“Aesthetic Christmas” Decor Is Out, According to TikTok
Decorating for the holidays is fun no matter your style preferences, but if you’re getting a little sick of HGTV-inspired minimalist Christmas vibes, TikTok is on your side. Plenty of TikTokers are eschewing stylish beige decor in favor of something a little more merry and bright, hoping to return to the holiday spirit of their childhood days.
Although the past several years have ushered in a trend of expertly curated, Pinterest-worthy holiday decorations (think: soft, warm twinkle lights, beige and cream decor with pops of understated gold accents, a hint of red or green — but not both) it seems some people are ready for the nostalgic, mismatched colorful chaos that feels like home for the holidays.
“I have decided that I will not be participating in ‘Minimalist Beige Christmas’ this year,” declared TikTok user Ave in a recent video published on November 1. “If this is what you like, if this is what you want, good for you, do it, enjoy the hell out of it. It’s not for me. I think this is pretty, I think it’s simple, I don’t think it’s giving enough. Not for me.”
Instead, Ave said she wants something a bit more over-the-top this holiday season. “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. This is the vibe.”
Fellow TikToker Brit says she’s breaking up with “aesthetic christmas” too. In her TikTok, published November 2, she said, “Every single year, I go back and I look at my pictures of past Christmas trees and Christmas decorations and I always think to myself ‘something’s missing.’” When she looks at photos from ‘90s holidays from her grandma and great-grandma’s houses — with their “shiny bright ornaments and everything vintage, lots of tinsel, lots of colored lights, and the bubblers” — she says, “When I go back and look at those pictures, it does something to me.” She notes that her children’s eyes “light up” upon seeing them, too.
“I just want to create that same feeling in my kids that I have when I think of Christmas memories from years past,” she concluded.
Of course, a minimalist holiday decor scheme is gorgeous no matter how you slice it, but there’s something magical about abandoning social media perfection in favor of something less curated. So go forth and deck the halls however you please this year.
If TikTok’s got anything to say about it, the vibes this year are better the bolder and brighter they get.