A dining room sideboard is one of the easiest places to decorate for Christmas. It’s long, it’s at eye level, and it often does double duty as a serving station when family and friends come over.
These ten ideas come from real dining rooms decorated by home bloggers. Each one notes why it works and how to adapt it to your own buffet or console. Candle advice follows the NFPA candle safety tip sheet.
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1. Layer Fresh Garland With Gold Ornaments
Home with Holliday kept her dining room sideboard neutral because she was hosting several gatherings that season and wanted the freedom to decorate the main table any way she liked. Fresh cedar and gold ornaments tucked into the greenery add sparkle without competing with the table.
Why it works: A green-and-gold sideboard goes with almost any table setting, so you can change the centerpiece without redoing the whole room.
Try it: She notes you could use any combination of ornaments and colors here. Pick one metallic finish to keep the look calm.
2. Let Brass Candlesticks Double in a Mirror
For the full look, she draped about 6 feet of natural mixed garland along the buffet and let it spill off the sides. Then she set brass candlesticks in front of and behind the evergreens. Because they sit in front of a mirror, the candlesticks double the drama when lit.
Why it works: A mirror behind the sideboard reflects every candle and branch, so a simple arrangement looks twice as full.
Try it: In previous years she used Christmas cone trees in this spot and simply swapped them for candlesticks. If you’d rather not use open flames near fresh greenery, battery candles such as these real-wax LED pillars with a remote and timer give a similar glow.
3. Hang a Greenery Swag on a Wall Basket
Clean and Scentsible added a swag to the large woven basket hanging above her sideboard, using greenery, pinecones and green velvet ribbon. The swag simply hangs over the top of the basket by folding down the greenery stem.
Why it works: No nails or wire required. The swag rests on the basket and comes off in seconds after the holidays.
Try it: Any large wall piece above a buffet, like a basket, round mirror or framed print, can carry a draped swag the same way.
4. Set Up a Hot Chocolate Bar
On the same sideboard she set up a small hot chocolate bar, using glass tree jars to hold the cocoa powder and marshmallows. She added a few coffee syrups for flavor variety and decorated the pumps with DIY labels. A glass tree beverage dispenser sits nearby.
Why it works: Functional pieces earn their spot. Everything on this sideboard gets used throughout the holidays.
Try it: Start with what you already own: a tray, a few jars and your favorite mugs. Add labels so guests can help themselves.
5. Hang Twin Wreaths Above the Buffet
Beth of 1111 Light Lane decorated her black sideboard in gold, white and green. She brought in new wreaths and garland for a pop of color against her black, white and gold palette, and hung a gold banner beneath the wreaths.
Why it works: A matching pair of wreaths creates symmetry over a long piece of furniture and fills the wall without a large single piece of art.
Try it: Hang the wreaths at the same height, spaced evenly over the sideboard. Keep the colors to two or three for a polished look.
6. Vary Heights With a Tiered Tray and Cake Stand
Beth varied the heights on her sideboard with a tiered tray, a cake stand and silver metallic trees, then added twinkle lights. She planned to use the spot to serve hot chocolate, tea, coffee and cookies through the season.
Why it works: Different heights keep the eye moving along the sideboard, and raised pieces like cake stands make room for serving below.
Try it: Mix one tall piece, one medium piece and a few low ones. Small trees like this 9-piece mini bottle brush tree set are easy to group at different levels.
7. Let the Kids Style a Caroler Collection
Angie of Angie’s Roost inherited her family’s caroler doll collection. She admits she resisted it at first, but her daughters became attached to the dolls. Now the girls are in charge of decorating the long wooden buffet with the carolers and bottle brush trees each year.
Why it works: Handing one surface to the kids turns decorating into a tradition, and a family collection makes the buffet feel personal.
Try it: She also set up a record station with Christmas vinyl on this buffet one year. It was such a hit that it became a holiday tradition.
8. Turn the Buffet Into a Santa Mug Station
Angie’s dark-painted buffet holds a metal Santa mailbox for letters, Santa mugs and garland. A tobacco basket on the wall shows off a white wreath, a red bell star and Christmas cards. During the season the girls come here for mugs instead of climbing into a cupboard, and sometimes she sets up a cocoa bar with marshmallow creme, sprinkles and syrups.
Why it works: Putting holiday mugs within easy reach makes the buffet part of everyday December routines.
Try it: Clip Christmas cards to a basket, board or ribbon above the buffet so they’re on display instead of in a pile.
9. Make It a Dessert and Candy Station
Oliva of Oliva’s Creative Quest decorated her sideboard on a budget, using what she already had. Her idea was to set it up as a dessert and candy station for when family, kids and friends stop by, with candy, cakes and cookies added once company arrives.
Why it works: Silver trays, a covered cake stand and candy jars look festive even before the food arrives.
Try it: Set out empty serving pieces as decor in early December, then fill them on party day.
10. Build a White Winter Forest
Debbie of A Debbie-Dabble Christmas decorates her Victorian-style dining room in pink, white and gold. On the buffet she wanted a snow-covered winter forest look, so she used several all-white trees: a lighted white branch tree with white snowflakes and a white ceramic tree set on a cake stand.
Why it works: Sticking to one color for the trees ties a large collection together, and white trees glow against a colored wall.
Try it: Move a tree you already own from another room. Debbie moved her lighted branch tree over from the living room.
Tips for Styling a Christmas Sideboard
- Start with something on the wall above, like a mirror, wreaths or a large basket, so the display has a backdrop.
- Add a garland along the top and let the ends drape over the sides.
- Vary heights with cake stands, tiered trays and small trees.
- Leave open space if you plan to serve food or drinks there.
- Choose flameless candles near greenery. The NFPA recommends them. If you burn real candles, keep them at least 1 foot from anything that can burn, use sturdy holders and blow them out before leaving the room.
Pick the idea that fits how you use your dining room, whether that’s a cocoa bar, a dessert station or a collection the kids can arrange, and your sideboard will be ready for the season.
