Maxing out on tinsel: Why retro Christmas decorations are cool again

A wave of maximalist, retro Christmas décor is returning to homes in 2025, with living rooms and trees packed with tinsel, foil garlands, oversized ornaments and bright, mismatched lights. The trend mirrors a broader cultural shift toward nostalgia after years of pared-back festive looks. "After a long run of pared-back, neutral or traditional Christmases, people seem much more willing to embrace fun, excess and nostalgia again," says Harry Bradshaw, co-founder of events and interiors styling company At Last Events. Retailers report a sharp uptick in retro pieces, with Marks & Spencer noting strong demand for tinsel rosettes and tinsel tree skirts, and John Lewis saying sales of retro-nostalgic decor had soared 180% in 2025. Primark has also highlighted that younger Gen X, millennials and older Gen Z shoppers are buying decor that reminds them of their own childhood celebrations.

Felicity Hayward, 37, wandered charity shops near Margate, Kent, in October and found a collection of bright foil stars that reminded her of Christmas at her grandparents’ house. Those 50p decorations sparked a two-month hunt for retro baubles, garlands and anything that could recreate the years she associates with the 1990s. "Christmas always revolved around my grandparents," she says. "The living room, the decorations, the cheese straws and the old movies—they’re the memories I want to recreate." Felicity’s grandparents kept the same decorations for decades; her granddad once declared the baubles were "for life." After the pandemic and losses in 2022 and 2023, she had paused decorating since 2019, but this year her living room is an explosion of color, bedecked with foil stars, tinsel and handmade paper chains and ribbon garlands. "For me, all of those colours bring me calm," she says, adding that she now looks forward to turning on the lights and relaxing on the sofa.

Liza Prideaux agrees that understated decorations feel overrated and has embraced "nostalgic, vintage" decor at Christmas for the last two years. The 36-year-old from Devon says there isn’t a strict theme; it’s about colour, texture and creating a cosy, lived-in feeling. "The colourful incandescent lights are my favourite. They make everything feel warm and cosy," she says. The trend extends beyond the tree: homemade paper chains, ribbon garlands and a sense that the festive space represents emotional needs as much as aesthetics. Hannah Bartlett, who runs The Christmas Insider, describes decorating as a form of emotional symbolism that anchors people in familiar rituals when life feels unsettled. The season acts as a steady anchor and returning to long-held practices can help ground families and individuals alike.

Hannah Bartlett speaks to the emotional pull of tradition: "Decorations like tinsel and brightly-coloured lights take us back," she says, and for many, nostalgia offers comfort in uncertain times.

Pandora Maxton, a York-based influencer known for elaborate festive displays, also sees a shift toward nostalgic decor. "There isn’t a strict theme; it’s about colour, texture and a cosy, lived-in feeling," she notes, praising the way retro touches can transform a room into a memory-filled space. "The nostalgic look just feels right for Christmas."

Want to create your own retro Christmas? Here are Felicity, Holly and Lucy’s tips described in the season’s mood rather than as a shopping list: start by checking charity shops right after Christmas, when people typically clear out; browse resale sites and apps for second-hand pieces, though be cautious with second-hand electronics like lights; craft paper chains that can be reused for other celebrations; ask relatives if they have any unused decorations; and play 70s and 80s music videos, films or adverts in the background to set the mood. The practical guidance sits alongside a broader cultural reminder: in the 1970s, Britain’s mood was one of searching for a signal of hope amid austerity, strikes and social change. Lucy Scott, a vintage decor collector, points to how the era’s bright space-age tinsel—largely sourced from Hong Kong—became a symbol of optimism, even as choices were limited.

"There wasn’t necessarily a massive amount of choice, but the choice was for these kind of bright space-age tinsel decorations... the majority from Hong Kong," Scott says of 1970s decorations. This period also set the stage for a broader 1980s expansion in home fashion, as more people owned homes and retailers like Woolworths and BHS offered a wider range of ornaments.

Felicity Hayward says she bought most of her decorations second-hand. "If you think about it, these tinsels are 20 to 30 years old and they’re still intact," she notes. And the impulse appears contagious: "This won’t be a Christmas, this will be my Christmas now forever," she says, signaling a personal commitment to a retro aesthetic that feels deeply healing after years of disruption.

The revival is not merely about peacocking a living room with bright colours. It is about the emotional resonance of familiar rituals—the sights, sounds and textures of Christmas that remind people of childhood joys and grandparents’ living rooms. Retailers are feeling the effect, too. John Lewis’s surge in retro-nostalgic decor sales, coupled with similar patterns across UK stores, suggests the trend has staying power beyond a single holiday season. For shoppers like Liza Prideaux and Pandora Maxton, the appeal lies not in perfection but in the warmth that a lived-in, vintage-inspired display can offer during difficult times. And for Felicity, the effort to recapture those past moments has evolved into a personal, enduring tradition. The decorations, once dismissed as tacky by some, now symbolize connection, comfort and continuity for many households as they celebrate in ways that feel true to their memories.

As the season unfolds, retailers report continued interest in bold, nostalgic motifs—from oversized bells and bows to colourful, retro-inspired lights—indicating that the move away from minimalism toward maximalist, memory-soaked décor is likely to outlast a single holiday. The cultural pull toward recollection and comfort appears to be fueling a broader market for retro-inspired pieces, whether sourced second-hand or purchased new with a nod to the past. And for many families, the trend is less about a theme and more about a shared experience: a room that feels like a doorway to childhood and the people who once filled it with laughter and songs. In that sense, the current moment may be less about fashion and more about personal healing through familiar rituals that help anchor people in an ever-changing world.