A Christmas mantle with fresh-cut greenery and red berries was the focal point of a family room decorated with vintage-style silver trees and traditional red-and-green ornaments.
Fresh-Cut Greenery on the Christmas Mantle
I had planned for this mantle to be a vintage Christmas scene with retro lights on a large wreath with silver trees next to the fireplace. The silver trees stayed, but the fireplace mantle became filled with cut greens and berries. The retro wreath was put back into storage for another time. This change of plan happened when I saw the beautiful fresh greens that a neighborhood elf had left at my door.
Traditional Red and Green Colors
I used red and green ornaments to tie the silver trees back to the beautiful evergreens and red berries. I haven’t used traditional red and green colors in quite a while! It was old and new at the same time.
Use a Faux Base for Christmas Mantle Greenery
The green mantle has a faux green garland base — just your basic garland with lights woven into it. I placed it across the fireplace mantle and added cut evergreens, nandina stems, and berries.
Tips for Fresh Garlands on a Christmas Mantle
A faux garland gives you the base to stick the fresh greens. But keep in mind the following tips to have a successfully decorated fireplace mantle:
- Cut the fresh greens into small pieces. Fresh greenery can be heavy and pull itself off the fireplace mantle.
- Don’t place fresh greens in until a day or two before Christmas (or your party date), as non-evergreens like nandina have a short shelf life. The evergreens will last longer than non-evergreens, but they still become dry and brittle. It’s not a good idea to have hot lights around dry greenery.
Just a few red and green ornaments tie the tree back to the mantle.
Fill a Box with Greenery and Ornaments
I had lots of evergreen cuttings, so I placed a few in this reclaimed wood box and added battery-powered ornament lights and a few sprigs of nandina berries.
Add a Wreath to a Candle
Keeping with the “clear” glass theme, I placed a candle beneath a fall glass pumpkin and placed a large wreath around its base.
Stockings
I used gray stockings and tied small red-and-white ribbons to them.
Then, I used a faux green Christmas wreath, inserted lots of cut evergreens, and added a few smaller sprigs of berries. I attached a red-and-white bow made from the same stocking ribbon. You can hang wreaths on mirrors by using Command hooks. Just be sure to get the correct size for your wreath’s weight.
Merry Christmas Sign
This rustic Merry Christmas sign looks vintage and is placed next to a basket of faux greenery. I like to use everyday items, such as a basket, and add Christmas stems or other items to them.
Other Christmas Posts You Might Like
If you liked this post, then you might like these other Christmas posts: