How to decorate an American Girl Holiday room

You know you're an American Girl fan when your family Christmas tree isn't up yet, it's mid-December, and yet you still prefer to spend hours decorating your American Girl Christmas tree!  And you know you're a Superfan when you do it all without the help of your daughter.  Guess which kind I am....

The good thing is, I can always justify the effort I spend by saying that an American Girl holiday scene is actually a great way to decorate a corner shelf, side table or end table.  Hey, people like to set up entire holiday villages, why not a room?  Here's how I put together this year's American Girl holiday scene:


Backdrop:  American Girl purists will probably want the chalet playset  or Caroline's Parlor, but if you don't have that kind of money, you can always make your own fireplace, or purchase one on Etsy.  I used an American Doll Room as a backdrop; since the windows in this room show a springtime scene, I printed out a snowy winter scene and taped it over the window.

Tree:  For some reason American Girl doesn't sell a Christmas tree.  I keep waiting to see it in the catalogs every year, but I guess even they can't ask parents to pony up $100 for a branded tree when anyone can buy the same thing for $10 at Target.

Presents: I wrapped a few empty cardboard boxes in festive wrapping paper (you can use Band-Aid boxes, tea boxes, printer ink boxes, etc..)  I also have a few genuine American Girl present boxes (one is part of the 2011 Holiday Accessories set, and one is part of the 2013 Holiday Accessories set). Finally, everyone nowadays gives presents in gift bags, so I added a tiny American Girl gift bag, the kind they give you at American Girl stores when you buy tiny items like doll brushes or doll glasses.

Stockings: The American Girl 2013 Holiday Accessories set has a beautiful Christmas stocking, which I "hung" from one windowsill (using invisible tape).  Again, you can find miniature stockings for $1 at Target, CVS, and other stores.

Other decor:  To make the scene even more festive, I added a couple of  miniature Nutcrackers, a Mickey Mouse wall hanging (yes, our American Girl dolls are Disney fans!), and a foam gingerbread house that one of the kids put together.

All that's left to do is add a couple of American Girl dolls dressed in their holiday outfits, and you've got a holiday scene that your daughter will adore!  And if you happen to like it as much as she does, I won't judge...