The holiday season is in full swing, and whether you’re expecting a houseful of guests throughout the month or have plans for a quiet few weeks in the works, your entryway will set the tone for whatever you’ve got going on.

The great thing about decorating for holidays – any holiday – is that there are always ways to incorporate the spirit of the season into your existing style. Use of color, shape, texture, and repetition are all strategies to keep in mind that will bring a fun and festive feel to your entryway even with subtle holiday décor addition. Whatever your preference, here are some inspiring ideas for you to pick and choose from as you go about creating your holiday entryway this year (or, for those of you plan-ahead-types, planning for next year).

If square footage comes at a premium in your space, look to the walls for spreading holiday cheer in your entryway. A few well-placed wall hangings will do more for bringing Christmas into your entry space than dozens of stuffed snowmen (or whatever) scattered throughout. As a side note, how lovely is this wall hook idea for the staircase wall? Provides easy year-round entryway décor. Love.

Drape all available and visual railings with garland. If your railings are numerous and this idea has the potential to be overwhelming, you can choose garlands that are nature-inspired and use the same garland throughout. (As a side note, wall cutouts decorated with Christmas cheer, like Santas or snowmen or nutcrackers, add instant festivity.)

For those who love the opportunity that this season provides to interweave bright, bold color into an otherwise neutral space, this entryway is for you. A large apothecary of fuchsia ornaments on the entryway table provides the basis for the same color blended into the stair railing. Because the color is so bold, remember that a little goes a long way. Make sure to balance it out with plenty of natural elements.

If you love everything about Christmastime and wait all year for it, go ahead and throw caution to the wind and deck your entryway halls like there’s no tomorrow. The white/very light foundation and vaulted ceilings of this particular entryway makes it a prime candidate for successful over-decorating. Garland emphasizes the beautiful arched door-framing windows, and similar décor in tall, narrow visual bursts throughout the entryway bring cohesion and holiday cheer.

Your home’s entryway may or may not be naturally set up for Christmas décor. What I mean is, lots of entryways are decorated in colors other than red, white, and green…which can prove challenging for those trying to add a touch of Christmas to their space. Don’t try to cover up what you’ve already styled in your space; rather, embrace it and enhance it with some carefully selected seasonal decorations. A few stockings hung under the stairs and a red door wreath, polished off with simple green garland throughout, provide a perfect blend.

Cozy up the space with loads of nature-inspired décor. You can get away with adding more décor than you normally might if you keep the color palette simple or even monochromatic. Even if the decorations are fake (like the white firs in the photo above), they still read as “natural” because of everything else they’re paired with. I love the different textures, visual weights, and shapes of this entry table’s holiday vignette.

Remember that icy blues are fantastic, lovely, and fresh Christmas colors, too! Capitalize on the simplicity of a snow-covered landscape as you incorporate pale aqua or turquoise into your entryway décor. Sparkly objects and frosted greens (like the wreath above) work well in this enchanting style reminiscent of ice-and-snow.

Picture sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.