Everyone who comes over walks down the hallway at least twice, and it’s usually the one place nobody decorates. It’s narrow, so it can’t hold much on the floor, but the walls, the ceiling and the far end are all free.

The floor

A runner. A Christmas runner rug (on Amazon) covers the whole length of the hall, which makes it the biggest single change you can make here. Get one about two feet shorter than the hallway so a bit of floor shows at each end. Low pile is easier: doors swing over it, and pine needles vacuum off.

Candles along one edge. Flameless pillars (on Amazon) at 4, 6 and 8 inches, set tight against one wall, on a timer. In the evening they light the way like a path. Keep them all on one side so nobody has to step around them.

If there’s room for a console

Even a 10-inch-deep console table is worth decorating.

Three things at three heights. Something tall (a small tree or a lantern), something medium (two wrapped boxes stacked), something low (a candle or a bowl of ornaments). Put them on a small tray and keep them on the back half of the table so the hallway still feels open.

One wreath above it. A single 24-inch wreath over a 30-inch console looks better than several small things. A frosted one is good in a dim hallway because the pale tips catch what light there is. Hang it about 6 inches above the table on a removable hook rated for at least 5 pounds.

The walls

A row of small wreaths. Three to five wreaths (on Amazon), 10 to 12 inches each, about 18 inches apart, all centered at the same height (around 60 inches). In a long hallway the repetition looks deliberate. Make them all the same, or make one in the middle a little different.

Lights around the mirror. If there’s a mirror in the hall, wrap a strand of copper wire lights (on Amazon) loosely around the frame. The reflection doubles the light, and the hallway feels wider in the evening. A battery strand with a timer means no cord across the floor.

Stockings in a row. No mantel needed. Removable adhesive hooks (on Amazon) along one wall, stockings slightly staggered in height with tissue stuffed in the tops so they hold their shape. Keep them in one color family.

Garland up high. Run a 9-foot garland along one wall at about 7 feet, held by small hooks every couple of feet, with a little sag between them and fairy lights woven through. It draws the eye down the length of the hall.

The ceiling

Hang a dozen paper snowflakes or light shatterproof ornaments on clear fishing line, somewhere between 6 and 7 feet up. They take up no space at all and catch the light as people walk under them. It’s also the cheapest idea here.

The far end

Whatever is at the end of the hallway is what everyone walks toward.

  • Lanterns on the floor. Two or three, 12 to 18 inches tall, with flameless candles inside. If the end is a doorway, put one on each side.
  • A window. Hang a small wreath in the middle of it on wide ribbon, with a battery candle on the sill.
  • No window? Hang a large empty frame, around 24 by 36 inches, on the end wall and center a wreath inside it.

In January, the runner rolls up, the wreaths hang together in a closet on one hook, and the lights and hooks fit in a shoebox.