Christmas Door Decorations for Apartments: 5 Ideas With No Nails

A full 24-inch wreath with red in it. Hallway lighting is flat and often dim, so a wreath that is all one green tends to disappear into the door. Red berries and pale eucalyptus give it contrast that reads from the far end of the corridor.

• The berry wreath is 24 inches across, which suits a standard 36-inch door without crowding the peephole
• It mixes eucalyptus, pine, pine cones and red berries, so it reads as Christmas without a single bauble
• It isn't lit, which means no batteries to swap and no cord to hide
• Measure your door first. You want at least six inches of door showing on each side

Pick the boxwood wreath if you want it up longer. It is 20 inches, plain green with a cream sash, and it doesn't say December the way berries do.

Tie a red ribbon over the sash for the holidays, swap it back in January, and it can stay on the door until spring.

Which one for a dark door? The berry wreath. On navy, black or deep green paint, the plain boxwood loses its edges. On a white or pale door, either works.

Check what your door is made of first. Hold a fridge magnet against it. If it sticks, you have a steel door, and that changes which hanger is right.

On a steel door, use a magnet. Most apartment entry doors are steel because of fire codes, and the common over-the-door hanger can stop them from closing.

A hook over the top edge adds a few millimeters of metal right where the door meets the frame, and on a tight fire door that is enough to stop the latch from catching.

• The magnetic hangers come as a set of two, so one can hold the wreath and the other a swag or a sign later
• Nothing goes over the top of the door, so it seals properly
• They only work on steel. Wood, fiberglass and aluminum doors need a different hanger
• Set the magnet down gently instead of letting it snap on, so it can't chip the paint

On a wood door, an over-the-door hanger is fine. Close the door with it on before you hang anything. If it shuts and latches without pushing, you're set.

How high should a wreath hang? Center it at about eye level, which on most doors puts the top just below the peephole. Too high and it looks like it's escaping. Too low and it hits your knees when you carry groceries in.

A teardrop swag. It is long and slim instead of round, so it fits a narrow door, a door with glass panels, or one where the peephole sits right where a wreath would go.

• Each swag is 28 inches long, and the pack has two
• The Norfolk pine branches hang down instead of out, so it sits flatter against the door than a wreath
• Small brass bells run down the middle and ring a little when the door closes
• The second one works on a bedroom door, a closet, or hung inside beside the entry

Pick the swag if your door has a mail slot, a kick plate, or a number plaque in the center. A round wreath fights all three. A swag hangs above them and leaves them clear.

Can you use a swag and a wreath together? Not on one door. On a double door or a door with a sidelight, put the wreath on the door and the swag on the narrow side panel.

Hang sleigh bells on the inside handle. Every time the door opens, they ring. It's a small thing, and it's the part of the season you hear before you see it.

• The strap is 14 inches of brown leather with four brass sleigh bells
• It loops over the handle, so there is nothing to install
• Hang it on the inside, not the outside. Neighbors don't need to hear it every time you get the mail
• Brass and leather look like an old general store, not plastic Christmas, so it can stay up through winter

Pick this if you live alone. It sounds silly until the first night you come home and the bells ring behind you. The apartment stops feeling quite so empty.

Will it bother a roommate? It rings for about a second when the door moves and is silent the rest of the time. If someone works nights, hang it on a closet door instead.

Layer a patterned rug under the mat you already have. The building's doormat is usually small and brown. Put a larger buffalo check rug under it, and the plain mat suddenly looks deliberate.

• The rug is 27.5 by 43 inches, cotton, and rated for outdoor use, so a hallway or a covered entry is fine
• Set it so a few inches of check show around all four sides of the doormat
• Square it to the door, long edge parallel to the threshold, never at an angle
• Black and white works with any wreath, and it can stay down after January

Frame the door with garland on clear hooks. Removable wire hooks stick to the frame and come off with a pull of the tab. Three across the top and two down each side hold a light garland in an arch.

Check the weight before you start. The medium hooks hold about two pounds each, which suits a lightweight faux garland. A heavy real-touch garland needs more hooks or a lighter garland.

Peel the strips off straight down, slowly, parallel to the wall. Pulling outward is what takes the paint with it.