'Fake bakes' and The Grinch: The Christmas decorating trends of 2023

Canberran Carly Stone admits she has the best job in the world.

Her family owns the much-loved Bredbo Christmas Barn, and Carly spends several months of the year in the United States and Europe, shopping, quite literally, for Christmas decorations. She orders them en masse and brings them home to the giant barn 80km south of Canberra.

“I’m very lucky,” she laughs.

“At the moment we’re actually shopping for Christmas 2024, we work about 14 months ahead.”

From the Christmasworld Market of Frankfurt, Germany, to the Christmas Fair of Dallas, Texas, Carly gives us the top five decorating themes people the are obsessed with globally this year.

Country luxe

For years now it’s been all about the neutrals – natural light woods combined with highlights of silver and white. That’s because this is the colour palette of most modern homes, Carly says.

“Modern and understated is definitely here to stay,” she says. “And the beauty is that if you start with this palette, you can build on it year after year.”

Gingerbread and home-baked treats

For many people, Christmas is captured in the smell of baking gingerbread (except me: I’m lazy and buy the pre-made house kits from Aldi). Gingerbread men, women, children, houses and entire villages, sprinkled with icing sugar snow, are flying off the shelves this year.

‘Fake bakes’ are also big: think hanging cupcakes, red-and-white peppermint cappuccinos, cookies and sweet pastries – all fake of course – from the branches of your tree.

The anti-Santa

Are Canberrans getting crankier each year? Or is it just that the story of The Grinch represents the power Christmas can have on even the most cold-hearted of people?

Either way, the horrid green guy (with a soft heart underneath) is more and more popular every year, with Dr. Seuss-inspired decorations hitting mantles, Christmas trees and front doors.

Woodland magic

Greens and reds are always popular, Carly says, but this year dark forest greens with dark wood – highlighted by animal print – is magical for Christmas trees and homes.

The darker tones are perfect if you’ve already got a foundation of the white and light wood tones mentioned above in country luxury.

The Nutcracker

Designed by Germans to keep away malevolent spirits and bring good luck at Christmas, nutcrackers are a symbol of the festive season adored the world over.

Tchaikovsky’s ballet, written in 1892, is performed at Christmas time across the globe, while newer adaptations of the ballet’s story – captured in this Barbie movie, for example – ensure the nutcracker dolls stay relevant to younger audiences.