10 Christmas Setups for an Apartment With No Storage
On this page16 sections
- The no-storage test
- A tabletop tree on a side table
- A slim pencil tree in a corner
- A wall tree with no tree at all
- Garland that does not need a mantel
- Decor that gets eaten or burned
- Textiles that stay in the linen closet
- Paper and fabric over glass and ceramic
- One door, one wreath
- Lights you can keep up
- A gift wrap station that is also decor
- Where to store what is left
- Fitting a tree into a small floor plan
- Keeping it light for the move
- More small-space ideas
- Quick answers
The hardest part of decorating a small apartment for Christmas is not December. It is January, when everything has to go somewhere. In a place with one coat closet and no basement, a 7-foot tree in a box the size of a coffin is not just a decoration. It is a year-round roommate.
The setups below start from that problem. Each one either takes up almost no storage, gets used up during the season, or works as an ordinary household item for the other eleven months. Use them together and the entire Christmas collection can fit in one under-bed box.
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The no-storage test
Before buying any Christmas piece, ask three questions:
- Will it get used up? Candles, fresh greenery, clementines, and paper decorations disappear by January.
- Can it stay out all year? A brass candlestick, a plaid throw, or a wooden bowl can be part of the room in March.
- Does it fold flat? Paper stars, fabric garlands, and ribbon pack into almost nothing.
If a piece does not pass at least one of these, think hard before bringing it home. Nearly everything below passes at least one.
It also helps to set a size limit before the season starts. Pick the one bin or bag that will hold all of your Christmas decor, measure it, and treat it as the budget. When something new comes home, something else either gets used up or gets donated. That way, the collection never grows past the space you actually have, even after years of gifts and impulse buys.
1. A tabletop tree on a side table
A tree around 3 to 4 feet tall set on a side table or a sturdy stool reaches about the same visual height as a much larger floor tree. It takes up a fraction of the floor, and it is easier to keep away from pets and toddlers.
Live tabletop trees in pots, such as a small Norfolk Island pine or a dwarf Alberta spruce, solve the storage problem entirely. A Norfolk pine can become a houseplant after the holidays. A spruce can go out on a balcony. Keep a live tree away from heat vents and give it a cup or two of water every few days, and it will look healthy through New Year’s.
Get the look
2. A slim pencil tree in a corner
If you want a full-height tree, choose a pencil tree. These are about half the width of a standard tree, so a 7-footer may be only 2 feet wide at the base. Many collapse into a box short enough to slide under a bed.
Check the storage box size before you buy. Some pencil trees ship in a long box that still needs a closet. Hinged branches fold tighter than hook-on branches. Pre-lit pencil trees save the most time, since the lights stay on the branches and nothing needs to be untangled next year.
Get the look
3. A wall tree with no tree at all
A tree shape made from string lights, a branch, or washi tape on the wall takes up zero floor and almost zero storage. A simple version: pin a strand of warm white lights in a triangle shape with small clear command hooks, then hang a few paper ornaments inside it.
This is especially good for rentals, studios, and homes with cats who climb trees. When the season ends, the lights come down in two minutes and the hooks peel off cleanly. Test one hook on a hidden spot first if your walls have a fresh coat of flat paint.
Get the look
4. Garland that does not need a mantel
Most apartments do not have a mantel. Garland still works over a window frame, along the top of a bookcase, across a headboard, or draped on a console. Use removable hooks at the ends and let the middle swag.
A eucalyptus garland, real or faux, works from late fall through January without looking specifically like Christmas, so it gets more weeks of use. Faux garland stores coiled in a gallon bag, so it takes up about as much room as a sweater.
5. Decor that gets eaten or burned
The easiest decorations to store are the ones you use up. A bowl of clementines, a jar of candy canes, a plate of pinecone-shaped cookies, a cluster of candles: all of them look festive and none of them come back to the closet in January.
Fresh greenery belongs on this list too. A few bundles of cedar or pine clippings from a tree lot, often free, can fill vases for two weeks and then go in the compost.
Get the look
6. Textiles that stay in the linen closet
A plaid throw, red pillow covers, or flannel sheets change a room faster than any ornament. Pillow covers fold to the size of a dish towel. Swap them onto the inserts you already own and store them in the linen closet with your other bedding. A red or green throw can also stay out through February. It reads as winter rather than Christmas once the tree is gone.
7. Paper and fabric over glass and ceramic
Paper stars, felt garlands, fabric ornaments, and wooden beads pack flat and do not break. Glass ornaments need padded boxes and careful handling. If storage is tight, keep a small number of special glass pieces and let paper and fabric do the rest. Wrap each glass ornament in a sock or tissue paper and keep them in an egg carton or a small divided box inside your main bin.
Get the look
8. One door, one wreath
An apartment door is often in a shared hallway with rules. An over-the-door hook and a small wreath, about 16 to 18 inches across, is usually allowed. Store it flat in a pizza box or a wreath bag under the bed. A preserved boxwood wreath holds its color for a full season and works on an inside door the rest of the year.
9. Lights you can keep up
Warm white string lights look like Christmas in December and like a cozy room in February. Choosing plain warm white, not colored or blinking, means they can stay up through winter. Some people never take them down. Use a plug-in timer so they switch on around sunset, and the room always feels lived in when you get home.
Get the look
10. A gift wrap station that is also decor
Wrapping supplies take up space no matter what. Put them to work: a basket of kraft paper rolls, twine, and ribbon spools set near the tree looks seasonal, and you need it out anyway. Choose one paper and one ribbon, such as plain kraft with red velvet, and the wrapped gifts under the tree become part of the decor too. Leftover rolls stand upright in a tall basket in a closet corner for the rest of the year.
Where to store what is left
Even a short list leaves a few things. A few options for apartments:
- Under the bed: a low, lidded bin or a zippered under-bed bag holds a tree, lights, and ornaments if they are compact.
- Inside a suitcase: luggage you do not use in winter is empty storage. Ornaments and garland fit well in a hard-sided case.
- Top of the closet: a fabric bin on the top shelf of a coat closet works for textiles and paper decorations.
- Inside the tree box: if you do keep a full-size artificial tree, pack ornaments and lights inside the box with the tree.
Fitting a tree into a small floor plan
Wherever the tree goes, it needs to avoid three things: the path from the door, a radiator or heating vent, and the outlet that the TV already uses. In most small living rooms, the best spot is the corner diagonal from the entry, where the tree is the first thing you see without blocking the way in.
If the only free corner is behind the sofa, a tabletop tree on a console behind the sofa works well. It sits at eye level from the seat and keeps the floor clear. Run the cord down a table leg and along the baseboard with a few cable clips so no one trips on it.
Keeping it light for the move
Renters move more than homeowners, and Christmas boxes are often the last ones packed and the first ones questioned. If your decorations fit in one bin and a wreath box, moving them is easy. If they fill a closet, every move becomes a decision about which ones to keep. Keeping the collection small from the start avoids that. It also makes it easier to share a space. Roommates and partners can each bring one or two favorite pieces without the apartment turning into a holiday warehouse.
More small-space ideas
Quick answers
Are real trees allowed in apartments? Check your lease. Some buildings ban them for fire safety. A potted live tree or a tabletop tree is often a good alternative.
Where should a tree go in a studio? Away from the bed and the kitchen, and not blocking the way to the door. A corner of the living area or a tabletop tree on a dresser usually works.
How do I hang lights without nails? Use small clear adhesive hooks or tension rods inside window frames. Both come down cleanly.
For more ways to make a small floor plan work, see studio apartment layout. The low furniture habits post covers how to keep a small room feeling open, which matters even more when a tree joins it. And for a calmer, more restrained version of holiday decorating, see a short ornament list.