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I have my Christmas village set up on my sideboard this year. It’s a really simple combination: one of my favorite garlands, little white ceramic houses, paper trees and a gorgeous brass mirror, with a lamp at the end.
Here’s my quick video, then how I put it together and everything I used, linked under each photo so you can swipe through to shop.
How I Styled My Christmas Village Sideboard
A long sideboard is such a good spot for a Christmas village because it gives you a lot of surface to work with, and it sits right at eye level when you walk into the room. Here’s the order I like to build it in:
- Start with the garland. Lay it along the whole length of the sideboard and let it run behind the decor. Fluff each section out so it looks full from the front, not just from above.
- Tuck in fairy lights. Battery operated fairy lights woven through the garland give it that soft glow without a cord running down the side of the furniture.
- Add the houses in little groups. I like two or three houses together, then a little breathing room, instead of one long straight row. It looks more like a real little village.
- Fill in with paper trees. Mix a couple of sizes between the houses so the line has some height changes.
- Anchor the ends. The mirror leans behind everything, the lamp sits on one end and a couple of ceramic bowls with pinecones balance the other side.
Here’s what I used for the base of the sideboard, including the sideboard itself, the bowls, the candlestick and the lights:
3-Pack 78FT 240 LED Fairy Lights Battery Operated with Timer & Remote, Waterproof Twinkle Lights …
Amazon
ShopHomemory 12pcs Remote Timer LED Tea Lights Candles, 400+Hours Flickering Flameless Battery Votive…
Amazon
ShopThe Garland That Doesn’t Lose Its Fluff
This is one of my favorite garlands. The thing I love about it is that when you store it, it doesn’t lose its fluff at all. You just pull it out and it looks exactly the same. It has a pretty little berry on it, and it looks really natural and realistic, which is what I always look for in faux greenery.
If you’re shopping for a garland for a sideboard or console, look for a cedar or mixed pine with soft, drapey tips. A flatter garland with stiff branches tends to look more fake up close, and a sideboard is something people see up close. I used the cedar garland from my video, and I linked a few more realistic options below:
6FT Pre-Lit Christmas Garland, Battery Operated with 20 LED Lights, Timer, Red Poinsettia, Berries & Pine Cones for Mantel, Fireplace and Staircase De
Wayfair
Shop9ft PE Christmas Garland, Artificial Greenery, Faux Eucalyptus Leaves with Red Berries
Joss & Main
ShopLittle White Ceramic Houses
I paired the garland with these pretty little white ceramic houses. White houses keep a Christmas village feeling soft and neutral, so it works with the rest of my living room instead of competing with it. The village set I linked comes as a set of five lighted houses with a remote, so they glow right along with the fairy lights in the evening.
Nestle the houses down into the garland a little bit so they look like they’re sitting in the trees, not on top of them. Here are the houses from my video and a few more white and ceramic village pieces I love:
Christmas Decorations – Christmas Village Sets of 5 Lighted Ceramic Houses with Remote Control & …
Amazon
ShopPaper Trees That Store Flat
These paper trees are such a fun find. They’re magnetic, so they close up and store completely flat, and then you open them up and they’re these cute little trees. They’re really easy to store throughout the year, which I love.
I linked both two-packs (6 and 8 inch, and 10 and 12 inch), so you get four different heights to mix in between the houses. If you want something with a little more weight, the ceramic and carved wood trees below are pretty with a village too:
LampLust White Honeycomb Paper Trees, 2 Pack, 6 & 8 Inch, Winter Ornaments, Winter Decorations fo…
Amazon
ShopLampLust White Honeycomb Paper Trees, 2 Pack, 10 & 12 Inch, Winter Ornaments, Winter Decorations …
Amazon
ShopChristmas Decorations-2PCS Light Up Wooden Christmas Tree- Handmade Tabletop Christmas Tree with …
Amazon
ShopA Brass Mirror and a Lamp to Finish It
Then I paired it all with this gorgeous mirror. I think the detail and the color of the gold brass frame feel so festive for the holidays, and it reflects the lights from the tree and the village at night. A mirror behind a village also makes the whole display feel bigger and adds height above all the little pieces.
The lamp I have out year round. It’s more of an investment piece, but it’s so pretty and it definitely makes a statement. The Phillipe mirror and the Calabria lamp are the ones in my video, and I added a few other mirrors and lamps that would look beautiful on a sideboard:
The Rest of My Christmas Living Room
The sideboard sits in my living room, so I kept the same simple palette everywhere: green garland, cream and white, warm wood and a little brass. Here are the rest of the pieces from this post, from the sofa and coffee table to the stocking, throw, pillow and the pine tree print:
More Christmas Decor Ideas
If you’re decorating this week, see my realistic Christmas garland on my mantel, my twinkling Christmas tree and my Christmas throw pillows. You can shop my Christmas village sideboard and everything from this video on my LTK.