Some call it the most wonderful year, most retailers call it the most stressful time of year, but — like it or loathe it — Christmas is crucial to retailers, and cannot be ignored.
But if your shop window hasn’t quite got the memo yet, fear not; we’re going to walk you through ten ways to get your shop window display looking gorgeous and festive with our retail Christmas window display ideas. A couple of these ideas require a bit more time and planning, so may not be the quick fix you’re looking for right now, but are definitely something to keep in your back pocket for future Christmas window displays.
10 Christmas shop window display ideas
- Collaborate with a local artist
- Shop for festive dried flowers and foliage
- Get creative with cardboard and craft paper
- Stock up on snowflakes
- Light it up
- Use a window vinyl for a quick fix
- Garlands galore
- Write to Santa Claus
- Chalk it up
- Bring nature inside
1. Collaborate with a local artist
We love this Christmas window display from Whistles. The use of pom poms as baubles is creative and unusual, and paired with a very simple window vinyl, it still leaves the clothing as the main event.
Our favourite part of this display, however, is the fact Whistles collaborated with an artist to bring this display to life. Jess from @fatpompoms made each of the 270 giant pom poms by hand, carefully considering a material which balanced her own vegan values with Whistles’ sustainability objectives. Once the display was over, the pom poms were sold in-store, with all the proceeds going to The Trussell Trust.
This display has it all; it looks great, tells a story, and aligns with Whistles’ ethos. Plus, it has given a small business a huge boost.
If you know of an up-and-coming artist or maker, why not reach out to them to see if they’d like to collaborate on something similar? It’s a great way to come up with a Christmas window display that’s both unique and meaningful, and is an ideal route if you’re not overly creative yourself. It can take a little longer to pull together though, so the sooner you reach out, the better.
2. Shop for festive dried flowers and foliage
You know from our retail window display post that we’re really into dried flowers as window decoration, and this is no different at Christmas.
While we love a classy wreath or a classic Christmas tree, a beautiful dried flower display offers a fresh twist. Opt for neutral and metallic colours for a festive and timeless look.
We also wanted to give an honourable mention to this unusual, sparsely-decorated tree from @daisy.kids.life — the colour palette ties in beautifully with the clothes on display, and we love the felt baubles.
3. Get creative with cardboard
For the more creatively-gifted store owners out there (or those with creative and willing friends/partners/employees to rope in…), we love the inventiveness of these cardboard and paper Christmas displays and decorations.
An added bonus? Cardboard is something that — certainly in our experience — is a readily available material for most retailers. So this is a wonderfully inexpensive and low-waste option. Another low-waste option is to use wrapping paper scraps
. 
photo sourced from Pinterest
4. Stock up on the snowflakes
Put down the cotton wool and step away from the snow spray. ‘Snowflakes’ are a great way to give your window a tastefully frosty update, but the DIY versions rarely look great. That said, online templates and paper punches are very helpful in creating a semi-professional winter wonderland look.
photos sourced from Pinterest
Instead, how about trying some professionally-made decorations, like the ones used in the window below, which are from The Paper Snowflake Co.
Side note — we also love oversized paper baubles, like these ones from Paper Tree:
5. Light it up
Some Christmas window display ideas can be a bit hit-and-miss, or rely on good execution. Christmas lights are no such idea.
We see Christmas lights as an entirely failsafe addition to a Christmas window; always a welcome festive update, and impossible to overdo or underdo.
6. Cheat with a window sticker
Left decorations to the last minute? There’s a huge range of stickers and vinyl ready to give your windows an instant festive facelift — just peel, stick and go! We love this one from Sir Face Windows:
7. Garlands galore
Wanting to add more colour or natural elements to your display? Make a garland! There are so many unique and easy ways to make, design, and hang garlands.
They can be made from anything from paper chains to dried oranges and herbs, or beads and felt. The possibilities are endless. We love this one from FarmhouseChronicles:
Photos sourced from Pinterest
8. Write to Santa Claus
Use colourful envelopes and markers to make a stack of letters to send to the North Pole. Or if your store has a lot of kids coming through, why not ask for their help to decorate by setting up a letter-writing station by the door?
Photos sourced from Pinterest
9. Chalk it up
If you have some particularly creative friends or employees, enlist their help to do some lovely designs and calligraphy on your shop windows.
Designs can be simple snowflakes, lyrics from favourite carols or even elaborate wreaths. We were really inspired by this design from Myro Doodles.
10. Bring nature inside
The last and easiest way to spruce up a window display is to go outside and get your own materials. Making your own greenery decorations is a simple and classic choice, plus there are so many ways to use it.
Buying one normal big wreath of evergreen is basic and expensive. Make smaller wreaths of local foliage from your garden, or a park or find some fragrant eucalyptus. If that’s too complicated, buy some inexpensive clear ornaments, fill them with greenery and hang them with ribbon.
Photos sourced from Pinterest.
What can you use to decorate your shop windows for Christmas?
As evidenced by the many examples above, when it comes to what materials to use when decorating your Christmas window display, the possibilities are endless! Cheap and readily available options like cardboard, felt, and even paper for hanging snowflakes and garlands can work well.
For the more crafty among us, pom poms, streamers, and tinsel work well to add a bit of festive cheer. If you're looking for more natural options, evergreen foliage like pine or birch, as well as wreaths can help create an elegant woodland for your Christmas window display.
What can you put on your shop windowsill for Christmas?
Garlands are the perfect adornment for a Christmas shop windowsill, as are Christmas lights, tinsel, or evergreen branches.
Adding details like this to your shop windowsill is a beautiful way to frame your main Christmas window display and highlight your featured products in a festive way.
How do you put decorations on windows?
There are several ways to display decorations on your shop windows. Reusable suction hooks are perfect for holding down Christmas lights, hanging wreaths, bows and pom poms.
As for drawing and painting, tempera or poster paints work well on glass, and can easily be wiped off with a bit of water once needed.
Wrapping up
Are you feeling particularly proud of your Christmas window display this year? We’d love to add some pictures from our CREOATE community here for inspiration, so please send them to hannah@creoate.com.
For more retail window display inspiration, be sure to check out our January Window Display ideas for your New Year's refresh, as well as our Seasonal Spring Window Display inspiration, and Halloween Shop Display ideas.
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