Tinsel, DIY tree decorations, deep burgundy drapes – and Home Alone on VHS. Christmas has gone retro on TikTok, and in people’s living rooms.

The app has reported a surge in Christmas decor videos, with an emphasis on nostalgia as users embrace festive looks from bygone eras. For younger TikTokers, that means the 90s.

More than 8,000 videos have been posted under the hashtag #90sChristmas, celebrating a look that includes multicoloured tree lights, homemade felt ornaments and – in a post with nearly 4m views – VHS tapes of Christmas classics such as the Macaulay Culkin caper.

TikTok said Christmas decor videos had increased by 100% over the past 12 months, with commentators saying the emphasis on nostalgia reflects a need for stability in uncertain times.

“There is a sense of inherent nostalgia in these trends,” says Hugh Metcalf, editor of the interior decor website Livingetc.com. “These are not super-contemporary looks. It’s a search for comfort from yesteryear when things right now are a bit more uncertain.”

WGSN, a consumer trend forecasting firm, says the 90s Christmas trend indicates a general rising nostalgia for that decade, which also came across during Halloween as an embrace of “tacky decor” pushed at notions of what constitutes good taste.

Metcalf says TikTok is “super influential” for Christmas aesthetics across all generations, with online influencers having greater sway over festive aesthetics than they do over interior decor trends across the rest of the year, which tend to be the province of design professionals.

“These Christmas trends are for things people have seen and experienced before,” Metcalf adds. “It’s appealing to personal histories and our sense of emotion, a bit of relief from trying to get the newest, most interesting interior design idea.”

Even more popular than the 90s take this year is Ralph Lauren Christmas, riffing on the American designer’s signature looks with deep colours, rich wooden panelling and green tartan prints. TikTokers has also offered tips on how to afford a festive take on the luxury brand if you’re on a budget.

WGSN says the Ralph Lauren yuletide aesthetic represents a broader push for “new classic iterations and traditional vibes” over the Christmas season. Describing the trend as “cross-generational nostalgia”, WGSM says it is manifesting itself in looks like cosy knits, windowsill candles and bannister garlands.

“Explorations of these classic looks are gaining strength even among younger consumers,” says Cassandra Gagnon, a WGSN strategist.

If the late 20th century isn’t distant enough as we peer through the retro tinsel from our 2025 vantage point, then WGSN also reports interest in “opulent antiquity”, including velvet Christmas stockings and tree skirts. It means terms such as “Little Women Christmas” – inspired by the Louisa May Alcott classic – are also trending on the platform.

Time has also been kinder to The Holiday, a romantic comedy film which received some negative reviews on its release nearly two decades ago but has become a decor influence on TikTok this year as well. Named after the film’s director, the #NancyMeyersAesthetic hashtag has more than 35,000 videos – Meyers also directed Father of the Bride and The Parent Trap – with the Christmas iteration focusing on warm interiors and the traditional festive look seen elsewhere on the app.

But in terms of the soundtrack for the season, another decade wins: the 80s. Last Christmas by Wham! is the most searched Christmas song on TikTok so far this month.