It’s the season of twinkling lights, steaming cups of cocoa, and warm evenings spent over the campfire. Don’t let a shortage of storage space keep you from having a good time, whether you’re a full-time traveler, a fixed RVer, or merely taking the road for the holidays. Downsizing from a house to a mobile home has obvious benefits, but it can leave some of us scratching our heads over the holidays. Fortunately, there is plenty of room for creativity to overcome these challenges. Try one or more of these ideas to decorate your RV for the holidays!

Christmas Tree Galore!

A “pencil-shaped” Christmas tree may fit into narrow spaces and won’t hinder your walking area if you prefer faux trees. If you really want a real tree, you can buy a $5 tree cutting permit from the National Forest Service and make it into a special family memory. While you might not have enough place for a full-size tree especially if you are traveling in a smaller camper like a Shasta or an R-Pod but a tabletop tree can dress up your dinette or counter. A great option is to get one of the small rosemary trees sold in many nurseries and grocery stores that fit easily on your table and can be kept afterwards in a slightly larger pot for your cooking use all year. A small Christmas tree, whether store-bought or cut from the woods, can bring a lot of cheer to your RV.

Throw Some Pillows Into the Mix

Adding holiday-themed cushions and throws to the mix is a terrific way to feel snug and warm at Christmas. A festive blanket draped over the couch along with a couple of pillows really sets the tone and quickly brightens the space. Consider buying either holiday pillow cases to cover daily use pillows to save room. This one you can decorate for every season and simply pack away the unneeded cases. Or vice versa, buy the holiday pillow you love and a pillowcase to cover it for the rest of the year. If you have a little more room, you could also decorate with a festive duvet cover.

The Colors and Scents of the Season

For those with the room Christmas lights is a great reusable holiday decoration. Whether you light up your front dash or outside the rig in your camping area, nothing makes the holidays shine as much as colored lights. Or you might have white lights that you use all year around. Think of trading out a few bulbs for holiday colors. You can get some red to add in and use them again at Valentines or patriotic holidays.

Nothing says holidays as much as gingerbread, balsam fir or peppermint depending on your personal preferences. While many folks continue to bake while RVing, you can also cheat a bit with a candle in your favorite holiday fragrance to add a wonderful smell to the RV, full of holiday cheer!

Go Natural

If you’re living in an RV full-time and have limited space, having a lot of Christmas decorations around might not work well. Instead of purchasing low-cost decor that will be thrown out after the holiday, consider an environmentally friendly alternative. Foraging your Christmas decorations conserves storage space and saves money. Plus, you will stay on Mother Nature’s good side and create a special memory. Collect fallen pine cones, evergreen sprigs, Magnolia leaves, and wild berries while out hiking. (Make sure to follow local restrictions while picking up any natural items like wood and natural resources.) You can purchase a few discarded branches of pine trees from the local Christmas tree lot to add some color and great aromas. Then make mulled wine and have a craft day back at camp where you create a few homemade decorations like popcorn chains or paper snowflakes to create a special holiday and memory.

Decorating your RV doesn’t have to be time or money consuming. A few added elements can make a huge difference in such a small space to put you in the mood for the holidays. Plus you can use similar ideas on making your space feel a lot more like home all year long!

We would love to hear how you are decorating your rig in the comments below. What are your favorite ways to get in the spirit?