festive Holiday Accessories
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One of the easiest ways to repurpose Halloween decorations for the Christmas season is to get creative with festive accessories. Simply adding a Santa hat, elf hat, reindeer antlers, or festive scarf can take an otherwise spooky Halloween figure and transform them into holiday-ready characters.
One of my favorite decorations isn’t in our house at all, it’s in our vehicle. A few years ago, I purchased a small solar-powered skeleton that dances when he’s in the sunlight from our local dollar store and stuck him on our dash for Halloween. Determined to keep ‘Bones’ there year-round, I started putting together a collection of accessories to dress him up for each holiday including a Santa hat for Christmas and bunny ears for Easter.
Recycle, Rework, and DIY
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If you have Halloween decorations that you aren’t concerned with keeping around for next Halloween, this is your chance to get creative. Consider ways to rework your Halloween decorations and make them into something more Christmas-focused. Not only will you save money with the opportunity to repurpose Halloween decor for Christmas, but you’ll also be able to create unique, one-of-a-kind decorations that will have all of your guests talking.
One of the best examples of this that I have seen was an adorable snowman on a friend’s front porch. He didn’t look out of place at all for the Christmas season with his festive scarf and happy smile. It wasn’t until I was right up close that I realized that this snowman was actually made from three plastic pumpkins that were painted white.
In addition to repurposing your existing Halloween decorations, you can also take advantage of clearance sales to pick up supplies for your Christmas décor. After Halloween is over and behind us, stores will start to clear out their stock of Halloween decorations to make room for the next round of holidays. This is a great way for crafty individuals and those who love DIY projects to create their holiday display on a budget.
Mix and Match
Image Credit: Britt Kascjak/Backyard Boss
One easy way to incorporate Halloween decorations into your Christmas festivities is to pair them with Christmas items in new and unique ways. A cauldron sitting on your holiday mantle may not scream festive season to many people, however, if you fill said cauldron with brightly colored holiday ornaments and surround it with tinsel or fake snow, it will give your Halloween decorations all new life. This is a great solution for those who embrace the Halloween aesthetic year-round in your home, as we do in my house.
We have several different skeletons around the house that are doing different Halloween-based activities. While we can’t completely change what they are doing in some cases (as they aren’t all repositionable), we have found creative ways to make minor adjustments. For example, we have a trick-or-treating skeleton with a goodie bag that is open. That allows us to add small items and accessories to the bag that are more Christmas-inspired including evergreen boughs and tinsel. It’s a small change but it completely changes the vibe of the piece on our fireplace mantle.
Explore the Holidays in Other Cultures
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Do you come from a multicultural family and enjoy incorporating different traditions into your holiday celebrations? If so, take a moment to research the way that Christmas is celebrated around the world. There are some traditions in various places that are more ‘spooky’ in nature to those of us that are used to the traditional holiday festivities here in North America.
The most common example of this is the existence of Krampus, a half-demon, half-goat monster that carries a birch whip. Some cultures also believe that he carries a sack or basket. This is a tradition that has inspired horror movies and can easily lend to carrying over some of your Halloween-esque decorations for the Christmas season.
Another traditional belief that is less commonly known in this area of the world is the with Frau Perchta. Also known as the Witch of the Twelfth Night, she is said to visit the children in Austria and Bavaria.
These are only a couple of the many different traditions and practices that you can incorporate into your own holiday celebrations. Take a moment to look at your ancestry and the way that they would have celebrated the holiday season. You may find yourself inspired to approach the holidays in a whole new way!
The Nightmare Before Christmas
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If you’re a Halloween lover and aren’t familiar with the Disney movie The Nightmare Before Christmas, there’s no better time than the present! The movie follows a group of spooky characters in a place called Halloweentown as they explore the concept of Christmas and prepare to celebrate for the first time in their lives. The whole movie is a balancing act between the two holidays, creating the perfect opportunity to use your Halloween decorations this holiday season! Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, why not embrace the move and bring Halloweentown home this holiday season. In need of inspiration? It looks like it’s time for a movie night!
Allow Your Personality to Shine This Holiday Season
The most important thing to remember during the holiday season is that there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to celebrate. If your personality is one that is often associated with witches and skulls, don’t hide who you are simply because it’s the holiday season. Your loved ones know and love YOU for everything you are, and no holiday is going to change that.
Consider this your challenge. As you transition from Halloween to Christmas, explore your options to showcase who you are in your holiday displays. Embrace your creativity and trust the process. You may just surprise yourself!