Tips for Making Your RV More Festive for the Holidays
There is never a wrong time of year to travel in an RV, but the holidays can be especially fun. Staying in your motorhome or travel trailer while visiting friends and family makes an already enjoyable season even more special. But to get the most out of your time on the road, you’ll want to embrace the holiday spirit and add a few festive decorations to your vehicle. Here are a few tips that can help make your RV more festive.
Photo Credit: inside-studio/Getty
Get a Christmas Tree
When it comes to holiday decorations, few things are as iconic—or mood-setting—as a Christmas tree. But you don’t need a massive evergreen taking up a large chunk of your already-limited living space. Instead, add a small artificial tree and decorate it with some lights and your favorite ornaments. Don’t forget to put some gifts under the tree to complete the setting.
If you’re setting up camp in one location, adding a real tree or two to your outdoor space can be a fun way to celebrate the season. You won’t have to worry about it taking up too much room, and it can make your “yard” feel very festive. Just don’t be too surprised when your campground neighbors drop by to sing carols at your door.
String Some Lights
One of the best ways to get into the holiday spirit is to string up some lights in and around your RV. Adding a colorful glow to your rig’s exterior will help set an inviting mood for visitors and create a fun outdoor atmosphere. They especially look good on an awning or around some of your outdoor furnishings.
Holiday lights can create an undeniable sense of ambiance and warmth in your RV. String them up around windows or across the ceiling in your living space and bedroom, where they’ll provide joyful illumination all season long. You may even find that you like them so much you’ll want to leave the lights in place all year round.
Photo Credit: rusak/Getty
Add Some Garland
Hanging garland along windows, doors, and walls is another easy and inexpensive way to decorate for the holidays. These green strands work well on their own or as a complement to a string of lights. You can even hang garland on the exterior of your camper to give it a more seasonal appearance.
Christmas Lawn Ornaments
Speaking of decorating your lawn, there are plenty of holiday-themed ornaments to add to your campsite other than a Christmas tree. Options include light-up animatronic reindeer, inflatable Santa Clauses, a life-size Grinch, and dozens of others. You could even put together a classic manger scene, complete with a barn and animals.
Photo Credit: Lightess
Project Your Holiday Spirit
Another easy way to decorate the exterior of your motorhome or trailer is to plug in a Christmas projector. These devices are meant for use outdoors, projecting a seasonally-themed scene onto the garage door or the side of a house. But they also work nicely with an RV and are small, easy to transport, and can be set up in minutes. Simply plug the gadget into a power source, embed it into the ground, and point it at your RV. At night, it will create a feeling of wonder and magic around your campground.
Put a Wreath on the Door or Windows
Wreaths are some of the simplest, most elegant ways to add a touch of Christmas cheer to any RV. Even if you don’t add any other decorations, hanging a wreath on the main door or in a window or two still sets the mood. Add lights or ornaments to the branches to enhance the holiday spirit even further.
Photo Credit: klikk/Getty
Hang Your Stockings by the Chimney with Care
If your RV has an electric fireplace that includes a mantle, it can be the perfect place to hang traditional Christmas stockings. You might not have a chimney for old St. Nick to come down, but it’s still a fun way to celebrate the season and make your camper feel more like home.
If you don’t have a mantle—or even a fireplace—there are other places where you can hang your stockings. The frame of a bunk bed works well, as does a curtain rod. Depending on the layout of your rig, you may be able to hang them on a closet door or along a strand of garland on an open wall in your living room. The point is to get creative and put the stockings somewhere you can enjoy them without them getting in the way.
Install a Fireplace
Just because your RV didn’t come with a fireplace doesn’t mean you can’t add one. The simplest way to do that is to purchase a fireplace DVD or stream a fireplace video from YouTube or Netflix to your TV. While these videos won’t generate heat, they set the mood nicely and create a nice background image.
Alternatively, you could add an electric heater that simulates a fireplace, complete with flames, smoldering logs, and crackling embers. These units won’t be built into your RV, but they can generate heat and make an excellent place to hang stockings too.
Photo Credit: Christian Feldhaar/Getty
Give Your Kitchen a Temporary Makeover
Stay in the holiday spirit all season long by swapping out some or all of your kitchenware with Christmas-themed items. Those can include plates, bowls, coffee cups, glassware, and even cutlery. Seasonal napkins, dish towels, curtains, tablecloths, floor mats, and other accessories can continue the theme throughout the kitchen and beyond.
Accessorize Your Living Room and Bedroom Too!
The kitchen isn’t the only place that you can accessorize with holiday-themed options. The living room and bedroom can receive Christmas makeovers with seasonal throw pillows, plush blankets, sheets, and rugs. This will keep your rig feeling festive all the way into the new year, no matter where you roam.
Photo Credit: Swillklitch/Getty
Make a Holiday Playlist
Classic Christmas music is another fantastic way to set the mood for the holiday season. And now that streaming music services are the norm, we all have access to thousands of different songs from dozens of artists. Create your own holiday-themed playlist and play it wirelessly over your RV’s entertainment system or through a Bluetooth speaker. You’ll be humming along with the likes of Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, and Mariah Carey in no time.
Don’t Forget the Mistletoe
Hanging a sprig of mistletoe may feel a little corny and outdated these days, but it is still a fun tradition. Place it over the doorway or some other prominent place in your RV to bestow good luck on visitors. Kisses are optional.
These tips for decorating your RV for the holidays are just the start. Get creative, have fun, and embrace the season to its fullest. After all, this is truly the most wonderful time of the year.
The post Tips for Making Your RV More Festive for the Holidays appeared first on RV.com.
