Putz House Christmas Mantel Decor

Inspired by my collection of Putz houses, I’ve created a whimsical and festive Christmas mantel in my family room. Come take a peek inside my house and gather a few ideas for your own holiday decor.

Putz House Christmas Mantel Decor

Earlier this week I welcomed you into my family room to share my Red and Cozy Christmas Tree. Today I’m taking you back into this space to show you my Putz House Christmas Mantel.

I’ve been in this home for four Christmases now. Each year I’ve decorated this mantel in a new way. It has been fun to see it change over the years. You can see some of the variations of this mantel below:

• 2020: Magical and Cozy Christmas Fireplace
• 2019: Colored Lights Christmas Mantel
• 2018: Red and Rustic Christmas Mantel

This year I wanted to go a completely different direction and create a mantel with my collection of Putz houses! I was hoping the end result would be something unique, colorful, and festive. I think I achieved my goal.

What are Putz houses?

These little paper houses might look familiar, but you may not know much about them. These small cardboard houses have been around since the early 1900s. They were originally used as decorations around a nativity scene.

Many of the houses that I used in my Christmas mantel decor are vintage. However, I also have several modern reproductions. I don’t get too hung up about collecting only vintage Putz houses as I love some of the modern ones just as much.

Christmas Mantel Decor

Among the Putz houses, I mixed in about two dozen bottle brush trees. Most of these are new and have been collected over the years.

For the garland on the mantel, I used a balsam fir garland as my base and tucked in some larger evergreens. From there, I added these large frosted globe lights. They create a cozy glow in the evening.

To further decorate the garland, I strung a wooden and felt ball garland and then tucked in a few vintage crocheted snowflakes that I purchased on eBay. I also added a large pinecone on each end of the garland to tie in with the ones I tucked into my tree.

You may also spy my DIY Vintage Christmas Ornament Wreath in the mirror. It’s hanging on the opposite wall. I love seeing its colorful reflection.

To complete the look, I hung some stockings on each side of the fireplace. I’ve had most of these stockings for a few years, but did purchase one new stocking from Emily of Penny & Ivy. (It’s the skinny one with the red strip and “L + S” initials.) If you have seen or read my post about the decorated tree I have in this room, you’ll know that I hung 25 of Emily’s mini stockings on it. Therefore, it only seemed appropriate to have a full-sized stocking from Penny & Ivy’s assortment on my mantel!

And with that, I’d say my Putz House Christmas Mantel is complete.

What else can I share with you?

I often get asked about my fireplace. It’s wood-burning and yes, there is a small grill on the left side. I haven’t used the grill to date so I’ve recently started using it to hold my extra wood.

I also suspect that I’m going to get asked about my rug. You can find it here. However, I am not sure I would recommend it. It’s more like a fabric mat than a rug. It’s a challenge to vacuum, doesn’t want to stay in place, and the furniture legs stretch out the pattern. Love the look, dislike the rug.

I’m still futzing (or should I say putzing!!!) with the rest of the decor in this room. Although, I did swap out some of my throw pillows, filled up my Christmas ribbon cabinet, switched out some of my vintage paint-by-numbers to winter scenes, and of course, trimmed the tree.

I’d say my family room is just about ready for Christmas.

Want more of my 2021 Christmas decor? Check out these:

• Red and Cozy Christmas Tree
• Winter Wonderland Living Room Mantel
• DIY Paper Star Garland
• Vintage Christmas Decor Ideas
• How to Make a Marshmallow Wreath

I hope you enjoyed a closer look at my Christmas mantel decor and picked up a few ideas for decorating your own space for the season.

Happy Decorating!