The BEST Kitschy Christmas Ideas You’ll Love This Year

If your holiday decor usually feels a little too “perfect,” this is your sign to loosen up and have fun. Kitschy Christmas is playful, a bit loud, and full of personality. It’s less about matching everything and more about creating that cozy, goofy, warm feeling you remember from childhood.

Think bright colors, silly ornaments, retro pieces, and the kind of decorations that make people smile as soon as they walk in. That’s the magic we’re going for with The BEST Kitschy Christmas Ideas in this guide.

Fun & Colorful Kitschy Christmas Ideas to Try This Year

Kitschy Christmas decorating is like adding extra whipped cream on your hot chocolate: a little over the top, but in the happiest way.

It doesn’t try to be minimal, serious, or “grown-up.” Instead, it feels like stepping into a Christmas movie from the past—sparkly garland, chubby ceramic Santas, plastic reindeer, rainbow lights, and sentimental little things that don’t technically match but somehow look perfect together.

You don’t need a designer tree or curated color palette. You just need pieces that make you grin.

What Kitschy Christmas Really Means

Kitschy Christmas is the playful, retro side of holiday decorating.

It mixes:

• Vintage ornaments and figurines
• Bright, candy-like colors
• Silly, nostalgic decor that reminds you of being a kid

Nothing has to be perfectly coordinated. In fact, the charm comes from the chaos. It’s about creating a home that feels cheerful and lived-in, not like a showroom.

You’re not decorating to impress Pinterest. You’re decorating to make everyone relax, laugh, and feel welcome.

Why People Love This Style So Much

People fall in love with kitschy Christmas because it takes the pressure off.

You don’t have to:

• Follow strict color rules
• Buy all-new matching decor
• Worry if something looks “too much”

Instead, you focus on what makes you happy: the ceramic Santa from your childhood, the glittery garland your grandma always used, that ridiculous ornament you bought just because it made you laugh.

Kitschy Christmas decorating quietly reminds you that the holidays are supposed to be fun, not stressful.

The Mood Kitschy Christmas Creates

A home filled with kitschy Christmas decor feels:

• Friendly
• Warm
• Slightly over-the-top in the best way

The lights are colorful. The ornaments are quirky. Everywhere you look, there’s something cute or funny to notice.

Guests chuckle when they spot a tiny Santa hiding on a shelf. Kids stare wide-eyed at all the sparkles and characters. It feels like the holidays you used to dream about when you were small.

How Kitschy Decor Fits Into Any Home

The BEST part about this style is how flexible it is.

You can:

• Go all in with rainbow lights, retro pieces, and bold patterns
• Or just sprinkle in a few playful touches around a more simple tree

Kitschy decor works in:

• Tiny apartments
• Modern homes
• Older houses with lots of character

The whole point is joy. If it makes you smile, it belongs.

Before You Begin: Lean Into Nostalgia

Before you rush to buy anything new, shop your own memories.

Pull out:

• Old childhood ornaments
• Handmade clay or paper decorations
• Vintage figurines from parents or grandparents
• Those slightly tacky, shiny pieces you’ve been hiding in a box

Kitschy Christmas isn’t about perfection. It’s about that comforting feeling of “I’ve seen this every year since I was little.” Those are the decor pieces that carry real magic.

The BEST Kitschy Christmas Ideas To Try This Year

Below are The BEST Kitschy Christmas Ideas to bring that retro, playful magic into your home this year. You can try just one or two, or layer them together for a full-on kitsch holiday moment.

1. Bring Out The Retro Figurines

Small figurines are the heart of a kitschy Christmas scene.

How To Use Them

• Unpack the ceramic Santas, old snowmen, angels, and tiny reindeer
• Group them on a console table, bookshelf, or window sill
• Create a little “village” with bottle brush trees and fairy lights

The more personality each piece has, the better. Chipped? Slightly faded? Even more charming.

2. Use Fun, Mismatched Ornaments

A kitschy tree is the opposite of minimal.

What To Hang

• Donut ornaments
• Flamingos in Santa hats
• Retro TV or camera ornaments
• Glittery food, animals, or silly characters

Instead of sticking to one theme, let your tree look like a memory collage. Mix bright colors, funny shapes, and sentimental pieces. The goal is joy, not “aesthetic perfection.”

3. Add Tinsel Like It’s 1972

Tinsel is basically the unofficial uniform of kitschy Christmas.

How To Do It

• Drape strands loosely over the branches
• Go light if you want just a shimmer, or heavy if you love that extra sparkle
• Let it catch the light from rainbow bulbs for a full retro glow

Yes, it gets everywhere. Yes, it’s 100% worth it.

4. Choose Rainbow Lights Over Warm White

Warm white lights are pretty—but they’re not very kitschy.

For Maximum Kitsch:

• Use rainbow string lights on your tree
• Bonus points for chunky, old-school bulb shapes
• Wrap them around windows, door frames, and shelves

When the room glows in pink, blue, green, and red, it instantly feels more festive and fun.

Once your living room feels soft and magical at night, it’s also the perfect backdrop to build gentle nighttime habits to transform your life and help you wind down calmly.

5. Layer Vintage Tablecloths And Cookie Tins

Your surfaces can tell a story too.

Try This:

• Hunt thrift stores or family storage for vintage holiday tablecloths
• Look for prints with cartoon Santas, elves, candy canes, or holly
• Stack old cookie tins on a counter, fill them with treats, or simply display them

The mix of color, pattern, and metal gives your space that old-diner-at-Christmas vibe.

6. Set Up A Cute Hot Cocoa Station

If you don’t want to redo the whole house, start with one little corner.

Cocoa Station Ideas

• Bright mugs in red, pink, or teal
• Candy cane spoons and striped paper straws
• Jars filled with cocoa mix, mini marshmallows, sprinkles, and crushed candy
• One or two tiny figurines or bottle brush trees tucked in between

Your kitchen immediately feels like a cozy café from a holiday movie.

You can even turn decorating into a self-care ritual—put on a cozy playlist, make cocoa, and mix these kitschy touches with a few relaxing self-care Sunday ideas for a slow, cozy afternoon.

7. Hang Garland Everywhere

Garland is a kitschy Christmas essential.

Where To Drape It

• Along the staircase
• Over doorways and windows
• Across the mantel
• Around artwork or even on the backs of chairs

Mix tinsel garland, pom-pom garland, felt pieces, and classic green. You can even layer different types together for a sweeter, candy-shop look.

8. Go Big With Retro Wrapping Paper

Even your gifts can join the kitschy fun.

Choose:

• Bold patterns
• Vintage-style Santas and reindeer
• Polka dots, stripes, or cartoon holly
• Shiny, oversized bows and metallic ribbons

Wrap presents early and let them sit under the tree as part of your decor. The pile of colors and prints makes the room feel extra happy.

9. Add A Mini Tree In A Fun Color

A tiny tree in a surprising color is peak kitsch.

Ideas To Try

• Pink, blue, silver, or white mini trees
• Decorate with mismatched mini ornaments and tinsel
• Place one on a dresser, desk, kitchen counter, or side table

These little trees are especially cute in bedrooms, hallways, or home offices that need a quick hit of holiday energy.

10. Use Playful Gift Tags And Stickers

Even small details like tags can push your decor into kitschy territory.

How To Do It

• Use oversized, colorful tags
• Add retro stickers that look like they came from an old-school craft book
• Write names in sparkly pens or markers

Instead of sleek and minimal, go for bold, fun, and just a tiny bit over-the-top.

11. Create A “Clashing” Christmas Corner

Pick one corner and let it be wonderfully chaotic on purpose.

In This Corner, You Can:

• Mix clashing patterns like stripes, florals, and polka dots
• Tape old wrapping paper to the wall as “art”
• Use a super small tree covered only in bows or one type of silly ornament
• Add mismatched pillows and blankets

Nothing should match perfectly, and that’s exactly why it works.

12. Turn Houseplants Into Little Christmas Characters

Instead of just wrapping lights around plants, actually dress them up.

Some Ideas

• Wrap a pot in part of an old sweater
• Add googly eyes to a leafy plant
• Tie a tiny scarf or ribbon around a stem
• Pop a mini Santa hat on a cactus

It sounds goofy, but that’s the point—it makes everyone smile when they notice the details.

13. Make A Kitsch Candy Display

Candy is made for kitschy decor.

What To Use

• Old-fashioned candy sticks and giant lollipops
• Gumdrops, marshmallow treats, and candy necklaces
• Vintage-style candy wrappers or tins

Pour them into clear jars or glass bowls, and tuck a few ornaments in between. It becomes a bright, eye-catching centerpiece that feels like an old candy shop window.

And if you’re tempted to over-shop new decor every year, this gentle guide on how to stop buying things will help you reuse what you already have and still make everything feel magical.

14. Build A Tiny Christmas Diorama In A Jar

Snow globes are cute, but kitschy decor loves tiny scenes with a twist.

Inside A Large Jar Or Vase, Add:

• A small flamingo with a Santa hat
• A little camper covered in fake snow
• A toy car with a mini tree tied to the roof
• Faux snow and maybe a bit of glitter

Set it on a shelf or coffee table. People will lean in to see what’s going on inside.

15. Hang Ornaments In Unexpected Places

Why limit ornaments to the tree?

Try Hanging Them From:

• Kitchen cabinet knobs
• Lamp shades
• Chair backs
• Stair spindles
• Hooks by the entryway

Everywhere you move, your eye catches another small sparkle or pop of color. It turns the whole house into a treasure hunt.

16. Add One Silly “Bonus” Touch

End with one tiny thing that makes you laugh every single time you see it.

Some Ideas

• Put a Santa hat on a lamp or statue
• Dress a stuffed animal like it’s hosting Christmas
• Stick a tiny ornament in a funny, random spot

This little joke is pure kitsch: light, silly, and totally unnecessary—but it makes the season feel real and warm.

Your Turn To Create The BEST Kitschy Christmas

Now you’re ready to bring The BEST Kitschy Christmas Ideas into your own home—whether you go all in with rainbow lights and tinsel or just add a few retro touches here and there.

Start with what you already have, lean into your childhood memories, and let go of the idea that everything has to look “perfect.” If your decor makes you smile every time you walk past it, you’ve nailed the kitschy Christmas vibe.