Harmonize for The Holidays: How to Incorporate Feng Shui Principles & Yule-tide Traditions into Your Winter Decor & Rituals
- Erin
- Dec 3, 2024
- 14 min read
Updated: Dec 22, 2025
"Peace on earth will come to stay when we live Christmas every day."
Helen Steiner Rice
The holiday season is a time of joy, connection, and renewal—a perfect opportunity to infuse your home with balance and harmony using the principles of feng shui. Rooted in ancient Chinese philosophy, feng shui emphasizes the arrangement of spaces to encourage positive energy flow.
Whichever holidays you celebrate, the décor that you add to your homes is a Feng Shui enhancement. The lights, trees, decorations, symbols and color are all enhancing the energy, or Chi, that we add to our space and lives during a normally dreary time of year.
Feng shui encourages you to align your home’s decor with the seasons to create harmony. Decor that reflects the current season keeps energy flowing in alignment with nature.
By applying the following ideas to your holiday decor, you can create an environment that nurtures both festive cheer and tranquility.
"Decorating for Christmas is the art of turning your home into a wonderland where memories are made."
Set An Intention for the Season
Before you begin decorating, set an intention that you can align your holiday decor with. Whether you seek peace, joy, or connection, let this goal guide your choices. Aim to Infuse your space with objects, colors, and arrangements that resonate with your desired energy.
Clear the Energy Before Decorating
Before bringing out the seasonal tinsel and ornaments, start with a clean slate. Declutter and deep-clean your space (especially your front door) to release stagnant energy. In feng shui, clutter blocks the flow of chi, making it harder to welcome abundance and happiness.
Also keep in mind that your ornaments have been in storage for a year. Smoke cleanse with Palo Santo or sage to release stagnant energy, as you do not want to bring that energy into your home.
Create a Welcoming Entrance
The entrance to your home is the "mouth of chi", where energy flows in, so keep it inviting and welcoming as possible
Place a colorful wreath on your front door. Wreaths symbolize unity, continuity, and wholeness due to their circular shape, which represents the cycle of life and the infinite flow of energy.
Add twinkling lights, or a welcome mat.
Avoid clutter near the door to ensure a free flow of chi.
The spirit of Christmas is the spirit of love, generosity, and goodness."
Thomas S. Monson
Winter is the most yin season in nature, as life contracts to renew and restore. This energy can be helpful for us too, not a flaw to override. For once, a season that is not about productivity or performance, but about intentional presence, care, and connection.
Choose Shapes, Colors and Materials With Intention
In feng shui, symbols and numbers carry specific energies and meanings that can be incorporated into holiday decorating to create harmony and invite positive energy. By thoughtfully using these symbols and numbers in your holiday decorations, you can align your space with the principles of feng shui and welcome joy, abundance, and balance into your home.
Feng shui encourages a balance between yin (soft, calm) and yang (bold, dynamic) energies.
Traditional holiday decor is often dominated by hues which carry specific energies. Aim to balance vibrant colors with neutral or earthy tones to avoid overwhelming the senses.
Red: Represents the Fire element, or warmth, passion, and vitality, making it perfect for energizing gathering spaces.
Green: Symbolizes the Wood element - growth and renewal, ideal for bringing nature indoors with garlands or a tree.
Gold & Silver: Represents the Metal element- wealth and clarity, adding a touch of elegance and prosperity.
Tis the season to... Rest, Relax, Reflect, Recalibrate, Rejuvenate.
Balance the Earth Elements
Feng shui revolves around the balance of five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Incorporate all five in your decor to create harmony:
Wood: A live Christmas tree or wooden ornaments.
Fire: Candles, lights, or red accents.
Earth: Ceramic decorations or natural stones.
Metal: Gold and silver ornaments.
Water: Reflective surfaces like mirrors or blue accents in table settings.
In feng shui, the Christmas tree is associated with both the Wood and Fire elements due to its vertical and triangular shape.
Decorating a Christmas tree is an ancient pagan practice meant to ward off spirits and keep the positivity, light and warmth emanding in your home through the dark winter months.
Incorporate Symbols of Joy and Abundance
Use decor that symbolizes positivity, luck, or abundance:
Sound: Hang bells or wind chimes to clear stagnant energy and attract prosperity.
Round objects :Use ornaments and bowls to symbolize unity and wholeness.
Remember to place gifts under your tree to call in good luck and prosperity!
Wealth Symbols: Items like gold coins symbolize prosperity and abundance.
Bamboo: Represents resilience and growth, and bamboo-themed decorations can add vitality.
Lighting: String lights, lanterns and candles are vital for uplifting the energy of your home, adding warmth and vibrancy. Across cultures and spiritual traditions, the power of light is used during this season to honor the long nights, shorter days, and the hope for springs return.
Numerical symbols: Grouping gifts or decorations like candles, ornaments or vases is not only visually appealing but also promotes balance and harmony. The most auspicious number in feng shui, representing health, wealth and success: 3, 5, 6, 8, 9
Bring the Outdoors In
Feng shui favors natural materials over synthetic ones, as they foster a deeper connection to nature.These elements not only enhance chi but also add warmth and authenticity to your decor.
Choose decorations made of wood, glass, or fabric, or evergreen from pine, holly, fir, or eucalyptus represent longevity, renewal, and strength.
Incorporate meaningful items like family ornaments or handmade crafts to infuse personal meaning
Make a simmer pot with rosemary, oranges, bay leaf, cinnamon and clove
Did you know: Oranges are used in Yule decorations because they symbolize the sun, which we hold vigil for on the longest night of the year?
Aromatherapy is also a powerful way to influence energy:
Use natural scents like pine, cinnamon, or citrus for a festive touch.
Essential oil diffusers or soy candles can spread uplifting aromas without harmful chemicals.
Make protective and delicious pomanders with fresh orange stuck with clove in a bowl, or hung
HOT TIP: Don’t forget to water your tree if you have a live one!
Align with the Bagua Map
The bagua map is a feng shui tool that divides your home into areas associated with different life aspects, such as relationships, health, and wealth. Use this map to place decor intentionally:
The ideal location for your tree is either in the Wealth, Fame or Family Gua of your home, areas represented by the Wood and Fire elements. A tree in the corner of your living room or family room will influence the Feng Shui in your home positively.
To boost finances add gold or purple accents, like ornaments or candles in your Wealth corner.
To support your health place a natural evergreen wreath or wooden decorations to honor growth, progress and vitality. (Wood element)
To add luck to your romantic relationship, incorporate pairs of items, like candles or figurines, to symbolize harmony and partnership. You can also add the color red to boost passion (Fire element)
The Wreath represents the eternal cycle of nature and reminds us that although the winter may seem long and cold, we will eventually find ourselves on the other side of that circle where new life will bloom once we welcome back spring.
Make Your Own Wreath
The wreath itself has long been a symbol for eternity or the continuous cycle of life. It is a reminder that life is never stagnant, and that everything, from joy to suffering, is temporary. It also represents the cycle of life, the cycles of nature, the cycles of the season etc.
A wreath can serve as a great protective ward to guard your home throughout the winter and help create an atmosphere that will help you fall in love with and see the beauty in the dark.
Carefully choose a variety of natural and foraged items to adorn the wreath with. These have symbolism rooted in winter solstice traditions and embody the themes of this time of year.
Evergreen branches for resilience and perseverance through the long cold winter ahead
Oranges to represent the return of the sun
Pinecones for prosperity
Cinnamon sticks for protection,
Cranberries for abundance.
Remember that the winter solstice is not just about welcoming back the sun, but it’s also about finding our way in the dark.
"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."
Norman Vincent Peale
Optimize the Flow of Chi
Place your tree in a corner so you (and the Chi) can move around freely, if possible. Avoid blocking walkways doorways, hallways, or windows with bulky decorations. Arrange furniture to facilitate conversation and connection, ensuring that seating areas feel welcoming and cohesive.
Create Focus
Every room should have a clear focal point to anchor the energy:
In living areas, the fireplace or tree often takes center stage.
Arrange furniture and decor to naturally draw attention to the focal point.
Minimize Clutter
Avoid creating a space that's too over-stimulating, particularly rooms intended for rest. While going all out festive is tempting, avoid excessive Yang decor- flashing lights or noises that could overwhelm the senses.
As you prepare for the holidays, donate or discard items you no longer need to make space for new energy and experiences.When unpacking ornaments, throw them away broken ones. Broken items represent a sense of “lack” and can even translate into "broken" finances or relationships, so let them go!
When you place and decorate your tree, keep a sense of balance in mind. Don’t over clutter the tree. Give your ornaments a chance to shine. One way to avoid over-cluttering is to only use ornaments which hold special meaning or memories to you. Decorating with items that carry personal meaning—family heirlooms, handmade ornaments, or photos of loved ones. These thoughtful touches enhance the emotional energy of your home and deepen the holiday spirit.
"Decking the halls is not about perfection; it’s about creating warmth and welcoming energy for everyone who steps inside.
The Yule Season centers on community, ritual, and hope during the darkest time of the year. It reminds us that renewaling is often happening beneath the surface. How to be more, and do more, with less.
Holiday Mindfulness
The 13 Days of Yule is a traditional winter festival spanning from the winter solstice (around December 21) through New Year’s Eve. It honors the rebirth of the sun and the return of light through daily themes and simple seasonal rituals.
The solstice represents the womb as the deepest, darkest place of the life cycle where life rests, gestates, and quietly prepares for rebirth as the light begins to return.
Mother's Night - (Eve of Winter Solstice/December 20th) - The opening of Yule and a night devoted to the feminine. Honor goddesses, ancestral and living mothers, grandmothers, and protective female ancestors and nurturing divine feminine energy. Light candles, offer food, write poetry, or sit in quiet remembrance.
Winter Solstice: Longest night of the year; Dec 21, rebirth and restoration of the sun
Home Clearing: Open every window or door for 9 minutes to let the air purify what no longer serves. Burn rosemary or cedar, moving counterclockwise to release, then clockwise to welcome light back. Salt your doorways and windowsills. Sweep it away the next morning. Float a white candle in water and burn until the end. Ring a bell 3 times at sunrise and sunset to signal the turning of the season.
Light a candle or sit in meditation o restore your energy and invite returning light into the body and spirit.
Yule Blessings: Gratitude, intentions, and blessings for the year ahead. Honor prosperity and the generosity of the Universe. Set intentions for abundance and burn warming incense like cinnamon or clove.
Feast of Yule: Shared meals celebrating abundance and community. A day centered on generosity and connection. Share food, gifts, or kind words with friends, neighbors, or community.
Gift Giving: Expressions of generosity, goodwill, and care.
Yule Tree Decoration: Evergreens symbolizing life, resilience, and continuity. Focus on energetic boundaries and safety. Create protective intentions for your home and field.
Yule Traditions: Songs, stories, and cultural or community celebrations. Joy, movement, laughter, and noise. Release lingering darkness and welcome what’s ahead.
Honoring Ancestors: Remembrance, offerings, and family heritage. Honor ancestors and roaming spirits of the longest nights. Leave simple offerings like bread or apples and reflect on the unseen realms.
Set up a memorial tree to honor deceased loved ones and create a living or symbolic monument decorated with handwritten notetags, photos, personal tokens to foster remembrance and connection through winter , "Let the joy and memory of loved ones passed light our way through this dark season"
Nature Appreciation: Time outdoors, honoring the winter landscape and earth cycles. Nature speaks first, if we remember how to look.
Augury is one of the oldest divinatory arts: reading omens through birds, animals, weather, light, and movement. Each morning, go outside into nature as early as you can. Don’t seek—simply notice and listen. The very first thing that draws your attention becomes your augury for that month. One sign per day, for twelve days to represet the next twelve months.
Reflection & Meditation: Introspection, journaling, and intention-setting. A day for wisdom divination and reflection and Spiritual Renewal Reflect on challenges you’ve faced and overcome. Honor your resilience and personal power.
Cleanse your space, altar, or tools. Light candles to bless your home and reset intentions for the days ahead. Tarot, journaling — listen closely for guidance for the coming year.
Community Service: Acts of kindness, generosity, and mutual aid.
Family & Friends: Gatherings focused on connection and shared joy. A day to celebrate family, chosen or blood. Share a meal or offer gratitude for those who support and strengthen you, seen and unseen.
New Year’s Eve, Dec 31: Closure, celebration, and welcoming new beginnings. Reflect on transformation and set intentions for the new cycle ahead.
At 10:03 AM EST, the winter solstice occurs. This is the exact moment the Sun reaches its southernmost point and begins moving north again, marking the longest night and shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere. From this turning point on, daylight slowly returns. Even though the change can hardly be noticed in the moment, it is proof that darkness does not last forever—the light always returns.
Flow like Water
In Chinese medicine, aligned with the Water element and the Kidneys—governing rest, preservation, and deep vitality. Water is cold, but also adaptive. Find your calm - and your movement- wherever you can. Feeling tired, sensitive, foggy, or emotional is a normal, healthy response to a dark, cold season in a world that ignores seasonal rhythms.
Winter invites us to slow down, nourish deeply, and trust that rest is not a pause from life—but an essential part of how life renews itself.The element of Water is associated with Winter.
Practice Gratitude
For the month leading up to the new year, write down 9 things every day that you're grateful for. This is proven to help curb cases of the holiday blues.
Nourish Well
Focus on Warm, cooked, mineral-rich foods and teas that support digestion, Kidney energy, hormones, and nervous system stability.
Honoring Your Ancestors
We pass the time by sharing stories, meals, and celebrating who we are as Indigenous people
Feng Shui originated as a practice to design auspicious burial sites, ensuring the well-being of ancestors. Over time, it expanded to include homes, and then offices and businesses. Taking a moment to honor your ancestors during the holiday season can create positive energy by acknowledging the life, lessons. and traditions they gave you.
There are many ways to celebrate who you are and where you came from: exchanging stories, sharing meals, lighting candles, placing photos placed in the family area on your home's Bagua map.
Holiday Wish List: A Calm Heart. A Clear Mind. A Peaceful Soul.
Connect with Nature
Getting outdoors, despite the cold, helps us embrace the season’s stillness and beauty , fosters a sense of peace and renewal, reminding us of nature's cycles, and encouraging reflection and grounding during this introspective time of year.
Decorate a tree outdoors with birdseed, dried berries or popcorn
Create an ice lantern/votive
Collect greenery to make a natural wreath or table setting
Take a lantern-lit night hike
Yule Log Ceremony: Decorate, carve, annoint, and burn a log in your fireplace or bonfire
Christmas is a state of mind. It's not about gifts or food. Its about creating a loving and warm atmosphere and spaces to connect in solitude, or shared with others.
Setting Goals & Intentions
Here is a fun ritual to establish momentum for your new year. It's a great practice to complete on the Solstice, or New Years Day.
On individual small pieces of paper, write 8 actions you'd like to accomplish in the coming year
Fold the sheets and shake them in a jar or basket, repeating the affirmation: "Universe, guide me to the task where my energy will be most productive and supportive to the highest good of all."
Draw a sheet out and that will be the #1 goal to focus on the year, from which all others will stem from.
Or for a more pagan approach: Write 13 wishes—symbolizing the 13 lunar cycles of the year—then burn one wish each night from the winter solstice through the New Year. Surrender them to the fire as an act of trust while keeping the final wish unburned to represent the one you must actively work to manifest in the year ahead.
Winter Solstice Blessing:
May you find peace in the promise of the solstice night.
May each day forward be blessed with more light.
May the cycle of nature, unbroken and true, bring birth to your soul and well-being to you.
Rejoice in the darkness, in the silence find rest, and may the days that follow be abundantly blessed.
Covering these areas ensures a holistic approach to your yearly goals, balancing personal, professional, and social dimensions. Tailor each goal to your current priorities and aspirations for meaningful progress throughout the year.
Health and Fitness: Focus on physical well-being through exercise, nutrition, sleep, or preventive care.
Career and Professional Development: Set goals related to advancing your career, acquiring new skills, or improving work performance.
Financial Management: Goals for budgeting, saving, investing, or reducing debt to improve financial security.
Personal Growth and Learning-Commit to continuous learning through reading, courses, or developing new hobbies.
Relationships and Social Life - Enhance connections with family, friends, or build new social networks.
Mental and Emotional Well-being- Focus on stress management, mindfulness, therapy, or cultivating positive habits.
Spirituality and Inner Peace -Explore meditation, religious practices, or personal reflection to nurture your spirit.
Creativity and Hobbies - Engage in creative activities like art, music, writing, or other passions.
Community and Contribution - Set goals to volunteer, support causes, or contribute positively to your community.
Environment and Living Space: Improve your home environment, declutter, or adopt sustainable living habits.
Adventure and Travel: Plan trips or new experiences to broaden your horizons and refresh your perspective
Time Management and Productivity: Develop better organizational skills, routines, or habits to optimize your time
Self-Care and Leisure: Prioritize rest, relaxation, and activities that recharge you physically and mentally.
The solstice is the shortest day and the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. During this time we celebrate the arrival of winter, our connection to nature, the rebirth of the sun and warmer days to come.
Wrapping It Up
The holiday season is more than just gifts or food. Its a state of mind—a sacred stillness in the flow of life, a magical moment to reflect on what truly matters.. It comes alive in the spaces we create—whether shared with others or embraced in the quiet of solitude. It’s about finding warmth within, feeling gratitude in the simplest moments, and connecting and aligning with Great Spirit and Mother Nature.
Whether shared or spent in solitude, this season reminds us that we are all part of something greater, and all capable of having a voice creating light even in the quietest or darkest nights.
The holiday season wasn’t always about tinsel, caroling and presents. It's roots reach back to ancient winter solstice celebrations honoring the returning light and sacred cycles of renewal. Many of our modern seasonal traditions still carry traces of this ancient folk magic.
Feng shui is about more than aesthetics; it's a philosophy of creating energetic spaces that support your health and well-being. While Feng Shui doesn’t traditionally align with specific holidays like Christmas, the principles of harmony, energy flow, and intention can beautifully complement the spirit of the season.
Feng Shui reminds us that the way we arrange our space reflects the way we arrange our lives. At Christmas, decorate with love and intention to invite harmony and blessings.
By decorating with feng shui principles in mind, you can transform your space into a sanctuary of celebration, reflection and renewal positivity and vibrant energy. The result is a home that feels warm, inviting, and full of joy for the holiday season and beyond.
Need help? Consider consulting a Feng Shui expert! As a IFSG-certified Red Ribbon professional, I can help provide valuable insights and recommendations based on the energy of the space, helping you to make an informed decision that aligns with your intentions and desires. I look forward to connecting soon!
Happy holidays, and may your space bring you and your family the blessings of harmony, health and happiness,!
When decorating for Christmas, think Feng Shui: let each element—light, color, and shape—tell a story of peace, abundance, and joy.
Erin is a certified feng shui consultant, energy healer, wellness coach and holistic growth strategist.
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