Harmonize for The Holidays: How to Incorporate Feng Shui Principles & Earth Rituals into Your Seasonal Decorating & Traditions
"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 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
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, 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.
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.
Evergreen from pine, holly, fir, or eucalyptus represent longevity, renewal, and strength.
Choose decorations made of wood, glass, or fabric,.
Incorporate meaningful items like family ornaments or handmade crafts to infuse personal meaning
Make a simmer pot
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.
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)
"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.
Holiday Mindfulness
Flow like Water
The element of Water is associated with Winter. It's cold, but also adaptive. Find your calm - and your movement- wherever you can
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.
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.
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 and burn a Yule log in your fireplace or bonfire
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.
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
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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