Tips on decorating your RV for the holidays

By Gail Marsh
It’s after Thanksgiving, and December is here! Can you believe it? Here are some tips on decorating your RV for the special month ahead.

Special RV considerations

Decorating a very small space like an RV is different from decorating your stix-n-brix home for the holidays. Here are three things you may want to keep in mind:

1. Use decor that will not interfere with how you normally use your RV. For example, a Christmas tree may block access, impede movement, or visually overwhelm the small space.

2. Keep in mind that everything you bring into the RV will add to the rig’s overall weight. Look for lightweight decor.

3. This year, again, inflation has affected the cost of fuel, food, and more. You may want to find ways to maximize your budget. For example, make your own decorations.

Decorating your RV for the holidays

Before you shop, check out decorating ideas on Pinterest. Look at Dollar Tree holiday decorating hacks on YouTube or walk around your favorite home decor store. Take pictures of ideas, keeping in mind the special RV considerations mentioned earlier.

Once I had a few ideas in mind, I made a quick trip to my local Dollar Tree store. You might also want to check out Target’s Dollar Shop or Walmart for inexpensive items that are mentioned in the following tips. Craft stores like Hobby Lobby and Michaels are also great.

To make the most of a small space, like your RV, try to involve as many of your senses as possible. For example:

Lighting

• Christmas string lights. Drape string lights over windows to enjoy them while inside and outside your RV.

• LED candles. Today’s battery-operated candles look very realistic. Place a few at various points around each room. The LED candles will add ambient lighting and are safer than standard wax candles.

• Fireplace. If you have a fireplace, you can decorate it with a garland and hang stockings there, too. Just use caution if you plan to use the fireplace heater.

Sound

• Holiday music. Use your RV’s radio, CD player, or computer to bring the spirit of the holidays into your space.

• Jingle bells. Thread narrow ribbon through some jingle bells. Then loop the bells over your bedroom doorknob or through galley cupboard pulls. The bells can be decorative as well as bring joyful sounds into your RV.

Taste

• Candy. Place red and green M&M candies or brightly wrapped Hershey kisses into small bowls around your RV.

• Traditional recipes. Go ahead and make that family fudge recipe. Place it on a plate featuring a red or green napkin. Mix up some eggnog, too. Serve in holiday glassware or simply use a spot of glue to fasten Christmas ribbon around the drinking glasses. Afterwards, you can remove the ribbon.

Add to existing items

A great way to decorate your small space is to add items to what you already have. For example, I used a bit of tape to attach some small Christmas bows to our RV table lampshades. The lamps now have a festive feel and after the holidays I can easily remove the bows.

I put gold or silver garland inside one of our wine glasses. Then I nestle an LED candle down into the garland. Just like that, we have a holiday candle.

Use coordinating holiday wrapping paper to wrap up your tissue box, kitchen utensil holder, or bottle of hand lotion.

20 camping games and puzzles that make the perfect gift! 
Wondering what to give to the families on your holiday gift list? Face it, the kids already have too many toys, and gifts for teens can be tricky. Most adults buy what they want when they want it! So, what’s left? The perfect gift: the gift of time together. Check out these 20 games and puzzles that will be a blast for everyone!

Substitute items

Another way to decorate without cluttering your small space is to simply substitute. For instance, I substitute our regular table placemats with holiday-themed ones. I also remove our everyday rugs and put Christmas ones in their place. The same goes for sofa pillows and throws. Hint: If your budget is tight, consider using wide Christmas ribbon to wrap and tie a bow around solid-colored sofa pillows.

For the kitchen and bath, I purchase Christmas or winter-themed pump hand soaps. You can also use floral wire to attach an evergreen sprig to regular soap pump dispensers. Bath and kitchen linens are also switched out for some that feature a holiday theme.

Extra decorating tips

• Tape a sprig of greenery or small ribbon bow to your framed family pictures for the holiday season.
• Use nativity window clings like these to bring holiday joy into your RV without taking up any valuable space.
• Put holiday magnets on your refrigerator. Use magnets to fasten Christmas cards you receive on the fridge, too.
• Gift wrap a seldom-used cabinet door. Add a ribbon stripe and bow, too.
• If you simply must have a Christmas tree, consider one of these that sit flat on a wall or is 1/2 of a tree to set against a wall.

How do you decorate your RV for the holidays? Please share ideas with us in the comments below or send us a photo of your decorated RV to editor (at) rvtravel.com

RELATED

• How to make your RV warm and welcoming to guests for the holidays
• Holiday decorations for the RVer: These fit into a shoebox!

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