Christmas Decor Trends 2026: What Are the Most Popular Decorations in America?

There isn’t a right or wrong way to get into the Christmas spirit, but, as it turns out, where you live may impact whether you follow Christmas decor trends. While some people turn on Christmas music as soon as they feel a chill in the air, others prefer to reserve the holiday magic for the weeks leading up to Santa’s trip down the chimney. 

We surveyed 1,500 people about when and how they decorate their homes for the jolliest night of the year. Let’s take a look at Christmas decor trends and how each state prefers to deck the halls.

What Are the Most Common Home Areas to Decorate for Christmas?

Ahead of the holiday season, 87.8% of survey respondents said they decorate their home’s exterior using a variety of Christmas lights, plug in inflatables, and lawn ornaments. While this represents the majority of U.S. residents, folks in some states are quite a bit more festive than others. 96.7% of California residents reported decorating the outside of their homes, while only 70% of Delaware residents said the same, ranking last among the 50 states.

When it comes to interior decor, it seems like most U.S. residents are bringing the spirit. 97.6% of respondents reported decorating inside (yes, putting up a mini Christmas tree counts), but there were still some uber-festive and less-festive states. While 100% of respondents reported decorating inside in more than half of the 50 states, Kentucky and Arkansas residents stood out for lower-than-average levels of festivity. 86.7% of Arkansas residents said they decorate inside and 83.3% of Kentucky respondents reported the same.

The most popular place to decorate? The overwhelming winner is the living room, with 87.7% of respondents decking out the multi-functional room with Christmas decor.

Best Time to Decorate for Christmas: Before or After Thanksgiving?

The age-old question remains: Do you put up your Christmas decorations before or after Thanksgiving? This holiday-decorating norm is hotly debated, and we’ve got the final answers.

The average American decorates for Christmas after Thanksgiving but before December 1st (47.7%), though a notable minority (11.3%) deck their halls before serving Thanksgiving turkey. When it comes to un-decorating, most people (48.93%) box up their holiday decorations sometime in January, though 1.7% keep some Christmas decor up year round. 

Preparing your home for the holidays is no easy task. Most survey respondents reported it taking between three and six hours to hang their decorations, and 4.3% of respondents reported that they hire a professional Christmas light installer to get the job done. 35.8% of people surveyed said they typically spend between $100 and $249 on Christmas decorations.

Most Popular Decor Themes: A State-By-State Look 

Depending on where you live, you’re more or less likely to see different holiday decorating themes and items. 36.9% of survey respondents aim for a family-friendly holiday display focused on snow people, bright lights, and seasonal inflatables with those choosing a classic Christmas them focused on Santa Clause and more traditional white lights (34.5%) coming in a close second.

Holiday-enthusiasts across the U.S. have a diverse list of favorite holiday decorating elements. The top contended include:

• Ornaments: (28%)

• Wreaths: (15.5%)

• Santa: (13.7%)

• Garland: (10.7%)

• Snowflakes: (9.4%)

• Snowmen: (8.9%)

• Candy Canes: (7.7%)

• Reindeer: (4%)

• Gnomes: (2.3%)

While at least some people in each state liked most of the holiday decor items on the list, there were clear state-by-state favorites.

Holiday Decor Drama: Disputes Over Christmas Decorations 

While decorating for the holiday is typically a joyful experience, it can also inspire some big feelings. Most survey participants reported feeling excited if they see that their neighbor has a more elaborate holiday display than them, but respondents in Washington, New York, Montana, Iowa, Connecticut, and Arizona report feeling jealousy as their primary emotion. 

And the competition around ‘bigger and better’ doesn't stop there. While most respondents report feeling neutral about holiday light projectors, more people in Washington, South Dakota, New Hampshire, and Kansas (16.7% each) reported feeling that holiday light projectors are cheating. On the other hand, Tennessee, New Mexico, Indiana, and Arizona residents report the highest rate of holiday light projector use (56.7% each). 

Unfortunately, holiday decor disagreements don’t only happen between neighbors. 24.2% of respondents have had disagreements with someone they live with about holiday decor. Whether passionate or petty, 43.3% of North Carolina residents reported fighting with a partner or housemate to decorate their home for the holidays as they please.  

The most common dispute? That one person wanted a more traditional decorating scheme, and the other wanted to do something different. The classic white lights or colored lights debate surfaces again. 

In-home disagreements are a challenge, but homeowners associations are another common crusher of holiday joy. Nearly 20% of respondents said they have been annoyed with HOA holiday decorating guidelines, with Alabama residents feeling most stifled. 40% of Alabama respondents report feeling annoyed by their HOA’s holiday decor rules, double the national average. 

Whether you enjoy decorating for the holidays, driving around town to see other types of Christmas lights, or snuggling up with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate under the glow of your Christmas tree, we hope you have a very happy holiday season!  

Methodology

This survey was conducted online by Angi through Pollfish between October 7–13, 2022. 1,500 holiday decorators in the United States were surveyed, with 30 people from each state.