Make the Most of a Small Living Room With These Holiday Decorating Ideas

To make your existing furniture and decor look fit for the holidays, you can swap out lightweight throw blankets on your sofa and seating with heavy knits. Look for options that remind you of your favorite wintertime cable-knit sweaters, and you'll be on the right track.

Next, layer a white faux fur rug or blanket across the back of your living room sofa or bench to give it a festive, cozy flair that brings to mind the image of freshly fallen snow. Another thought is to tuck your everyday throw pillows away, and put plaid options in their place. This classic print will immediately give your space a Christmas-ready feeling. This type of holiday decor for small spaces is ideal since everything can be used all winter long—not just during the holidays.

There's no need to undo all of your hard work when it comes to swapping out accents on your living room shelves ahead of Christmas. Instead, think about how you can incorporate a few key elements around what you already have going on!

Temporarily move potted plants to other areas of the house (like to those rooms you don't plan to redecorate for the holidays), and set bottlebrush Christmas trees in their place. If you have framed art leaning on your bookshelves, leave the frames exactly where they are, but put holiday art in place over your everyday art behind the glass. This could be anything from black and white photos of snow-laden pine trees to colorful vintage Christmas cards.

If you have holiday books you read to your kids every year, lean those front and center on your bookshelf, or stack them in a pile. Top them with a metallic candle or ceramic deer figurine, and your shelves will be fit for Christmas in practically no time.

Does your living room also play host to a small eat-in dining space? Embrace your open concept living situation by spreading the Christmas cheer into your eating area, too! Practically nothing says "Happy holidays!" like flickering candles, so try laying a long reclaimed wood board down the center of your table, and fill it with twinkling votives. If you have a metal-armed chandelier above your dining room table, drape evergreen branches between the arms. You can also temporarily tuck your everyday framed dining room art away in storage, and hang a floral Christmas wreath in its place.

On the other hand, if a dining space isn't part of your living room, you can still use those tricks above in your seating area! Layer a smaller scale wood tray and votive candles to one side of your coffee table, and fill it in with books and coasters. If you don't have a dining room chandelier to work with, wrap evergreen vines up the pole of a floor lamp. Tuck everyday art away in lieu of using a Christmas wreath as wall art. There are lots of ways to adapt any of these concepts to suit your own personal living situation, so get creative and think outside the box!

When in doubt, always opt for twinkle lights. The evergreen boughs we suggested draping across your chandelier or wrapping around your floor lamp in the section above? Make them look extra festive by looping a strand of twinkle lights between the pine needles. Another iteration of this concept is to wrap garland with miniature lights, and then hang it from your fireplace mantle to make it ready for Santa's visit.

If you have art hung above your living room sofa you don't want to change out, simply pin a strand of twinkle lights around the gallery wall to help frame the art in a special way for Christmas. Do you love hanging wreaths against glass to create a welcoming window display on the front of your house? Take things up a notch by wrapping the wreaths with twinkle lights so they're visible from far and wide!

It's safe to say your home is about to see its fair share of holiday guests, but even if it will ultimately just be you and your immediate family and a few close loved ones, you'll still want to infuse your space with a hearty dose of Christmas cheer. Deck out your living room with thoughtful decor to ensure the space is ready to bring that cozy, welcoming theme to life this holiday season.