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Want some winter decor ideas with a witch aesthetic twist? Here’s some inspiration for a more dark, moody, Yule-inspired holiday decor look!
So, I know it feels like you just took down your winter decor yesterday, but nonetheless, it’s time for us to bust out the wreaths, garlands, and fairy lights once again.
But if you’re like me, you’re just not quite satisfied with the holiday decor that can be found on the shelves at Target. You crave something slightly darker. More whimsical and bewitching.
You’re not so much of a “live laugh love kinda girl”… more of a “languish lament lay down” type. 🙃
So today I’m giving you some winter decor ideas that will make your apartment or house feel like an enchanted - and maybe a little haunted - winter wonderland.
Let’s make it comfy, cozy, a little cursed… so that you can spend the cold season wrapped up in a hug of dark whimsy.
Would you rather watch than read? Here’s the video! ↓
Fairy Lights
I don’t know about you, but I personally would want to be a winter witch surrounded by fairies. Obviously that’s the ideal situation. In my mind, fairy lights are the key to creating the whimsy we want for this look, while still keeping things moody and mysterious.
Whatever shape, size, and form you choose, the idea is to use an abundance of fairy lights. Don’t hold back, if you have the budget.
Personally, if I were to decorate for the holidays without cost being a factor, my studio apartment would be dripping in fairy lights. I’d want a complete fairy infestation. But that’s just me. 😉
Moon Decor
I also love the idea of incorporating moon imagery into this look. Obviously the moon carries a ton of symbolic and folkloric meaning with it, and there’s something extra magical about a winter moon. But I suppose I think most things are extra magical in the winter, so I’m biased.
Simply put, moon decor will make a room look naturally more witchy, mystical, mysterious. It’ll add a bit of a whimsigoth spin to your winter styling.
I find this lamp especially poetic. It’s like an arm of mother nature holding the moon, a marriage between the earth and the celestial. Any time you can make a piece of a room feel like poetry, you have to seize that opportunity, especially for this style.
Wreaths & Garlands
Now let’s take this from the celestial back down to earth with some wreaths. For this style, wreathes are basically a requirement, specifically ones that look like they could cast a spell or two.
This is where the natural world comes in to partner with the whimsy of this style. So much of the lore around witches has to do with nature; dried flowers and citrus, twigs, moss, pinecones, branches… all of this brings nature to the forefront, and a wreath does so in one fell swoop. Same with garlands, whether you hang them or use them as a tablescape centerpiece.
And the key for this witchier winter look is to go for interesting shapes and materials, not just your run of the mill red and green Christmas wreathes. Stars, moons, even a cat are all perfect subject matter for a witchy wreath. A cat shape is particularly appropriate given the lore around cats as familiars to witches.
But regardless of shape and size, a wreath isn’t just a pretty circle we hang for holiday cheer. Historically, it’s a symbol. According to this Metropolitan Museum article:
“The practice of decorating homes and places of worship with plant material as agents of blessing and wards of protection, while common to many cultures, had particular importance for medieval Europeans during the bleak winter months. As an agrarian society, outdoor tasks slowed during the winter and were replaced by activities centered on the hearth. The austerity of the season was sharpened by the bare branches of the temperate deciduous forests. Set against grey skies, evergreen boughs of native trees and shrubs, such as boxwood, holly, and yew, were a welcome sign of life amidst the barren landscape. Brought inside, the greens served as a potent reminder of spring and the promise of eternal life.”
So on these cold dark days of winter, a wreath is basically a symbol of optimism and future abundance. Something I wish for all of us in these cold dark times.
Snow Decor
Continuing with themes of nature, snow is obviously iconic when it comes to winter. And there are a lot of ways to use snow imagery in your winter decor.
Speaking of iconic, these are prints of the first ever photographed snowflakes by Wilson Bentley. He was a farmer in Vermont who in 1885 was the first person to photograph individual snowflakes with a camera and a microscope.
These photos showed us up close just how unique and intricate snowflakes are. These little pieces of nature combined with Bentley’s artistic choice to set them against a dark background makes them perfect for this dark witchy look. They’re moody, they’re enchanting, and they have some really cool lore behind them.
While we’re talking about lore, here’s a little piece of personal lore for me in regards to this snowdrop fairy piece. I grew up with a book of Cicely Mary Barker’s Flower Fairies, and let me tell you, the amount of time I spent looking at these fairies when I was a kid, making up my own stories about each of them… I loved these damn fairies.
And the snowdrop fairy, much like the symbolism of wreaths, is all about the optimism of winter. The little poem that accompanies her goes:
“Deep sleeps the Winter, Cold, wet, and grey;
Surely all the world is dead; Spring is far away.
Wait! the world shall waken;
It is not dead, for lo,
The Fair Maids of February Stand in the snow!”
Let’s be honest, this is peak winter whimsy. Perfect for this style.
And then a snowflake suncatcher would be another whimsical addition. For one thing, I love that it’s a little oxymoronic, a snowflake suncatcher. It’s poetic. And more superfically, it’s a pretty sparkly thing. I always love a pretty sparkly thing. And anything that casts pretty sparkles onto my walls is always worth having.
So overall, think about the various ways you can portray snow through your decor. It’s a force of nature, and there’s a certain magic to it, so it’s very much aligned with the themes of this style.
Ritual
Aside from imagery of nature and magic, earth and moon, and winter and fairies, the things we do play a significant role in the ethos of a witchy winter decor look. Rituals. Routines. The ways we comfort ourselves.
An act as simple as lighting a candle for its ambience and scent is a comforting ritual. Cinnamon, cloves, and star anise make us feel that warm and fuzzy holiday nostalgia.
A lantern with an othala rune (a symbol of home) and the yggdrasil (the ash tree that holds the Nine Worlds in place in Norse mythology) would cast little shadows that embody the comfort your space. My studio apartment is basically my own little 500 sq ft yggdrasil that holds my sanity in place, and the comforting rituals I do here contribute to my sense of home.
Collecting little trinkets and displaying them - aka decorating - is the ritual on which my YouTube channel is based.
Winter is when the home - and the rituals we conduct in the home - are more important than ever.
Folklore
One fun aspect to to this style is its folklore. The ancient little dark winter fairytales adults would tell children to get them to behave.
You have Krampus, who punishes badly behaved kids with sticks while St. Nicholas rewards the good ones with presents. I’m sure he was very scary back in the day, but these days he’s really more of a meme than anything, don’t you think? Like, not so much of a demon, more just a silly little guy.
So Krampus decor, to me at least, isn’t necessarily bad vibes. He’s camp. He’s kitsch. He looks cute on a pillow. 💅
One piece of old winter folklore I learned when shopping and researching for this style is the Icelandic Yule Cat, another old timey scare tactic. It’s a giant adorable - I mean scary - cat that eats people who don’t receive new clothing for Christmas. Awesome.
From what I’ve read, the yule cat was meant to motivate Icelandic farmers to stay productive and process their wool before winter.
The story of the Yule Cat: a cute little folk tale or classist propaganda? There’s often a thin line between the two.
At the end of the day, winter fairy tales like the Yule Cat and Krampus are dark and sinister, but not really in a serious way. It’s more like dark and sinister with a playful wink. And this style is frankly supposed to have a bit of dark edge to it, just like winter itself is a time of darkness.
I think that’s why a darker, moodier aesthetic for holiday decor just makes sense. It’s actually not subversive, it’s not a rebellious alternative to the average cheerful red and green Christmas decor.
It’s more like a return to what winter embodies through an ancient folkloric lens - embracing the darkness of winter as an opportunity for stillness, introspection, and renewal.
So as you’re shopping for this kind of decor, keep this deeper symbolism in mind. We’re not just trying to be dark and menacing with this look, although if that’s what you’re going for, I get it.
But when you take the folklore of winter throughout all kinds of different cultures, they tend to have one thing in common: Using the darkness of winter to slow down and reflect.
Darkness comes early and then you can cozy up and turn inward. Light candles, snuggle up with a blanket, take in spookier subject matter in books, shows, movies, and games - the kinds of things that would feel wrong on a sunny summer day.
And the idea with this witchy winter decor look is to embrace and celebrate the darkness of winter and what it can symbolize for you.
It doesn’t have to be a bummer. I know this season feels depressing to a lot of people.
But if we turn to the Pagan perspective of winter, a tradition like Yule takes the darkest, shortest day of the year and celebrates it. Because after that darkest day, the light starts to come back.
Dark decor isn’t about avoiding light. Actually, light plays a huge role in this style, as you’ve seen. Those fairy lights don’t look as pretty during the light of day as they do in the dark of night.
