One thing that has consistently been a good distraction for me during this time of uncertainty and general holiday stress is decorating for Christmas. Instead of doing it all at once, I did small chunks of it a little at a time almost every day! I’ve even set things up one way, and then, to get my mind off negative thoughts, I rearranged pieces in a totally different way. As an example, our big Christmas tree started upstairs, but eventually made its way downstairs. It’s not a practical way of doing things, but sure has been fun, and that’s more of a priority for me right now over practicality.

It’s definitely getting down to the wire at this point, but there really is still plenty of time to keep playing around with holiday décor in your own homes if that idea excites you! Today, I thought I’d talk through a few simple ways that you can whip your console into shape ahead of Christmas. Keep scrolling for all my best holiday console styling tips and resource links, too.

Did you miss the DIY floating console I built in our living room over the summer? If so, click back here to check out the full tutorial, which went live back in the fall. I managed to do it using IKEA products that I had shipped to our house, so it’s still something you can pull off socially distanced. Just make sure you factor in a lot of extra wait time for shipping. It’s actually probably much worse now than it was when I was working on this project in August, but still very much worth that extra bit of patience.

If you already have a console to style, though, you’re in especially good shape for today’s blog post. My goal was to turn this TV cabinet into a festive little spot for a few of my favorite Christmas decorations. I had all of it on hand in storage, so it didn’t cost me anything, and it made some of our older accents feel brand new again.

Start by gathering several boxes or arm-loads of holiday decorations from your own storage area. You’ll want to grab more than you think you’ll need since some things will end up getting cut from the arrangement. Once you’ve chosen your items, put them all out on the floor in front of your empty console, then start playing around.

I never, ever, ever get it right the first time when I’m styling a surface, so don’t feel bad if it looks like a mess your first go-around. Just place a piece, step back, evaluate, and rearrange until it feels right.

Another one of my best tips is to take photos with your phone as you go. I can’t explain the magic behind this trick, but it just works. You’ll be able to spot inconsistencies and not-so-good color combos a lot easier through a photo than in person using your naked eye. You don’t have to keep the photos—just use them during styling to confirm your choices as you go.

I know I’ll get questions about how we suspended our stockings and the garland along the front of our console, so here you go: I just used Command hooks! To do it, I opened the console doors, and then pressed removable plastic hooks upside down a few inches below the top of the door edge. Upside down is the key!

Next, I added thin twine to each of my stockings and the garland, then tied a knot, leaving about six inches of string to play with in my knotted circle. With the items sitting flush against the face of our console doors, I looped the string over the door, and then hooked it onto the upside down Command hook I had placed before. Done! And the best part, of course, is that we can still open and close the doors.

If you have a television above your console, like we do, the easiest thing to do when styling is keep your tallest items off to the side, and then get smaller as you move toward the center of the tabletop. That way you’re not blocking the TV screen.

I also like to group things in threes for a more organic look. Wooden bead garlands are great for creating a sense of flow between objects. You can buy a ready-made garland using the resource links I shared below, or make your own using my tutorial this way!

Resources (both similar and exact): tabletop tree, faux potted plant, cordless speaker, rattan footed pedestal, wooden beads garland, felt ball garland, stockings, ceramic candle, white-tipped matches, ceramic match striker, circular vase, dried eucalyptus, frame TV, digital evergreen art, floating console tutorial

Are you still planning on tweaking your Christmas décor over the next week? I have been saving the majority of my childhood ornaments until the last minute, so I’ll probably throw on my favorite holiday album today or tomorrow, and hook those onto our tree now that we’re just days away from Christmas. I hope these styling tips were helpful! As always, let me know if you have any questions in the comments below.

*I earn a small percentage from purchases made using the affiliate links above. Affiliate links are not sponsored. Rest assured that I never recommend products we wouldn’t use or don’t already love ourselves.