You don't necessarily need to live at the beach to enjoy decorating for Christmas with a beach theme. If you have a love for the coast then this might be this year's best choice for your holiday decorations. There are lots of great ideas for replacing traditional Christmas decorations with seaworthy ones.
Beach-Themed Holiday Entrances
A great way to approach your holiday decorating is to take it one room or area at a time. You can start with the front entrance of your home and work your way through the entire house.
Front Door Seashell Wreath
There are several seashell wreaths that you can purchase or, if you're creative, you may wish to make your own wreath. Purchase a pine wreath and add your favorite type of seashells. You may even wish to mix these with traditional red berry clusters or pine cones. There's no rule that says you're limited to only using seashells. You could use pieces of a fishing net, seahorses, finger sponges, or glass fish figurines.
Drift Into the Foyer
The foyer is the first thing guests see when entering your home. Make this a grand statement of what they can expect the deeper they move into your holiday showcase.
- Place a driftwood angel on the foyer console table.
- Small foyers can utilize wall space with framed theme art featuring classic Christmas decorations in the sand.
- A whimsical welcome mat or iconic one says Merry Christmas to everyone who wipes their shoes.
Staircase Ahoy!
A great way to decorate a home staircase banister for a coast look is to use a thick craft jute rope or boat/barge rope and twist it garland style up the banister. Next, use a variety of dried or faux seaweed to make swags to attach to the bulky rope garland. Some of the seaweed collections are very lifelike and can be mixed in with the cheaper garland type of seaweed. Allow the swags to cascade along the railings. While your local aquarium supply store may have some plastic seaweed, they are typically more costly than floral plants.
- Purchase a seaweed garland and cut to the sizes you need.
- Some fern garland and other leafy greenery can be cut to make swags.
- Top each with a large star fish.
Elegant Coastal Dining Table Setting
A different type of Christmas table setting takes advantage of the white color of the sand and sun-bleached seashells.
Winter Whites
White is used as the primary color for this table setting. A white tablecloth, china, napkins, and even the wine served for the meal is white.
- The centerpiece can be a favorite vintage white milk china pedestal bowl or you can substitute a different bowl.
- Line the bowl with Christmas greens.
- Bleached sea urchins, starfish and other white seashells can be placed into the pedestal bowl.
- Add some silver medium-sized ornament balls.
- Finish with a pinecone or two.
Chocolate Dining Favors
Dinner favors are wrapped in a chocolate colored paper and tied with white braided cord. A seashell can take the place of a bow on top. Use a gift tag with blue stripes or waves to represent water.
To finish the table design, scatter a few of the large bleached star fish along with the silver ornament balls down the center of the table.
Other Tabletop Decorations
There are many coffee table, end table, sideboard, console table, and nightstand decorations you can use to carry the Christmas beach theme throughout your home.
- Artificial clam shell: Place this naturally shaped bowl on a table and fill with ornaments and seashells.
- Apothecary jars: Fill them with sea glass, sand dollars, and coral and they can be used on any table.
In the Kitchen
Add a few kitchen towels to decorate the kitchen for Christmas.
- Add a retro surfing beach scene sign featuring Santa in Hawaii.
- A 2-inch round magnet of a dolphin with a Santa hat needs a refrigerator.
- This fun snowman magnet can be used on a refrigerator or dishwasher.
Living Room and Den Decorations
There are many ways to add this theme to your den with pillows and other decorative touches.
- Choose either a Christmas beach pillow or a hooked octopus pillow for the couch.
- This carved seabird statue only needs a red ribbon to complete its journey to Christmas.
Fireplace Mantel
There are many ways to decorate the mantel of a beach Christmas. You can go pure beach only or mix beach elements and icons, with traditional holly or pine garland. Shell stockings are a must for Christmas decorating. Other mantel beach themes may include:
- Waterscape scene: Create a grouping of various votive holders and hang a framed beach scene or a series of family beach scenes above them.
- Ornament collection: Sea glass and ornament balls in staggering heights of hurricane candle holders. Add flameless candles and backdrop with sea coral floral sprays. Drape a sand dollar garland on the front of the mantel and hang those beach stockings of various styles.
- Snowman's delight: Snowmen made from sea urchins and pieces of faux coral make a great mantel display amid pine boughs and Christmas lights.
Decorating the Christmas Tree
Your Christmas tree is a blank slate for you to decorate using the beach theme. There are many cute ways to incorporate your beach theme into this iconic symbol for the holiday.
- Take clear fillable ball ornaments and add white sand and small seashells.
- Use Vintage Glass-Style Buoy Float String Lights and/or seashell string lights with standard tree lights.
- Drape strands of seashell garlands over the tree.
- Finger starfish and sand dollar ornaments can be accented with red ribbons if desired.
- Santa riding a dolphin is a great additions to your tree.
- Another fun ornament features Santa with a surfboard.
- Shell theme Christmas tree skirt is a block print design with blue seashells on a cream skirt.
Bathroom Decorations
Don't forget to add a few decorative accents to your bathroom -- especially ones your guests will use.
- Let the Santa Lifeguard stand watch over the guest bathroom sink.
- Soaps shaped like seashells and dolphins can fill a shell bowl.
- Beach holiday guest towels are a wonderful touch for visitors.
Bedroom Accessories
You can play up the beach theme in your bedrooms with a few fun touches.
- For a kid's bedroom, add a framed painting of a cute sandman.
- Hang a few heart and star shaped beach ornaments on the wall in a grouping.
- Add a Christmas beach throw pillow to a guest or master bed.
Christmas Beach Fairy Garden for Any Room
Make a fairy garden and add Christmas touches to it. If you're a crafts person, you may prefer to create your own small fairy garden vignette in a Christmas flower pot.
Create your own beach fairy garden:
- Fill the pot or just the top 2" with white sand.
- Add a pair or two of flip flops in front of two beach chairs.
- Find a red beach pail and fill with sand and set near the chairs.
- Place a decorated Christmas tree with a few presents behind the chairs.
- Drape Santa's hat over one of the chairs.
- Set a Santa suit on a clothesline behind the chairs or use an ornament Santa suit and sign.
This homemade fairy garden can be used in the den, foyer, kitchen, bathroom, or on a patio or deck for a fun way magical Christmas decoration.
Creating Fun Christmas Beach Décor
With a little imagination, you can easily transform your home into a Christmas at the beach showcase. Add new decorations each year with clever finds to complete your Christmas beach collection.
