Christmas has become too tasteful for its own good. Every year, the colour palettes are perfectly assembled, the decorations artfully coordinated, and Christmas schemes have dominated the design narrative. The whole thing has well and truly lost its Christmas spirit. The 1990s, for all their design mishaps and questionable decor choices, were about colour, fun, and unapologetic chaos. It was an era before we became so self-conscious about having a 'tasteful' Christmas, when glitter and neon could coexist without guilt.
Christmas decorating in 2025 has ditched the muted and minimal for something livelier. This year’s John Lewis Christmas advert, the nation’s favourite festive signal, has reminded us why that particular era was so irresistible. For many of us, it is deeply nostalgic, and whether you love it or loathe it, you must admit, Christmas feels exciting again.
Let’s be honest: not every '90s trend aged gracefully. But that is the charm. In a world obsessed with beige and addicted to subtlety, embracing '90s Christmas decor is something of an antidote to mediocracy, and the ubiquity of a 'chic' and 'understated' Christmas. If you want to embrace the '90s, then tinsel, glitter, kitsch, and a little chaos are all mandatory. Here's what to shop for to get the look.
If your tree needs a bit of attitude this Christmas, add disco baubles to the mix. Their mirror-ball sparkle reflects every fairy light in the room, creating movement and energy.
Bright, cheerful and just a little bit kitsch, these lightbulb baubles are pure ’90s festive magic. They celebrate the decade’s love of colour, fun and quirky design, making any tree feel instantly nostalgic
Nothing says a ’90s Christmas like a bit of arcade magic on the mantelpiece. Bright, playful and full of retro charm, it’s pure festive nostalgia.
Chunky, multi coloured tinsel requires confidence to pull off. Don't underplay it, add lashings of it to your Christmas tree for a full-throttle maximalist creation.
Like something out of a neon-lit Christmas party circa 1995, think bold colour clashes, kitschy glamour, and a carefree, maximalist spirit. Use it as a table centrepiece or perch it by the door to inject instant retro joy into your home.
Blue tinsel might not be traditional, but that’s the point. Think MTV graphics, glittery roller-skates, and the neon chaos of a '90s living room; this is Christmas that doesn’t do subtle.
Iconic in every way. This 'Home Alone' inspired red velvet Christmas wreaths are old school in precisely the right way.
Nothing screams 1990s Christmas more than a rotating glass coloured Christmas Tree ornament. These are definitely in the love or loathe category, but once the lights dim, these certainly bring the party feel to any Christmas soiree.
Remember when there were just five channels and VHS Christmas films were the height of festive entertainment? This retro TV ornament is a tiny nod to that simpler, cosy ’90s Christmas magic.
'I was a child of the '90s, so nostalgic Christmas decor to me isn't elevated, it's not chic or curated, and that's the whole point. Nothing matches, homemade decs sit alongside brightly colored glass ornaments, and the lights are colorful too. Nothing says '90s Christmas to me more than colored lights,' says Hebe Hatton, Head of Interiors here at Homes & Gardens.
'Of course, tinsel was a key player in the 90s Christmas too, hung on the tree but also from the ceiling around doors and picture frames - it's cozy but it's also kind of tacky, which again is the whole point if you are creating this look in 2026, don't overthink it!'
Embracing the tacky can feel daunting. If you approach it half-heartedly, nervously clipping baubles in muted shades while sneaking glances at your neighbours, the whole effect falls flat. The point of a 90s Christmas is to cut ties with your self-conscious self, to fling caution (and tinsel) to the wind, and to revel in decorations that are bold, joyful, and just slightly ridiculous.
The only hard and fast rule of decorating '90s style is to turn your back on the delicate, warm white fairy lights we all love and embrace multicoloured fairy lights instead. These colourful battery lights available at John Lewis are precisely the thing.
This 90s Christmas revival is unapologetic, mischievous, and just a touch over-the-top – which is why some will adore it and others will clutch their pearls. Gone are the beige perfection and painfully colour-coded monotony of modern festive decor. Here, the rules are looser, the ornaments cheerfully eccentric, and the whole effect utterly joyful. Still, even in this riotous celebration of chaos, one line I will never, ever cross is the fake tree. Some traditions, it seems, are worth defending – even amid tinsel-fuelled anarchy.
