How to decorate your stairs for Christmas

Once the Christmas decorations start appearing in the shops and you begin to wonder how you’ll dress up your Christmas tree, you know the countdown to Christmas has begun.

There are plenty of ways to fill your home with festive flair in the run-up to Christmas, and your staircase is one area you shouldn’t overlook.

Whether you’re all about fairy lights or mad about tinsel, explore our tips for how to decorate your stairs for Christmas this year. Discover different styles and decorations and make a big impression on all your party guests with our Christmas staircase ideas below.

In this guide:

Why decorate your stairs for Christmas?
How to decorate your stairs for Christmas
Christmas stair decoration ideas
Get a stylish stair carpet from Tapi

Why decorate your stairs for Christmas?

As with many two-storey homes, the staircase is often one of the first things you see when you walk in the door. Whether they’re located in your hallway, entrance or living area, decorating your stairs can help lift your mood and inspire a healthy boost of Christmas spirit.

Decorating your stairs is equally as fun and inviting for you and your family as it is for your guests. Nothing is more exciting on Christmas morning than seeing twinkling fairy lights, or a softly lit tree with little presents on the landing. You can also completely transform your stairs into a magical Christmas grotto, building the excitement for the big day.

Playing around with Christmas staircase decoration ideas is also a great way to use up decorations that haven’t made it onto the tree. Add extra sparkle and warmth from room to room by decorating areas that might often get ignored.

So, read on as we unwrap our top Christmas decoration ideas for your stairs.

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How to decorate your stairs for Christmas

There are various ways you can decorate your stairs for Christmas depending on what kind of staircase you have. No matter what shape or size your stairs are, we have ideas for every home.

Staircases with a landing

If you have a staircase with a landing, consider using more ornamental decorations. For instance, you could recreate a serene manger or nativity scene, or add a small Christmas tree with battery-operated lights and tree decorations.

Box staircases

If your staircase is boxed in by walls, wall decorations are a great way to add some Christmas cheer. We suggest stringing fairy lights up the side of the staircase or hanging photos of family Christmases and pictures of Santa and his reindeer along the walls.

Floating staircases

Decorating floating stairs for Christmas is straightforward. Simply hang different ornaments along and below your stairs using white-tack or peel-off adhesive, making for easy removal in the New Year. Think strategically placed mistletoe and large pine garlands draped beneath the stairs. Floating staircases often have space beneath them too, giving you prime real estate for another Christmas tree.

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Christmas stair decoration ideas

Looking for Yuletide staircase inspiration? Here are some of our favourite ways to get creative with your Christmas staircase décor ideas:

Pick a unique colour scheme

Pick a colour scheme you can use throughout your house. The colour of your walls and flooring can help you to decide what would work best.

If you have neutral carpet and white walls, you’ll have the perfect base to do whatever you like. How about turning the stairs into a winter wonderland with blue lights? This would work especially well with a pale or white carpet.

For bolder carpet and wall colours like green, red, or purple, we recommend choosing Christmas decorations to complement the existing hues of your home interiors.

Festive stair runners and rugs

Add a stair runner on your stairs or check out our carpet whipping service to create a new rug for the bottom of your stairs. You could pick a classic tartan carpet, a festive red or a wintry blue depending on your theme. Look forward to bringing out your seasonal rugs each year or enjoy festive charm all year round.

Tree garlands

Winding tree garlands around your banister lets you hang ornaments, holly and mistletoe just like a Christmas tree. If you have pets and you’re thinking of adding fresh foliage to bring some seasonal greenery into your home, beware that some Christmas plants are toxic to cats and dogs.

We love fresh eucalyptus or pine. The wonderfully fresh scent will wash over you and your family every time you walk by.

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Tinsel

If fresh pine garlands are in short supply, use tinsel instead! This shiny, traditional decoration will add sparkle to any area of your home – ideal for stairways with little room for big decorations. Why not add a mirror ball above your stairs and bring the Christmas party energy every morning and night?

Photos

As we mentioned before, you can use Christmas as an excuse to change up any pictures you may have hung around your staircase or landing. Update your pictures to memories of Christmas past or add some funny pictures of the Grinch and Rudolph. It’s a great way to add some light-hearted, festive details to your stairs.

Lights

Turn your stairs from drab to fab by wrapping string lights around your banister or artfully draping them around staircase gaps. If you have kids who are looking forward to being visited by Father Christmas, you could also turn your staircase into a runway for Santa and his reindeer.

Safely attach different coloured lights to either side of your stairs on the lower portion of the wall to create a landing strip that Santa’s reindeer can see from the sky! Make sure they’re low enough so no one trips over them, but high enough so little children can’t pull them down.

Bells

Christmas is a time for music and cheer. So, don’t stop at tinsel and tree decorations. Jingle all the way down the stairs by stringing festive bells along the banister or add a few statement bells to the top and bottom stair posts.

Bells are a classic icon of the holiday season. With regal tones of silver and gold, these musical stair decorations can add a touch of luxury to your Christmas ornaments this year.

Ribbons

Adding colour, texture and charm, ribbons and bows are traditional Christmas accessories that stand the test of time. If you’re struggling with Christmas staircase ideas, this is an easy DIY decoration hack to dress up your stairs and entryway.

Large or small, ribbons look beautiful when paired with rich green foliage – ideal if you’re not so keen on glitter and sparkle.

Stockings

No fireplace? Your staircase is a great location for hanging Christmas stockings when there’s no chimney or mantel at home. Whether they’re homemade or hand-me-down, line up your best stockings for everyone in your household. That way, every time you walk up and down the stairs, it’s an exciting reminder of what’s in store come Christmas Day.

Get a stylish stair carpet from Tapi

When you choose a stylish stair carpet from Tapi, your stairs will dazzle all year round! But just like Santa's elves, your stairs work doubly hard at Christmas so it's important you pick a stair carpet that can cope with plenty of use and still look good. Our best flooring for stairs guide will give you some ideas to help you choose.

From how to protect your floors at Christmas to Christmas decor colour schemes, find inspiration for festive decor in our Ideas Hub. Get your new flooring sorted in plenty of time for Christmas when you book a free home visit or pop into to see our helpful floorologists at your local Tapi store.

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