12 Ideas for Winter Decor You Can Leave Up After the Holidays

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Some people love winter and cold weather… I am not one of those people. Maybe it’s because I grew up in damp, gray Missouri where we got only one or two big snows each year. After Christmas, the rest of winter was cold and gloomy. That’s why I always leave up my Christmas decorations through January and February.

But no one really wants Santa hanging out past the new year. That’s why I started hunting for winter decor for my RV that can stay up throughout the season.

Winter decor that isn’t specific to Christmas is a great way to keep the RV feeling cozy and homey. Here are 12 creative and inexpensive ideas for decorating your RV for winter.

1. Ribbon as decor

I really like using ribbon as winter decor. It doesn’t take up much space and allows a single item to be used year-round by just changing the ribbon to match the season.

I wove some cheery plaid ribbon through this metal wall basket I have hanging on the wall above my espresso machine. I like how it looks with ribbon so much better that I plan on getting new ribbon when spring arrives. 

2. Natural garland

I love to incorporate nature into my decor because it helps me appreciate the beauty specific to that season. To make this garland, I dipped some pine cones in white acrylic paint and tied them to a length of red ribbon cord. Then I added some LED “fairy lights” that look pretty in the evening when the lights are low.

I will probably keep this to reuse next year, but you can always remove the pine cones and replace them next year if you’d like. Making a garland like this would be a great project for kids to help with too!

Other items from nature that could be strung on a piece of ribbon, yarn, or twine to make a garland include evergreen sprigs, cinnamon sticks, dried orange and apple slices, dried eucalyptus or bay leaves, and the old standby, dried cranberries.

3. Poinsettias

Always associated with Christmas, poinsettias are perfect for anyone who wants a live plant in their RV. They bring color and life to a small space.

Not much of a green thumb? Here’s how to keep that poinsettia healthy year-round.

4. Lamp shade cover

Last summer I came up with the idea of making a removable cover for the shade of my wall sconce as a way to add a little bit of color to my RV decor.  In addition to a geometric print cover, I also made this one out of a Nordic snowflake print. 

You can read about how I made my lamp shade covers here.

5. Throw pillow covers

Throw pillows are one of my favorite ways to decorate because the covers can be easily changed for a new look and seasonal pillow covers don’t take up much room to store. For Christmas this year I decided to go with a soft red pillow cover, a red and white plaid one, and a white one made from cable knit sweater fabric.

I decided to make the cable knit pillow cover myself out of a secondhand sweater.  I made it as an “envelope” style cover, meaning on one side the fabric overlaps to allow the pillow to be inserted without requiring a zipper or buttons:

Because the sweater I used ended up being rather short, I wasn’t able to overlap the fabric as much as I would have liked. As a result, the cover often kind of gapes open after use. I’m planning to add some Velcro to help it stay closed. 

I’m not the first person to come up with this technique. If you know how to sew and are interested in making your own, this video does a pretty good job of explaining the basic idea.

6. Fresh Greenery

A little fresh pine can make your home smell wonderful and feel more festive. We love how this little sprig of pine brightens this white kitchen!

7. Spray snow

I decided to try something new this year and use a snowflake stencil and aerosol spray snow to create snowflakes on this window. 

Spray snow washes off easily with a damp rag or paper towel—which is good. It was a messy project! I thought about using paper snowflakes or vinyl decals instead, but I like how the snow turned out.

The silhouettes look nice when I draw the curtains to keep the sun from glaring on my laptop screen. 🙂

8. Curtains

For those people who love to go all out for the holidays, here’s the idea for you! This RVer made curtains and throw pillow covers to match her winter decor.

9. Cutesy campers

On my corner tension shower shelf, I decorated with a little camper ornament I couldn’t resist at Target and an LED flameless candle. The candle was custom-designed as a gift. My sister-in-law created the graphic and had it printed on a candle.

I so loved the candle, that I used the same print-on-demand service to make this ornament. It made a good ceiling fan pull!

And, I made this mug, because winter is a great excuse for a special mug!

10. Lighted greenery

The top of a slideout makes the perfect place for hanging evergreen garland. One of these days I may spring for some fresh cut greenery, but for now I am content with this fake. It makes a great place to hang Christmas ornaments, and then after Christmas I will remove the ornaments and enjoy the lights all winter.

On another length of lighted greenery, the lights stopped working. I removed them and used the garland to make this wreath for the front door by wrapping it around a bent coat hanger. I added some battery-powered fairy lights and the rest of my plaid ribbon.

11. DIY Crafts

In addition to lighted garlands, these RVers made small homemade decorations. Follow this tutorial to create your own twig stars and then wrap them in fairy lights.

12. Christmas tree

Last of all, I love my little tabletop Christmas tree. 

I take off the ornaments and leave up the tree through the rest of winter.

12 Winter Decor Ideas

Altogether my Christmas/winter decorations don’t take up very much space, but they help me feel festive during the winter months! 🙂

Do you have a space-saving holiday decor idea?  Leave a comment to share it!

For more inspiration…

• Click here to see photos of RVs decorated for the holidays!
• To see pictures of Christmas trees inside RVs, click here!
• For RV Christmas decor ideas, go here!

This blog post is part of a holiday RV blog post series called “Christmas in the Camper.”  Go here to find the other articles in this series!