The 2026 Holiday Decor Trend Report

Après Cheer and Heirloom Revival

Every year, holiday decor trends tell us a little something about how people want to feel when they walk through their own front door in December. This holiday season, the message is clear: we want joy, a festive feel, and we want meaning. Searches for vintage Christmas decorations have climbed to the top of every holiday style, while après ski Christmas decor has jumped from the fashion runways straight onto the mantel. One trend looks back; the other looks up the mountain. Both are about the same thing — a home that feels like a story worth gathering around.

So for our 2026 Holiday Decor Trend Report, we've built two new collections around them, arriving in the shop now: Après Cheer, a bright, graphic take on ski-lodge style, and Heirloom Revival, a collected, modern interpretation of tradition. Here's what's driving each trend, how to bring it home, and how to set a holiday table around it.

Trend at a Glance

Après Cheer is playful, graphic, and confident. Its palette pairs cherry red, cobalt, and evergreen with black, crisp white, and a flash of silver, brought to life in high-gloss ceramics, lacquered wood, sleek glass, and graphic textiles. Look for stripes, checks, geometric trees, alpine shapes, and bold color blocking. It's the look that has guests saying, "This makes my holiday table feel fun and modern."

Heirloom Revival is timeless, collected, and candlelit. Deep oxblood, antique gold, and forest green are softened with ivory, aged pewter, and warm brass, and the materials have a sense of history: etched glass, crackled ceramic, heavy linens, and brass and patinated metals. Its motifs include florals, laurel, garland, crests, and velvet ribbon. It's the look that has guests saying, "This reminds me of something my grandmother set out."

Trend No. 1: Heirloom Revival — Vintage Christmas Decor, Reimagined

Why it's trending

Nostalgic Christmas decor isn't a passing moment — it's the most-searched holiday decorating style in the country, and North Carolina is one of the states leading the way. Industry research found that more than half of shoppers across every generation plan to bring nostalgic pieces home this season, and more than half of ornament shoppers are specifically looking for keepsakes. People don't just want decorations. They want the kind of pieces that feel like they've always been part of the family — and will be handed down someday.

Heirloom Revival is our answer: traditional Christmas decor that feels less literal and more collected. It keeps everything you love about a classic Christmas without leaning on the same obvious motifs you've seen a hundred times. Think of it as the difference between a costume and a well-loved cashmere sweater.

How to bring it home

Start with the palette — deep oxblood, forest green, and antique gold, softened with ivory and warm brass. Then layer in pieces with a sense of history: hand-painted ceramic trinket dishes shaped like trees, stars, and hearts; red plaid and green etched-tree glass hurricanes that glow when you drop a candle inside; and petite gilded frames that double as ornaments or place-card holders. Vintage-inspired Santa figurines and a pair of classic nutcrackers bring the nostalgia, while a gold sleigh filled with greenery (or wrapped gifts) and a "Letters to Santa" mailbox become the kind of pieces your family looks for every year.

Finish with texture: velvet ribbon in oxblood, moss, and olive tied onto garland and stair rails, boxed tinsel icicles for the tree, berry topiaries flanking the mantel, and a glowing wooden star advent calendar that turns the countdown into a tradition.

Heirloom Revival Christmas tablescape ideas

• Glassware: goblets with etched botanical patterns, or our etched-tree glass votives running down the center of the table
• Dinnerware: plates with hand-painted rims or a faint gold edge, paired with tree- and star-shaped ceramic dishes for salts, sweets, or rings
• Linens: heavy linen napkins with contrast stitching, tied with velvet ribbon and a sprig of cedar
• Candlelight: low, architectural brass or ceramic candleholders with gold and copper tiered taper candles
• The finishing touch: a gilded mini frame at each place setting holding a handwritten name card — a small keepsake your guests take home

Shop the look: Candles and Lighting · Cloth Napkins

Trend No. 2: Après Cheer — Après Ski Christmas Decor With a Modern Edge

Why it's trending

Ski-lodge style has been building for a few seasons, and in 2026 it's officially a holiday decor trend. Designers and retailers are calling it everything from "Ski Bum Christmas" to "Après Ski Chic" — retro wooden sleds, vintage ski-resort imagery, alpine-inspired tableware — and it's taken over fashion collections and homeware alike. It taps into the same craving for joyful nostalgia and holiday cheer, just with a sense of escape: the glamour of a mid-century mountain resort, a crackling fire, and a warm drink after a day on the slopes.

You don't need a mountain view to get in on it (we're in Cary, after all). Après Cheer takes the spirit of après ski and makes it bold, graphic, and a little bit luxe. It's playful without being juvenile, and it's our new favorite way to make a holiday table feel fresh — and very Instagrammable.

How to bring it home

Build around cherry red, cobalt, and evergreen, then ground it with black and crisp white. Our hand-painted trays are the heart of the collection — one scattered with vintage matchbox art, another painted with a gondola gliding over a snowy "Après Ski" mountain — and they're just as beautiful at home holding cocktails as they are hanging on the wall. Add a classic wooden sled by the front door or propped beside the tree, a trio of carved reindeer figures on the mantel, and hammered silver trees for a little shine.

For a pop of color that feels unexpected, our colorful nutcrackers trade traditional red and black for candy-bright pinks, greens, and yellows. Tie it all together with red-and-white zigzag ribbon on gifts, garland, and napkins.

Après Cheer Christmas tablescape ideas

• Serving: color-blocked serving bowls and our après ski trays for cheese, charcuterie, or fondue night
• Linens: bold striped napkins or a graphic runner down the center of the table
• Glassware: graphic glasses with thick, chunky stems — perfect for a hot toddy or a glass of bubbly
• Candlelight: statement candlesticks in solid colors — cherry red and cobalt side by side
• The finishing touch: hammered silver trees and a carved reindeer at each end of the table

Host an après ski party at home

This is the collection built for a party. Set out a fondue pot or a big board of cheese and charcuterie, pour something warm, cue up a cozy fire, and ask guests to wear their best vintage ski sweater. An après ski party is an easy, low-pressure way to host friends in the weeks before Christmas — and a great excuse to use your new trays.

Shop the look: · Barware · Decor

Which Trend Is Right for You?

Choose Heirloom Revival if you love candlelit dinners, a classic red-and-green Christmas, and pieces you'll unpack every year for the next thirty. It makes an especially meaningful gift for a new homeowner or newlywed couple starting their own traditions.

Choose Après Cheer if you want your holiday home to feel fun, modern, and full of color — or if your favorite part of the season is hosting a lively crowd. It's a great gift for the friend who has everything but a sense of humor about it.

Or mix them. The two share a love of red and evergreen, so a Heirloom Revival mantel and an Après Cheer bar cart can live happily under the same roof.

Come See Both Collections in Person

Holiday decor always looks best in person, especially alongside Home for Entertaining's signature Christmas wreaths on the shop windows. you'll want to feel the weight of the etched glass and see how the hand-painted trays catch the light. It's never too early to start collecting your Christmas decorations. Both collections are arriving in our shop now, and pieces like these tend to go quickly once the season is underway. Stop by, and we'll happily help you pull together a look for your mantel, your table, or everyone on your gift list.

You may also be interested in:

Holiday Gifts Made in America

Transitioning Your Table from Summer to Fall

Book Your Holiday Party Now