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7 Winter Front Door Decor Ideas for After Christmas

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After Christmas, keep the green and take down everything that says Christmas. A wreath with a cream ribbon, a mat, one planter and a lantern is a full winter door, and it looks right from the first week of January into February. The red bows, the glitter and the ornaments go into the box, and the door stops looking like it is waiting for next December. None of it needs a drill, and you may own half of it already.

Charcoal front door of a small brick townhouse with a neutral winter wreath, a lit lantern and a tall planter of cedar stems on the stoop in January

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What to take down first

Pull the red. Red ribbon, red picks, Santa, glitter and ornaments are the pieces that read as a Christmas decoration. Pinecones, greens, plain lights and a good wreath base read as winter, so they stay.

Work with a bag beside you. Look at each piece as it comes off and bin anything bent or faded, so it does not end up back on the door in December. If you want the long version of hanging and sizing a wreath on a door with a storm door or an odd frame, it is in Christmas front door decor.

1. Keep the wreath, change the ribbon

The wreath is the one piece worth keeping. A cedar, fir or eucalyptus wreath is just as good in January as it was in December. The ribbon is what dates it.

Untie the plaid bow and tie on a wide cream, oatmeal or gray linen ribbon in a loose bow. Against the silver-green eucalyptus leaves it looks calm. Leave the pinecones and any white berries. If your wreath came with red berries, pull them out one at a time.

For a small door, 18 to 20 inches across is plenty. If you are buying new, this 18 inch faux eucalyptus wreath (opens Amazon in a new tab)As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure. is listed as all-season, with a 9 inch opening, and it ships compressed, so fluff the leaves before you hang it. Cost: $.

Close view of a winter wreath of cedar, frosted eucalyptus and pinecones with a cream linen bow, hung on a dark green front door from a thin over-the-door hanger
Styling idea: the same wreath in January, with the red gone and a cream bow in its place.

Which greens last the longest is in winter wreath ideas that last past Christmas.

2. Put down a mat that does not say Christmas

The mat is the cheapest door decoration change and the one you see every day. Swap anything that says “Merry” or shows a reindeer for a plain coir mat or a simple stripe.

A 24 by 36 inch mat is the usual size for front doors. This natural coir mat (opens Amazon in a new tab)As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure. is listed at 24 by 36 inches, about 0.6 inch thick, with a vinyl backing. Cost: $$. Open the door all the way once after you put any mat down, because a thick one can catch the bottom edge.

For a layered look, put a smaller striped mat on top of the coir one, and set a flat boot tray beside it for wet boots, salt and snow melt. If you rent, that is all loose pieces you can pick up and take with you.

3. Add one planter on one side of the door

On a small entry, one planter looks better than two. Put it on one side and leave the other side open, so the door and the walkway stay clear. Open the door fully before you place it, and set the planter where the door never touches it.

For the planter itself you have two good choices.

  • Faux. Push cedar or pine stems into a pot of potting soil or gravel. Add a few pinecones and some bare birch or red twig branches for height. These UV-resistant faux cedar stems (opens Amazon in a new tab)As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure. come as 12 bunches, 15 inches long, listed for outdoor planters and window boxes. Cost: $. If you do not own a pot, this tall tapered black planter set (opens Amazon in a new tab)As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure. comes as two 24 inch planters with trays included. Cost: $$.
  • Real. Dwarf Alberta spruce is a small evergreen tree that stays green through the cold, and boxwood cones, juniper and cedar do too. Add red twig dogwood for color, a dried flower stem or two if you have them, and a bit of white heather and ivy at the front. Check your zone before you buy, and use a pot with a drainage hole. Standing it on pot feet keeps it from sitting in ice and frost.

If the soil in a pot is frozen solid, push the stems into a small block of floral foam instead, which holds them upright.

4. Set a battery lantern by the door

A lantern gives the doorstep a reason to look good after dark, and in January it is dark by dinner. Use one with a flameless candle and a timer, so it comes on by itself.

This pair of 13 inch black lanterns (opens Amazon in a new tab)As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure. is listed with a flickering LED candle in each and a timer that runs 6 hours on and 18 hours off, repeating every day. Each takes 3 AAA batteries, which are not included. Cost: $$. Put one lantern next to the planter, and keep the second inside by the window, or use the pair on either step.

Black lantern with a lit flickering candle beside a tall planter of cedar stems and birch twigs on a front stoop at dusk in January
Styling idea: a lantern on a timer next to the planter makes the door look lived in at dusk.

5. Fill a bucket or basket with what you already have

You do not need to buy a thing for this one. A galvanized pail gives a farmhouse look, and a wicker basket, a wooden crate or even a laundry basket works just as well. Fill it with pinecones, or stand a few birch logs in it, cut ends up. Six to eight logs, 10 to 14 inches long, in a 12 inch crate is about right for a small step.

Branches cut from your own cedar or pine fit here too. Keep it to one container. Two or three start to look like a pile.

6. Run one strand of warm white lights along the frame

One strand of small warm white lights along the top of the door frame makes the whole entry feel finished. Use clips you can take off, plug it into a timer, and stop at one strand.

Read the package on any adhesive hook or clip first. Some are made for indoor use only, and cold and damp are hard on any adhesive. Press one on a small spot first, wait a day, and see if it still holds. If you have no outlet outside, a battery strand does the same job.

7. Change one thing at the end of January

The door does not need a rebuild in February. Swap the ribbon for a soft pink, plum or a pale stripe if you like, leave the wreath and the planter alone, and the door reads as a late winter door instead of a leftover.

How do you hang winter decor on a rental door without damage?

Use an over-the-door hanger for the wreath. It hooks over the top of the door and needs no nails. This adjustable one (opens Amazon in a new tab)As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure. is listed as fitting 15 to 25 inches, holding 20 pounds, with felt inside and metal that is 0.078 inch thin. It fits doors under 1.8 inches thick, and most front doors are about 1 3/4 inches, so measure yours. Cost: $. After you hang it, close the door and check that it still latches.

A steel door takes a magnetic hook. Wood and fiberglass doors do not. If you have a storm door, the options are in Christmas front door decor.

For a garland or lights on the frame, use removable hooks and test them first. If your door opens onto a shared hallway, keep everything on the door and the mat and leave the floor clear.

What can you hang on a front door besides a wreath?

A wreath is not the only decoration that works on front doors in winter, and a narrow door often looks better without a big round one.

  • A door basket with a few cedar or pine branches in it.
  • A swag. A long, narrow bundle of greens is a good fit for a narrow door where a round wreath feels tight.
  • A short garland draped across the top of the frame, kept to one strand.
  • One small sign. A single word such as “Welcome” is enough. One sign, not three.

What goes on the front door in January, and what changes in February?

PieceJanuaryFebruary
RibbonCream or oatmeal linenSoft pink, plum or a pale stripe
WreathCedar or eucalyptus baseSame base, pull any dry sprigs
PlanterCedar, birch, pineconesSame, add white heather if you like
Lantern and lightsTimer on, warm whiteSame
MatPlain coir with a striped layerSame

What can you use from your own home?

Go through the house first.

  • Ribbon left from gift wrapping works for the bow.
  • A galvanized pail, a basket or a crate for the logs and pinecones.
  • A flat tray from the kitchen under wet boots.
  • Pinecones from the yard or a walk.
  • A lantern from the living room, with a flameless candle.
  • Pots you are not using in winter.

What to buy

Buy the one or two things you are missing, not the whole list.

Overhead view of a winter doorstep with a layered coir mat, a boot tray with boots, a basket of pinecones and a pail of birch logs
Styling idea: the mat, the boot tray, the basket and the logs, seen from above.
Etheric Echoes Editorial Team

Practical home and seasonal decorating guidance, checked for clear setups and useful details.

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