Above Cabinet Christmas Decorating Ideas

How Can I Decorate My Kitchen for Christmas?

Above cabinet Christmas decorating ideas are key but not the only part of decorating the kitchen. A modern kitchen, even a small kitchen, is consistently under-utilized for Christmas decorating. Beautiful Christmas kitchens are the heart of the home, a perfect place to blend the elements of the Christmas season. Amazing decor will remind you of the fun of Christmas, but you need the fun itself to be reminded of. Particularly, don’t forget the importance of partaking in special seasonal munchies, both as snacks and meals.

Some links on this page are affiliate links which means that, if you choose to make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We will not be aware of what you have specifically purchased and will earn even on the things that you buy but we have not advertised. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. We greatly appreciate your support!

Now that we’ve covered that, back to the decorating that fills our eyes and ears as we eat things we will inevitably regret. The kitchen shelves, cabinets, island, window, and counter are ripe for decorating ideas. As always, I want to emphasize that you are the holiday artists and I’m just looking to provide inspiration, not rules. I’ll begin with a full interior designer plan for kitchens but will finish with a rundown on the titled topic.

Why Is Decorating The Kitchen So Important in 2022?

We’re just now coming out of missed Christmases because of Covid and it effects/reactions to it. The missed opportunities and experiences the last two years need some quick fixing. Hitting the eyes and ears with familiar, joyful decor quickly revives the excitement of old.

Easy Decorating Points Before We Get To The Above Cabinet Christmas Decorating Ideas

Adding a beautiful look to your kitchen can be as easy as swapping out your cups for Christmas mugs. Drinking your cider, cocoa, or just plain coffee to have the energy for all the shopping will taste sweeter. An easy way to add decorative element to open shelves is placing decorative items like red ornaments in a pile. Festive Foliage can drape over a pendant light. A vintage runner on the kitchen table goes a long way to creating Christmassy background for anything on the table. A Christmas sign on the range hood is a good idea to look like a canopy over a local store. If nothing else, soft background Christmas music can set the stage for the feelings you want to evoke.

Fresh Greenery

Cabinet wreaths are the simplest way to decorate each individual cabinet while maintaining the functionality of the kitchen space. White cabinets with red and green on them will fit all the farmhouse Christmas colors which is often the goal. The simple Christmas decor ideas of the farmhouse style overlaps with the desire to make the kitchen a calming place. Furthermore, if you do have all white cabinetry, and especially if other parts are white, definitely consider livening up. White looks clean but the clean, sterile look is often not compatible with Christmas even if you have no kids. Add mini-Christmas ornaments or red accents such as red velvet ribbon to increase visual interest to your kitchen cabinet decoration. On the other hand, trimmings from pine trees springing out of a vase will automatically link to the season.

How can I decorate my kitchen island for Christmas?

Faux garland strung from the kitchen island by command hooks is a simple way to show your festive cheer. Add on your families’ names in floral wire along it for a different look. Fairy lights provide finishing touches as their added charm to light up the kitchen cabinet mini wreaths and Christmas garland. Whatever ideas you come up with, just keep in mind the risk of others rubbing up against and displacing them. Command hooks will help deflect the risks but not prevent them altogether.

Kitchen Window

For a window over the sink or within the kitchen, simple sets of stickers will balance style and modesty. There’s a range of stickers bringing holiday cheer in the form of a mini tree, snowflakes, festive season characters, etc. They can be placed and adjusted within seconds and are cheap so there won’t be any tears if they’re damaged. While spray frost is a fun way to dress windows this time of year, they’re a nightmare to clean up. To that end, I don’t recommend it as it is not the fast and easy option that fits most reading my posts.

Kitchen Counter

Whereas items placed on the dining table are relatively static, anything around the kitchen sink is less predictable. The best way to address this is to dress up everyday items on the counter with bows from red ribbon. If space permits, a very small Christmas tree in the corner will subtly drizzle the festive period into the area. These can be fake ones that come with a relatively big display right out of the box or real. Real ones give the seasonal scents and colors while not requiring space to store at the end of the season. It may be a gamble that doesn’t pay off but consider using a stocking to hold your long handled utensils. We all have those utensils that, even at the best of times, create stress in keeping them away.

Do You Have High Ceilings? The Perfect Place For Above Cabinet Christmas Decorating Ideas

The kitchen’s a great place to practice restraint in expressions of the holiday season as it’s already a busy place. However, high up feels like another place and the perfect time to go all out with boxes of holiday decorations. Drawing the eyes up to the excitement will entertain anyone nearby in an open concept cooking area. The easiest way to place Christmas decorations, without worrying about them getting in the way, is decorating above the cabinets. Between kitchen cabinets and the ceiling is the blank canvas for your Christmas kitchen decor ideas. You can have one stand alone great idea after another, or a woven together display, decide your favorite way!

What do you put on top of cabinets for Christmas?

Stand Alone Decorations As A Great Way To Cheaply Fill Up The Space

Storing a tiered stand from Better Homes with smaller figures and knick knacks on it will hold the stands place until it’s needed. Just like putting a handful of decorations in open shelving, stands are a good way to quickly fill the space. Also, small trees with individualized themes are a wonderful way to expand displays from the first year of decorating to the last year. If your space is too limited up there for whatever reason, temporary wallpaper may give the effect you’re looking for.

Animated Pieces As Above Cabinet Christmas Decorating Ideas

There’s lists of animated decorations with music to decorate your coffee table, dining room cabinet, living room, or master bedroom. They are heavier than other decorations, making them difficult to get up high so be sure they won’t fall over. On the plus side, if placed properly, they will not fall down easily. Additionally, to use the music, it will be impossible to synchronize the decorations even if they have the same songs. However, they will definitely come with the ability to be silent so the music is not a deal breaker.

A Fully Organized Set Of Christmas Models As Above Cabinet Christmas Decorating Ideas

Related village pieces are a more traditional approach to decorating with a tradition of its own. There’s a small number of companies that create ongoing pieces to collect each year, expanding your display year over year. If you want to go this route, there are a range of options from Christmas village pieces to National Lampoons. To frame them, there are options from cotton batting or deco-art options that are more realistic but not as ‘fluffy’. Small carpets of white felt will help top things up as well, creating hills, snow banks, backgrounds, etc. The resulting ‘wintery oasis’ will help create an almost Narnia like feel to the upper level.

Disclaimer:

Warning, if you do want to work on a tradition of adding slowly to your village, please research first. Many manufacturer’s villages are not the same size or have other attributes that make them unreconcilable. Although, if you have different sections of your cabinetry, you can easily have different sections for different companies.

Smart Technology To Help With Above Cabinet Christmas Decorating Ideas

Having to plug and unplug each individual electric decoration can make the passion for decorating your house become burdensome. Googling for answers can lead to a new tab for each letter of the alphabet but there’s a quick fix. There are options both to have a smart plug device to attach cords to as well as smart plug outlets. Smart technologies mean that there will be less burden on you, smart technologies being controlled from an app. After that, you can just set your electrical options to your liking and forget about it until the end of the season. There are options to set them to turn on/off at set times, with sunset/rise, with weather forecasts, etc. These smart technologies are not thrown off by short power outage.

Above Cabinet Christmas Decorating Ideas If Height Is Limited

A selection of specifically Christmas related cookware and dishes is an easy way to get everyone excited to walk through your front door for Christmas dinner. After that, making your kitchen as warm and inviting as a front porch on a summers day is the goal. A cookie plate up high pairs well with a cookie jar on the counter filled with Christmas shaped gingerbread cookies. A roasting pan for your turkey will help everyone remember the tastes and smells of family mealtime, comraderie and all. The official ‘rule’ is if there’s less than 2″ between shelf and ceiling, don’t decorate the space but I say poppycock. See below for a counterpoint on this rule of thumb.

When Not To Decorate Above Your Cabinets

When you don’t want to, end of story despite what misguided people may say. You are the artist here and the house is your own so no one can tell you what to do. That being said, make sure that the decorations add to your vision and goal, not take away from it. If decorations are placed in the wrong place, they can feel like they’ve been shoved into an awkward storage spot. While most decorating efforts are put into making others happy, you need to also see the beauty in your work. You need to make sure you’re confident they’re there for a reason.

Final Notes To Top Up Your Above Cabinet Christmas Decorating Ideas

In the corner of the kitchen or dining area, a mini Christmas tree will act as almost an accent color. Additionally, there are a line of slim trees that will be able to stand tall without overpowering the space.  The best artificial Christmas trees come in a range widths, heights, and extras (i.e. light effects, built in ornaments, etc.). Read my post about Christmas lights if you’re looking to put up a light string indoors.They may fit with your vision but making sure they’re the right ones is key to a coherent display. Globe lights strobing while you’re trying to eat or cook may not be the dream you envision.

Otherwise, don’t forget to enjoy a cup of hot cocoa with candy canes in it to celebrate the season, your work, and the aura you’ve created. Your passion for decorating should never be more than your ability to enjoy the work you’ve put into it. Merry Christmas!