RV Decorating Ideas for the Holidays

November 08, 2017

Preparing for the holiday season means decking the halls and stringing the lights, and your RV is no exception. However, spending Christmas in an RV brings some special challenges: namely, space and safety. Not to worry! With our Dutchmen RV Christmas decorating ideas, you can make your mobile home festive, whether you’re staying at a campsite or hitting the road for an RV Christmas vacation.

Tote out the textiles:

• Fabric is soft and cozy. It doesn’t break or come loose if you bump it. So, start your holiday decorating with themed hand towels, table runners, and placemats in your favorite holiday colors.
• ‘Slipcover’ your kitchen chairs with festive covers. You can purchase them or make them easily by stitching (or gluing) two fabric place mats together on three sides. Pin on a sprig of holly or a shiny tassel for an extra boost of holiday spirit.
• Instead of boughs of holly, string bunting made from fabric triangles near the ceiling. Many online crafters sell these, but they are also easy to make. You just need fabric, a triangle template (plastic or cardboard), and fabric bias tape. Cut out the triangles, stitch or glue them to the tape, and hang up your decoration.

Winterize your windows:

• If you’re driving your RV during the holidays, visibility is important. However, removable window clings or even paper snowflakes, strategically placed, will add holiday interest to your RV. Leave them up as long as you’re camped and take them down temporarily when driving from place to place.
• Instead of hanging glass or plastic ornaments that could break or bang against the walls, make a shimmering ornament ‘curtain’ out of paper. Cut repeating shapes (like circles) out of foil wrapping paper and attach them back-to-back on lengths of fishing line using double-stick tape or a glue stick. Attach to the inside of a window or in a doorway and watch them sparkle in the light.

Do a Holiday swap:

• Put away your everyday dishes and use ones with a festive winter theme.
• Turn existing throw pillows into holiday decor with removable covers that fit your theme, be it green and red, silver and blue, or champagne and black.
• Change your bedlinens from day-to-day to holiday. Find sheets and blankets in holiday colors or with motifs, like pine trees, polar bears, or stars. Or, stick to crisp white sheets and add a red-and-black plaid blanket or red-and-white quilt.

To tree or not to tree...

It’s not Christmas without a tree, but let’s face it—trees take up space. However, there are ways to have your Christmas tree and RV, too.

• Tabletop trees come in many varieties these days, from fresh-cut to faux. If faux, decorate with pinecones, dried orange slices, and cinnamon sticks to invoke holiday fragrances.
• Turn a magnetic surface, like a refrigerator, into a “tree” by creating a Christmas tree shape with magnets—decorate it with magnets, too.
• Or, skip the tree and create a small table centerpiece, like a basket of evergreens and oranges, or an RV-shaped gingerbread house.

Wrap it up:

• ‘Redecorate’ your kitchen area for the holidays by covering your cupboards with wrapping paper in a color or pattern that suits your style.
• Tie fabric strips or cording around your throw pillows like you’d tie ribbon around a package for a fun present-ation.

Turn on the lights:

• What’s a winter holiday without lights? Set a menorah in the window or string lights inside, making sure you keep them out of the way of foot traffic and headroom. Make it more fun with RV- or camper trailer-themed lights.
• Secure your RV outside lights to the roof, your awning, and the outline of your RV for a beautiful display at your campsite.

Ready to celebrate the holidays in your RV? Make sure you check out the Dutchmen Facebook page for the latest news, and follow our Instagram account, @dutchmenrvcompany, for updates about our family of Dutchmen RV owners. And, make sure to share your holiday decorations with all of us at Dutchmen RV!