We love the idea of traditional Christmas decor, but shaking things up can bring a fresh, exciting look to your home this season. These 10 clever ideas will elevate your holiday style — plus, they’re as easy as one-two-wreath!

1. Decorate With DIY Ornaments: Make fabric-wrapped ornaments with organic appeal. Choose hues that work with your home’s palette or add a new accent color to your holiday decor. To make, tear or cut a long strip of fabric for each ornament. Glue one end to the top of a Styrofoam ball, then wrap the strip around the rest of the ball. Secure the loose end to the top of the ball with an upholstery tack. Attach a loop of waxed cotton string to the tack to hang.

2. Choose A Live Tabletop Tree: Save space by decorating a small potted evergreen instead of a full-size Christmas tree. It will infuse the room with that real-tree smell, and some species can be wrapped, stored outside (in a well-insulated outdoor pot) and planted come spring.

3. Display Firewood In A Freestyle Stack: Is there anything more festive than a roaring fire? We think not. Even if you don’t have a fireplace, a stack of firewood adds rustic charm to a polished space. As an alternative to a holder, arrange the wood against the leg of a table or cabinet for an unfitted look.

4. Shake Up Your Palette: Swap out everyday pillows and throws for more seasonally appropriate versions — which in this case means rich colors and lush textures. We chose velvety plum and soft lavender pillows that play to the room’s existing palette, but still feel special.

5. Embellish Your Lighting: A DIY garland gives this rustic chandelier a hit of pretty. Cut a length of ribbon long enough to drape nicely around your chandelier or light fixture. String wooden beads onto the ribbon, leaving space between the groupings so the ribbon has spots to attach to the chandelier. We made two garlands, one in lavender and gold, the other in white-on-white.

6. Create A Deconstructed Centerpiece: Instead of a formal centerpiece, create a simplified version with tall and short floral arrangements. Use a mix of clear and opaque vases and make sure the taller arrangement doesn’t block sight lines. Adding a couple of mismatched brass candleholders creates a luxe, layered look.

7. Trim A Simple Runner With Fringe: A store-bought runner gets a bohemian upgrade with this easy DIY. Buy a piece of fringe that matches your runner, then create space between the strands by cutting off two or three pieces in equal intervals. Unravel the remaining strands and tie a knot at the ends for a finished look, then sew the fringe to the underside of the runner.

8. Have A Basket Of Small Gifts At The Ready: Instead of storing gifts for party guests, neighbors, the mail carrier, or your kids’ friends under the tree, keep them in a basket by the front door so they’re easy to grab as needed. You can even keep a few generic presents in here, just in case someone drops by with a surprise gift. Wrapped in special paper and tied with luxe ribbon, even an inexpensive gift card or scented soap feels special.

9. Make Quirky Place Cards: Write dinner guests’ names on simple unpainted wood ornaments, then attach to burlap bags for fun place cards. We swapped out the bag’s twine string for coordinating ribbon. (The easiest way to do this is to tie a piece of ribbon to the twine before removing, then pull the twine out of the holes, threading the ribbon in at the same time. Once it’s through, just untie the twine and discard.)

10. Dress Up Place Settings: Layer your china to play up pattern and scale. Use day-to-day plates as chargers, then add mismatched, but complementary prints for salad and dinner plates. Stick to similar colorways — we like this rich plummy tone — to give the setting a cohesive look.

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