In this post: Sometimes it can be tricky to figure out how to decorate a mantel for Christmas, especially if you have a TV on or above it. But, you can do it and it can look lovely. 🙂
A pretty mantel over a roaring fire, surrounded by cozy chairs is like the quintessential Holiday scene. Sometimes it can be tricky to figure out how to decorate a mantel for Christmas, especially if you have a TV on or above it. But it can be done!
I originally wrote this post a few years ago, before we shiplapped our fireplace. I thought it would be fun to update it now with its current look and share a few of our friends’ Christmas mantels too (scroll down for those).
Table of Contents
How to Decorate a Mantel with a TV Above It for Christmas
The basic steps to decorating a Christmas mantel with a TV are the same, but you can tweak and make changes with the decor you choose, as you’ll see with our two Christmas mantel versions below.
1. Keep everything short/low
First of all, you need to keep scale and height in mind when decorating a mantel with a TV above it for Christmas. You don’t want to block anyone’s view of the screen for those Christmas movie marathons!
Bonus points if you can somehow keep the sensor for the remote easily accessible.
This one I find tricky as ours is at the very bottom front of the TV (the red dot in the photo below). But since we use a Roku (and now that the TV is shiplapped, Bluetooth enabled cable, or our Amazon Firestick) most of the time, we really only need access to the sensor for turning the TV on and off and the occasional volume adjustment.
You’ll notice that as I was decorating the gray fireplace, I moved the DVD player from under the TV. I stood it on its side and tucked it in beside the TV.
2. Start with a garland
The first piece you want to put down is the main garland. Stretch it across the length of the mantel and make any necessary adjustments to the individual pieces.
Or swag it across the front of the mantel, like our finished mantel below. That really keeps the sensors clear. (Unfortunately, it also allows the cables to show – but my family is happier to not have to do even mild gymnastics to control the tv! And sometimes function beats looks.)
3. Add stocking hangers
If you will be hanging stockings on your mantel, add the hangers after the garland. This way you can get the spacing correct before the next steps. If you’d like, go ahead and add the stockings now so you can get a feel for the colors and textures of the space.
Or you can group the stocking together. This works well when they’re empty and not as well once you start to fill them.
For the shiplap mantel below, I grouped the stockings on one side of the mantel, hung on a couple of thumbtacks. You could use 3M hooks if you don’t want to damage your mantel. Ours is a legit rustic old barn beam, so I don’t mind sticking it with thumbtacks now and again.
4. Place string lights
In my opinion, fifty percent of the magic of Christmas decorating is in the string lights. I love to add them to the mantel to add to the lovely glow of the fire – or just to turn on for that glow when it’s too warm for the fireplace to be on.
Weave an appropriate length of string lights in behind the stocking hangers, and around the garland on the mantel. Use battery-powered lights if there’s no outlet on or near your mantel. (I obviously added the stockings here too.)
Or you could add battery-powered candles as I did with our shiplap mantel.
Truthfully, I wanted to add string lights to the garland, but I gave the last operational battery-powered strand in the house to my daughter for her room and I was done spending money so I didn’t want to order more.
You don’t want to use real candles as that would be bad for the tv. 😉
5. Fill in any gaps in the garland with greenery sprigs and sprays
Inevitably there will be gaps in the garland. Now that the stocking hangers and string lights are in place, you can fill in the remaining gaps with sprigs and sprays of greenery.
For the shiplap fireplace, after playing around with options, I settled on two simple eucalyptus stems – one tucked into each side of the garland – for a little more variety without overdoing it.
6. Add additional embellishments, as desired
If you’d like, you can add things like pine cones (try our DIY cinnamon scented ones here), berry picks, or faux deer antlers into the garland to fill the spaces out even more!
Or you can add simple striped ribbons and a homemade pom-pom garland like I did this year.
And that’s how you cozy up a Holiday mantel when you’ve got nowhere else to put that big black tv!
Related: How to Decorate a Christmas Tree the Easy Way with Step-by-Step Instructions
More Christmas Mantels
You can check out our other mantels here.
Or have a look at my blog friends and their 2020 mantels below…
Today I’m joining some of my talented blogging friends for the Christmas Seasonal Simplicity Series. We’re all sharing our holiday mantel decor with you – be sure to check out these fabulous Christmas mantel decor ideas by clicking on the links below each image.
Cozy Cabin Christmas Mantel Decor with Pops of Red at The Happy Housie
Fresh Cedar Christmas Mantel at A Pretty Life
Bright Colourful Merry Mantel at Tatertots and Jello
Red, White, and Gold Christmas Mantel at This is Our Bliss
Cozy Traditional Christmas Mantle at JoAnna Anastasia
Natural and Cozy Christmas Mantel at Modern Glam
Christmas Mantel Decor Ideas at Craftberry Bush
Merry and Bright Christmas Mantle at The Handmade Home
Assymetrical Christmas Mantel with Fresh Greenery and Blue Accents at The DIY Mommy
How to Hang a Garland on a Shelf for a Christmas Vignette at Fynes Designs
Elegant Holiday Living Room and Mantel at House by Hoff
Traditional Christmas Mantel at Rambling Renovators
Christmas Mantel Decorating Ideas at Jennifer Maune
Christmas Mantel Mixing Faux and Fresh Greenery with Grey Accents at Deeply Southern Home
How to Decorate a Mantel for Christmas at She Gave it a Go
How to Decorate a Mantel with a TV Above It for Christmas at Home Made Lovely
My Classic Christmas Mantel with White and Red at Life is Better at Home
How to Style Your Shelves for the Holidays at My Sweet Savannah
Christmas Mantel Decor Ideas at Clean & Scentsible
Modern Minimalist Shelf Styling for the Holidays at This is Simplicite
Christmas Mantel Decor with Lighted Garland at Grace in My Space
Rustic Luxe Christmas Mantel Decor Ideas at Cherished Bliss
My Green and White Christmas Mantel at Cassie Bustamante
Holiday Mantel at Life is a Party
Asymmetrical Garland Mantel at Taryn Whiteaker Designs