Say Goodbye to Beige Holidays—and Embrace the Bright Nostalgia of Christmas Past

Minimalist, neutral-toned Christmas decorations aren’t for everyone. This holiday season, deck the halls with colorful, nostalgic design.

Neutral-toned holiday decor can bring about the peaceful and homey feelings associated with the season—take Karen Emile's suburban Los Angeles home, for example. In an interview with BHG, she shared that her “core colors,” including white, gray, and earthy brown, “never change, no matter what holiday it is.” Her home embodies a calming, earthy escape—and a timeless way to celebrate the festive season.

But this year, you may be seeing less of the minimalist, muted aesthetic—while colorful, larger-than-life holiday decor on the nostalgic side takes its place. It’s not too surprising that the design world is moving away from neutrals in favor of vibrant hues—it’s simply part of the natural trend cycle. And on this pendulum swing of what’s in, it’s clear that preferences are moving toward the opposite of neutral.

Related: More is More with This Maximalist Christmas Home Decor

If you regularly scroll social media for holiday decor inspiration, you're sure to come across users' takes on bold Christmas aesthetics. One TikTok creator, @aver.deedle, took to the platform to share that she’s done with a carefully-curated aesthetic. Though she gives minimalist-lovers her blessing to go ahead with neutrals this Christmas, she says she’s going for a more lived-in, cozy feel.

“I have decided that I will not be participating in minimalist, beige Christmas this year,” she says in her video, which now has over 1.6 million views and nearly 250,000 likes. “The theme this year is nostalgic, early 2000s Christmas. I want all the rainbow lights, I want the mismatched ornaments, I want the random wrapping paper—I want nostalgia.”

Fond memories of childhood Christmases are pushing Millennials and Gen Z back into the '90s and 2000s, when maximalist holiday decor was at its peak. These younger generations decorating their spaces for the holidays for the first time are looking to recreate their pasts, and those who previously preferred minimalism are falling back in love with the colorful warmth of sometimes-gaudy Christmas decorations.

This change up also reflects the idea behind dopamine decor, which has come to the forefront of the design world in the past year. It focuses on choosing your decor based on what makes you happy—rather than TikTok's latest "core."

Related: More is More with This Maximalist Christmas Home Decor

If you feel the same way and want to stray away from a beige Christmas, think of what you would have loved as a kid, and bring that to life. Try swapping out your white or yellow string lights for multicolored bulbs, and challenge yourself to go beyond your go-to color palette. Browse your local thrift shop or online secondhand stores to find trinkets that remind you of spending the holidays in your hometown. Or even better: Take a trip home and see what you can dig up.

And of course, the tree is the main attraction—choose a maximalist theme that speaks to you (or mix and match). You can't go wrong with all the tinsel, garlands, thoughtfully-collected ornaments—and cheesy Christmas music.

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