Mid Century Inspired Christmas Decoration Ideas on a Budget

If you want to go for a mid century look for your Christmas decor, you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg on vintage decorations to get the look!

You also don’t need to have an authentic aluminum Evergleam tree.

I’ve got some budget-friendly ideas to spark your creativity and help you infuse that classic mid-century aesthetic into your current Christmas decorations.

Mid Century Inspired Christmas Tree Ideas

Although I would die if I found an Evergleam with a color wheel in my budget, my white flocked pre-lit tree does the job.

In fact, I think it looks cozier than if I did have an aluminum tree and is probably the next best thing.

If you also think the prices of a vintage aluminum tree have gotten out of control, you can find a more affordable white tree that fits within your budget and still get the mid century look.

Ornaments

Mid century isn’t just all atomic age motifs and boomerang shapes. It’s also about minimalism and clean lines.

I chose to go for the more minimalist look and stick with the standard round ornaments in a turquoise and gold color palette.

Round ornaments are usually pretty affordable and easy to find in most color palettes, or you can always make some glitter ornaments of your own in the preferred mid century color palette of your choice.

I purchased a bundle of ornaments at a local home improvement store and made a few polycrylic gold and turquoise glitter ornaments myself.

Tree Skirt

Mid-century aesthetics commonly use natural materials and organic textures like velvet and fur. I opted for a soft and fuzzy faux fur tree skirt that I bought with a coupon at JoAnn Fabrics.

It also ties in to the stockings (that I also bought at JoAnn Fabrics) that you’ll see later in the post.

Garland and Tinsel

Nothing screams “mid century Christmas” like tinsel! Plus, tinsel is pretty affordable and packs quite a sparkly punch.

You can find tinsel and tinsel garlands at practically every store selling Christmas decor, from Target to Walmart to your local home decor and improvement store.

I usually go for a tinsel garland, but I’ve been eyeing up the tinsel that you hang by hand that really makes the tree sparkle.

I’m probably going to regret this when it comes time to store the tree, but I am in love with the look and was planning on doing it every year from now on anyways! 🙂

Mid Century Inspired Christmas Shelf Decor Ideas

Bottle Brush Trees

Bottle brush trees have always had a vintage look and remind me of a mid century Christmas.

They’re just way easier to find nowadays, and therefore more affordable than they used to be, due to their popularity!

You can easily find them in any color, with or without added baubles, and they’re perfect to layer into any decor motif.

I added some to the centerpiece on our dining room table. These glass cloches usually have pillar candles in them, so I took them out and filled them with some ornaments and bottle brush trees for a Christmasy look.

Vintage Decor

Obviously if you already own some vintage Christmas decorations, put those babies up!

I found this cute angel candle this year while shopping at a vintage store during Small Business Saturday and just had to bring her home.

My daughter thinks she’s creepy, I think she’s adorable!

Chances are, if you’re going for a mid century look for Christmas, you already own some mid century pieces that would fit right in with your Christmas decor.

Bottle brush trees can turn anything from your standard piece of mid century decor into a festive Christmas piece of mid century decor!

Candles

In general, candles make great decor for any holiday. Just change out the candles to fit your color scheme or style!

I found these white swirl taper candles on Amazon that had a vintage vibe to them to put in my growing collection of brass candle holders.

Angel chimes are also an iconic piece of mid century shelf decor, if you’re lucky enough to own some. I found one at a local thrift store and thought I had hit the jackpot, but unfortunately it’s missing some key parts that I can’t seem to find online 🙁

I did find a new version like this brass spinning votive candle holder called an änglaspel in a local boutique. It might not be authentically vintage, but it sure fits in well.

Mid Century Inspired Christmas Wall Decor Ideas

Vintage Christmas Records

If you’re already a vinyl record collector, vintage Christmas records can be an affordable and festive way to jazz up your walls for Christmas.

And even if you’re not, thrift stores still seem to have a collection of generic old Christmas records with album covers perfect to display.

I made these vinyl record cover display shelves a few years ago so that I could swap out and update them as I wanted.

If you don’t have shelves on your walls that would work for this, you could also use some command hooks to mount a few records on your walls temporarily.

Printable Christmas Wall Art

Printable art is one of the most affordable ways that you can transform a room for Christmas. Especially if you already have frames hanging on your walls.

The gold frames in our living room usually display vintage art that I thrifted.

I swapped them out for these cute vintage inspired Christmas prints that I found on Etsy and printed through our local CVS (with a coupon, of course).

Battery Operated Lights

You can find battery operated lights with convenient timers for just about any holiday, and Christmas is no exception.

I think the next closest thing to an atomic motif is a snowflake, so when I spotted this battery operated snowflake light at Target that also had a timer, I was sold.

I also installed some battery-operated fairy lights in this vintage house set I found in the Target dollar section a few years ago.

The colors of the houses fit right in with the turquoise and gold with accents of pink color scheme I was going for even if the houses themselves don’t scream “mid-century”.

And the last piece of battery-operated illumination in our living room is the incredibly realistic looking candles I found on Amazon that fit perfectly in my mid century articulated candle holder.

They’re on a timer so they turn on at the same time as the snowflake and add to the cozy warm glow of the room.

Other Christmas Accents

Stockings

You don’t need a mantle to display your stockings, although they sure look great hanging from one.

A stairway railing is a great option and displays your stockings for your guests.

I got our faux fur stockings at the same time as our tree skirt to tie them together.

Floor Decor

Don’t forget, the tree doesn’t have to be the only piece of Christmas decor sitting on your floor!

I found these standing metal trees that were meant for outdoors at Walmart last year, but they weren’t quite the right color for the look I was going for.

After a few quick coats of gold spray paint, they fit right in.

Their clean lines and geometric look go perfectly with my mid century modern Christmas theme.

That’s a wrap on the tour of our mid century inspired Christmas decor on a budget. Don’t forget to pin this post for next year so you, too can nail the mid century style without breaking the bank!