Charles Dickens Christmas: 14 Victorian Decor Ideas That Feel Like a Classic Holiday Novel

Charles Dickens Christmas decor is the cozy, old world look so many of us picture when we close our eyes and think of the holidays. When Dickens published A Christmas Carol in December 1843, he helped shape the warm family Christmas we still love: greenery on every door, a table full of good things and a home open to friends. You do not need a London townhouse to get the look. Velvet ribbon, brown paper, holly, brass and a little imagination will do it. Every idea below is a simple DIY you can make on a budget, many in one evening, and they all work in a modern home. For tree trimming ideas from the same era, see our Queen Victoria Christmas tree crafts. Grab a warm drink, and let us step back into a classic holiday novel..

A Charles Dickens Christmas Starts in One Cozy Corner

Start with one corner and let it grow. A real or faux tree, deep red velvet bows, a string of dried orange slices and a pile of presents wrapped in plain brown paper is all it takes to feel like you stepped into a Victorian parlor. Add a plaid throw on the nearest chair and a lamp with a warm bulb instead of bright overhead light. This is the heart of a Charles Dickens Christmas: rich colors, natural textures and a room that invites people to sit down and stay a while. Which corner of your home will you start with..

You will need: A tree, red velvet ribbon, dried orange slices, small gold baubles, warm white battery fairy lights, brown paper, twine, a plaid throw.

How to make it: 1. Pick a corner with a chair nearby and a plain wall behind. 2. Light the tree with warm white battery lights, then tie on velvet bows and orange slices. 3. Wrap a few empty boxes in brown paper and twine and pile them underneath.

Hang Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe Like Scrooge Saw It

When the Ghost of Christmas Present appears, Scrooge finds his own room hung with living green, holly, mistletoe and ivy, until it looks like a grove. It is the most iconic Charles Dickens Christmas image, and you can copy that magic with garlands draped over doorways, a mantel and the tops of picture frames. Mix real cuttings with good faux stems so it lasts all season. Keep real holly berries and mistletoe out of reach of children and pets, since they are not safe to eat. Which doorway in your home gets the green first?

You will need: Faux or fresh pine garland, holly sprigs, trailing ivy (faux is easiest), faux mistletoe, red velvet ribbon, floral wire, removable hooks.

How to make it: 1. Hang a pine garland as the base with removable hooks. 2. Wire in holly and let ivy trail down the sides. 3. Tie a bunch of mistletoe with velvet ribbon and hang it from the center of the doorway.

A Ghost of Christmas Present Feast Centerpiece

In the story, the Ghost of Christmas Present sits on a mountain of food: turkeys, cakes, oranges, pears and chestnuts. A faux fruit centerpiece gives a Charles Dickens Christmas table that same feeling of plenty without any waste. Brush craft glue on faux pears and apples, roll them in clear glitter or coarse sugar, and pile them on a tiered stand. Tuck chestnuts, pine cones and holly around the base. It looks like a feast and it will come out again next year. What would you pile on yours?

You will need: A tiered cake stand, faux pears, apples, grapes and clementines, craft glue, clear fine glitter or coarse sugar, chestnuts or faux nuts, pine cones, holly sprigs.

How to make it: 1. Brush faux fruit with thin craft glue and roll it in glitter or sugar, then let it dry. 2. Stack the largest fruit on the bottom tier and the smallest on top. 3. Scatter chestnuts, pine cones and holly around the base.

Charles Dickens Christmas Pudding You Never Have to Bake

The most famous dessert in literature is the Cratchit family pudding, carried in like a speckled cannonball with holly stuck in the top. This faux version is pure fun: a foam ball painted dark brown, speckled with lighter dots like fruit, and topped with a thick drip of white puffy paint. Push a holly sprig in the top and set it on a pretty plate. Guests always reach for it before they realize it is a decoration. Who in your house would try to cut it?

You will need: A 4 to 5 inch foam ball, dark brown and tan acrylic paint, an old toothbrush, white puffy or dimensional paint, a faux holly sprig, a vintage plate.

How to make it: 1. Cut a thin slice off the bottom of the ball so it sits flat. 2. Paint it dark brown, then flick tan dots on with a toothbrush for fruit. 3. Squeeze puffy paint over the top in drips, let it dry overnight, then add the holly.

Throw a Fezziwig Style Christmas Party

This drawing by John Leech appeared in the very first edition of A Christmas Carol, published on 19 December 1843. Look closely and you will see a bunch of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling while everyone dances. Fezziwig cleared his warehouse, lit it up and invited everyone. For a Charles Dickens Christmas party with that spirit, push the furniture back, hang greenery from a light fixture, string paper chains and play old carols. The joy matters more than the budget. Who would you invite to your Fezziwig night?

You will need: Greenery or a faux mistletoe bunch, ribbon, paper chain strips in red, green and cream, glue stick, battery string lights, a carol playlist.

How to make it: 1. Clear a space to dance and hang a greenery bunch from the center of the ceiling with a ribbon. 2. Glue paper strips into long chains and swag them along the walls. 3. Add warm string lights and keep the main lights low.

A Charles Dickens Christmas Kissing Ball

Victorian families loved a kissing ball, a round ball of greenery hung in a doorway with a sprig of mistletoe tucked in. It is one of the easiest crafts on this list. Push short boxwood or faux greenery stems into a foam ball until no foam shows, tuck in faux mistletoe and berries, then hang it from a wide velvet ribbon. It looks wonderful in a hallway arch or over the front door. Faux mistletoe is the safe choice in homes with pets. Where would you hang yours?

You will need: A 5 inch floral foam ball, short boxwood or faux greenery stems, faux mistletoe with white berries, small red berry picks, wide red velvet ribbon, a long pin.

How to make it: 1. Pin the ribbon loop to the top of the foam ball. 2. Push greenery stems in all over, working in rows until it is fully covered. 3. Tuck in mistletoe and berry picks evenly and hang it in a doorway.

Charles Dickens Christmas Book Page Wreath

Nothing says storyteller like a wreath made of book pages. Find a worn out paperback at a thrift store, ideally an old copy of a classic, and roll the pages into cones and rosettes. Glue them close together on a cardboard or foam ring and finish with a big red velvet bow and a sprig of holly. It looks elegant on a dark door and costs almost nothing. Please use a damaged book, never a treasured one. Have you got a battered old paperback on the shelf?

You will need: A damaged thrift store book, a cardboard or foam wreath ring, low temp glue gun (adult help), red velvet ribbon, a faux holly sprig.

How to make it: 1. Tear out pages and roll half into cones and half into loose rosettes. 2. Glue the cones in a ring around the outer edge, then fill the middle with rosettes. 3. Add the bow and holly at the bottom and hang it on a ribbon.

Brass Bells by a Knocker Fit for Marley’s Door

The whole story begins at a door, when Scrooge sees Marley’s face in his knocker. Give your own Charles Dickens Christmas front door a much friendlier welcome with a cascade of brass bells on a long velvet ribbon. Thread three bells of different sizes onto the ribbon, tie a bundle of pine, cedar and holly at the top and hang it from a wreath hook. Every time the door opens, the bells ring a little Christmas hello. Will your guests hear you before they see you?

You will need: Three brass or gold painted bells in graduated sizes, 2 yards of wide red velvet ribbon, pine, cedar and holly sprigs (faux or fresh), floral wire, an over door hook.

How to make it: 1. Thread the largest bell to the bottom of the ribbon and knot it, then add the others above. 2. Wire the greenery into a small bundle and tie it at the top with a bow. 3. Hang it from an over door hook.

Clothespin Carolers for a Charles Dickens Christmas Mantel

Carolers in top hats and bonnets are the picture everyone holds of a Victorian Christmas. You can make a whole choir from old fashioned wooden clothespins, scraps of felt and a few dabs of paint. Paint the heads, glue on felt coats and capes, then add tiny paper songbooks. Line them up on a mantel in greenery and they seem to sing. This is a sweet project for a cozy night in with grandkids. How many singers will your choir have?

You will need: Old fashioned round top wooden clothespins, acrylic paint, felt scraps, thin ribbon, red cardstock, craft glue, a fine brush, black felt for top hats.

How to make it: 1. Paint a face with two dots and a little cheek blush on each clothespin head. 2. Cut felt coats, capes, bonnets and top hats and glue them on. 3. Fold tiny red cardstock songbooks and glue them to the arms.

A Snowy Victorian Street Under Glass

Victorians loved displays under glass domes, from stuffed birds to wax flowers. A tiny winter street in a cloche feels like London in the snow. Cut little townhouses from cardstock, glue a battery tea light behind for glowing windows, then add bottle brush trees and a miniature lamp post. Sprinkle craft snow over everything and cover it with the dome. It makes a magical Charles Dickens Christmas vignette on a side table or a bookshelf. Which tiny house would you build first?

You will need: A glass cloche with a wooden base, cardstock, a craft knife (adult only), small bottle brush trees, a miniature lamp post, a battery tea light, craft snow, glue.

How to make it: 1. Cut and fold two or three small townhouses from cardstock with window openings. 2. Glue them to the base with trees and a lamp post, and hide the battery light behind them. 3. Add craft snow and cover with the dome.

Charles Dickens Christmas Table With a Tartan Runner

Tartan became a Victorian favorite, and a tartan runner instantly makes a table feel like a classic holiday novel. You do not need to sew: a wool scarf or a length of plaid fabric with frayed ends works perfectly. Lay it down the center of a white tablecloth, then add a low garland, brass candlesticks with battery tapers and napkins tied with ribbon and a rosemary sprig. It is the coziest look for the money. Would you use a scarf you already own?

You will need: A plaid wool scarf or 2 yards of tartan fabric, a white tablecloth, a low pine and holly garland, brass candlesticks, battery taper candles, thin red ribbon, rosemary sprigs.

How to make it: 1. Pull a few threads from each end of the fabric to make a short fringe. 2. Center the runner and lay the garland down the middle. 3. Add candlesticks with battery tapers and tie each napkin with ribbon and rosemary.

Tussie Mussie Posies for Every Place Setting

A tussie mussie is a tiny round posy the Victorians gave as a sweet message, each plant with its own meaning. Rosemary stood for remembrance, which feels just right for a Christmas table full of family. Gather a few white roses, rosemary, eucalyptus and a bit of holly into a tight little bunch, wrap it in a paper doily cone and tie it with velvet ribbon. Set one at each place or in tiny bud vases down the table. Who would you give the first one to?

You will need: Small white roses or spray roses, rosemary, eucalyptus, holly sprigs, paper lace doilies, floral tape, narrow red velvet ribbon, small bud vases.

How to make it: 1. Hold the roses in the middle and add greenery around them in a tight ring. 2. Wrap the stems with floral tape and trim them even. 3. Fold a doily into a cone around the posy and tie it with ribbon.

Wrap Presents Like a Victorian Bookshop Parcel

Brown paper parcels tied up with string look like something carried home through the snow from a London shop. Mix plain kraft paper with copies of old sheet music, then add velvet ribbon, natural twine and a little something from nature on top: a holly sprig, cedar, a dried orange slice or a cinnamon bundle. Blank kraft tags written by hand finish the look. Under a Charles Dickens Christmas tree, a pile of these looks like a painting. Which present will you wrap first this year?

You will need: Brown kraft paper, printed copies of old sheet music, red velvet ribbon, cream ribbon, natural twine, holly or cedar sprigs, dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, kraft tags.

How to make it: 1. Wrap each gift in kraft or sheet music paper with neat folded ends. 2. Tie with ribbon or twine and tuck a sprig or orange slice under the knot. 3. Write each tag by hand in your best curly script.

Chestnuts and Pine Cones for a Classic Holiday Bowl

Chestnuts turn up all through the Christmas scenes in Dickens, piled in shop windows and roasting by the fire. A simple bowl of whole chestnuts and pine cones is the easiest decor of all, and it smells like a winter walk. Fill a wooden dough bowl or an old copper pot, add a few cinnamon sticks and a sprig of holly, and set it on a coffee table or entry chest. It costs almost nothing and finishes your Charles Dickens Christmas home perfectly. Where will your bowl go?

You will need: A wooden dough bowl or copper pot, whole chestnuts or faux nuts, pine cones, cinnamon sticks, a holly or cedar sprig.

How to make it: 1. Bake pine cones on a lined tray at a low heat for 30 minutes to clean them (adult only), then let them cool. 2. Fill the bowl with chestnuts and nestle in pine cones. 3. Tuck in cinnamon sticks and a sprig of greenery.