18 Awesome Ways to Add Bookish Flair to Your Holiday Decorating

When my oldest kids were little, I belonged to a group of moms with preschoolers just like me. We met once a month and my kids looked forward to that monthly play date every bit as much as I did. Each month we focused on a different topic, anything from parenting to marriage to self-care. I remember one topic specifically because it addressed an area that I have always felt particularly lacking in - home decor/decorating.

Our guest speaker that month was a local lady that owned her own decorating business that specialized in using items that the home owner already had in new and different ways. The results were so inspiring that I still implement her advice 25 years later.

And that is where the idea for this bookish holiday decorating blog was born. What do we, as avid readers, have more than anything else in our homes? 

Books!

To inspire you as you deck the halls this holiday season, I've compiled 18 Awesome Ways to Add Bookish Flair to Your Holiday Decorating to spread some cheer this time of year.

The Bundled Basket

What could be easier than gathering a few Christmas-themed books into one place like this lined basket? This is an especially great way to organize your library books and keep a rotating supply of new books to enjoy together during the holidays.

Recycled Old Favorites

We all have those favorites that we've read so many times that they are literally falling apart. It comes with the territory when you're a book lover. Consider giving your favorites new life this holiday season by recycling them into bookish decor that will continue to delight for years to come.

Blitzed Bookshelves

Change up your bookshelves in a completely unexpected way by arranging your books into something holly & jolly for the season. This is a particularly great way to use your books for decorating if your space is small because you're not adding anything extra to the room like a bulky tree. You're simply redesigning something that is already there. Brilliant!

 

Book Stack Sculptures

I think my favorite way to incorporate books into my holiday decor is creating a temporary art piece with it. Last year, we built a tabletop tree that displayed some of our favorite ornaments. This year we're stacking a book nativity scene to decorate the buffet. What can you create?

Backward Books

Simple. Clean. White. Pretty. Gather some hardbound books, turn them around, flank them with a bit of holiday decor. Personally, I love the idea of printing out the letters and temporarily adhering them to the white pages to spell out a holiday message. No harm, no foul to my favorite books when the season is over.

The Labor of Love

I mentioned earlier that we built a table top tree of books last year. That took quite a while to complete. Christmas trees made of books involve a lot of time, patience, a few math skills, and a healthy dose of trial and error to set up properly, but once it is done, you've achieved quite an excellent effect! If you've got the time and energy to build one of these magnificent creations, please share your results with the rest of us. 

The links for these (as well as many more book decorating ideas) can be found on Pretty Literate's Pinterest page. FOLLOW us for more inspiring ideas for bookish people like us!

Do you have a great idea for incorporating books into your holiday decor? Please share in the comments!

 

2 comments

  • Oh my gosh I LOVE these ideas! I am in love with the tree silhouette on the bookshelves- I may try that with my shelf in the living room. These are really creative ideas- thanks for sharing!!

    Lynda A
  • I love these decorating tips with bookish flair. I enjoy decorating with books too but this post is very creative. Thank you for sharing

    Amy O

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