How to Decorate a Mantel with a TV Above It for Christmas

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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!

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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!

How to Decorate a Mantel with a TV Above It for Christmas

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 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 I moved the DVD player from under the TV too. It’s now standing on its side tucked 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.

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.

4. Place string lights

In my opinion, fifty percent of the magic of Christmas decorating is in the string lights. So, we’re going to add them to the mantel to add the to lovely glow of the fire. 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.)

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.

6. Add additional embellishments, as desired

If you’d like, you can add things like pine cones (try our DIY cinnamon scented ones here), or deer antlers into the garland to fill the spaces out even more!