16 Christmas Lantern Decorating Ideas Designers Love

Holiday trends come and go (and we’ve got the novelty ornaments to prove it), but the timelessness of lantern light is undeniable. Whether you’re looking to transform your apartment for the season or have a whole home’s worth of halls to deck, inside and out, beacons like these will get the job done beautifully. (And you’ll be just as glad to unpack them a year or a decade from now as you are this Christmas.) Read on for all the inspiration you’ll need to give your home a timeless holiday glow.

Do you fancy a warm welcome like the puppy-spangled one here? We turned to Frontgate brand manager Kate Beebe (whose own home becomes a maximalist Christmas extravaganza for the season) for pro pointers. “Create a festive first impression for guests with seasonal wreaths, florals, urns and lanterns!” she advises. “As the sun sets earlier during this time of year, functional lighting along walkways will help guide guests to your front door. Pair different sizes together for dramatic effect.”

Create an immersive holiday experience by thinking beyond the doorstep, mantel and dining table and pouring Christmas spirit into functional entertaining spaces, like this bar cart. Cheerful, row-house-shaped lanterns light the way to seasonal sips beside colorful bottle brush trees. For safety’s sake, stick to LED lights and battery-operated candles to illuminate arrangements on the floor; flaming cocktails are so passé.

This rustic front porch is all about calm and coziness that can easily transition from a Christmas-specific look (courtesy of the gifts on the rocking chair and Santa mugs on the table) to one that exudes casual comfort all winter long (since the lanterns, trees, foliage and soft accessories are appropriate well into the new year). Lanterns with large glass faces pair well with flameless pillar candles.

This layered look combines candlelight in eye-catching red lanterns with outdoor string lights to illuminate the trailing greenery and upcycled globe lights made to look like scaled-up ornaments. Source globe fixtures from thrift stores and flea markets, and follow our easy-as-pie DIY guide to create bases with silver spray paint and tuna cans. (Yup, you read that right.) Then, sit back and wait for your neighbors to acknowledge your holiday decorating prowess.

Why should summery succulents have all the fun? Create self-contained winter wonderlands by thinking of glass lanterns as mini après-ski Christmas terrariums. “I love the idea of battery-lit candles adorned with seasonal greenery,” Kate says. “Beyond the patio, these lanterns will be the perfect addition to those spaces inside your home in need of a little holiday cheer, like the kitchen counter or bookshelf.”

Try tucking silk sprigs between LED pillars — or grab your clippers and forage for seasonal greens on your next walk, then create and refresh arrangements as needed.

While you’re trimming foliage in the yard, might we suggest saving some for your mantel as well? Bright red winterberries give mixed clippings a high-contrast, seasonal feel that’s perfect for the colder months. Arrange lanterns, pillar candles and a central, framed wreath among the greens to complete the look.

Pet owners, take note: Both winterberries and poinsettias (like the ones tucked in the basket on the floor) are mildly toxic to dogs and cats, so they should be deployed only where curious paws and mouths can’t reach them.

If you like the look of a lantern-filled mantel but know in your heart that it would be even more satisfying with 500% more lanterns, might we interest you in an all-lighting garland like this one? Created by suspending lightweight, vintage-inspired LED lanterns from thick, knotted rope, this beauty is the finishing touch that makes a traditional entryway the picture-perfect welcome home for the holidays.

If wintery weather eludes you, get in the Christmas spirit by using a merry lantern centerpiece while gathering outside. In lieu of a curvaceous glass hurricane you might use in the same space for summertime entertaining, a piece like this one evokes a snowbound village.

“If you’re lucky enough to live in a warmer climate or have a heated patio, porch or four-season room, open-air dining can be a wonderful way to celebrate the holiday in a more natural setting,” Kate says. “Consider adding lanterns to the dinner table for an intimate dining moment. You can add flameless candles to lanterns or even fill lanterns with fairy lights for a little whimsy.”

While a fully-flocked Christmas tree is a major commitment to a very specific look, a handful of flocked branches displayed in a lantern feel classic and contemporary all at once. Better yet, a flocked decoration like this channels the spirit of the season without depositing little bits of the season all over your living room floor.

Want to switch up your holiday decor with gear you’ve already got? Cultivate Christmas curb appeal by using an outdoor lantern to update the look of old-school multicolored lights. A scaled-up, powder-coated-metal-and-glass lantern is the perfect place to showcase all those hues and corral long-tangled cords.

A chic, sculptural lantern centerpiece, like the one anchoring this tablescape, can function as a natural extension of Scandi-inspired spaces. Try this less-is-more look to give your Christmas table a subtle festive feel.

If your dining area is well-illuminated and your tablescape doesn’t need to shed light on the festivities, accessorize it with lanterns filled with spare ornaments. Choose a unifying finish (such as oxidized iron or the gleaming chrome pictured here), then fill and arrange lanterns of varying shapes and sizes to decorate the table in minutes.

Take your holiday decorations in a gently thematic direction by tipping from greens into aquas and oceanic blues. This beachy teal lantern and the coordinating metallic wrapping papers flanking it are a playful riff on been-there, done-that green and red.

Deck out a narrow space on your front porch (or an unused nook inside your home) with a pencil tree and similarly stretched-out lanterns. This trio of tall decor takes holiday decorating to new heights.

Sidestep investing in more outdoor accessories and spend your time upcycling instead. Creating these wintery vessels couldn’t be simpler: All you’ll need is some glass diverted from the recycling bin, a paintbrush, glue and loose glitter in a snow-approximating hue of your choice. Their sparkling, understated look is just right for casual centerpieces, porch steps, mantels and more.