Nana Hack: Christmas Wall Decals With Two Elves

Hi friends. It’s Cathy (also known as Nana) with a fun and fast holiday refresh for a little corner of your house. If you’ve been craving something easy and joyful to kick off the season, this little decorating trick might become your new favorite tradition.

Around our house, the holiday season tends to start sneaking in right after Halloween. Our favorite cozy candle scent begins to drift through the rooms, the Charlie Brown Christmas playlist “accidentally” slips into the queue, and best of all, the Christmas books take their place on the bookshelf stage.

I love children’s books. I collect them. I reread them. I give them as gifts that I hope will be loved long after the toys stop beeping and flashing. So when we created a little playroom for Nana’s house, we installed display bookshelves (love these from West Elm Kids) that make it easy for the kids to grab a story whenever they want.

At Christmastime, I love to place all our holiday picture books in full view, but the wall above them was just begging for a little festive sparkle to set the mood. I wanted something playful. Something artistic. Something that didn’t require a step ladder or glue. Luckily, we design and make beautiful Christmas wall decals ;-) so I went shopping in our own studio and decided that the Mej Mej Christmas Trees decals were the perfect fit.

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR SMALL DECALS

Once we stepped back, the effect was just right. It looked as if I had hired a professional wallpaper hanger. Or perhaps a team of elves from the North Pole. But it was really just me, my two helpers, a pair of scissors, and one sheet of Christmas Trees wall decals. I chose this set because the designs, created from Julianna’s original watercolor paintings, truly look painted on the wall.

Pro tip: I tucked a few trees behind the shelves to give the wall a wallpaper feel. You can also trim a few pieces to fit around outlets or furniture.

My little elves were very enthusiastic about helping ;-) and yet it still took only twenty minutes to install the entire tree-patterned wall. We didn't even use a ruler! Our decals are flexible and repositionable, so when tiny hands place a tree sideways, you can gently lift and fix it without damaging the wall or the decal. OR you can simply celebrate a tree that grows sideways.

The best part is how forgiving the decals are. If you want your trees more evenly spaced, just peel and move. If your toddler decides a tree belongs on the opposite wall, that works too. Nothing loses its stick. Nothing curls. Nothing damages the paint. The only real secret is to dust your walls ahead of time so you can adjust things as often as you like.

When you scroll to the end, you can see a quick reel of the process. But truly, if you can peel a sticker, you can do this project.

The morning after our big install, I walked through our newly Christmas-ified space and felt so swept up in holiday spirit that I decided to decorate the opposite wall too. I invited my four-year-old helper to join me, and together we topped off the play area using the Mej Mej Spruce Kit Small and the Holiday Extension Kit Small from the Evergreen collection.

Now our little playroom feels like a winter wonderland. I may even have to start baking cookies, because at this point I am practically Mrs. Claus.

The room transformed into a winter storybook scene. Birds in red hats, tall evergreens, and one very determined child who insisted on placing the Merry Christmas banner exactly where he thought Santa would see it best.

There is something special about decorating with little ones. They have strong opinions. They have no interest in symmetry. And they are absolutely delighted when their work goes up on the wall.

And if your little ones don’t arrive until Christmas Eve, this is just as fun to create on your own as a big surprise for when they walk through the door. And if you are a mom or a favorite aunt, I highly recommend this as a delightful naptime project. A calm, creative moment all to yourself, followed by that fun burst of joy when tiny eyes spot your big surprise.

And when the festivities wind down, and all that’s left of the Christmas candy are the wrappers, you can take the decals down just as easily as you put them up. If you're like me, it might not be until March. In fact, if your little forest makes you happy well into spring, keep it right where it is. We won’t judge.

But if you’re ready for a Valentine reset, simply peel your Christmas trees off and place them back on their backing. (I always save the backing sheets in the sturdy tube they came in. It doubles as the perfect storage spot.) Then, when next year rolls around and you feel that first spark of holiday spirit, your little forest will be ready to go up again.