The weeks between Halloween and Christmas are awkward for decorating. Thanksgiving is still ahead, but the stores are already full of Christmas, and nobody wants to redecorate the whole apartment twice in a month.

The trick is to build fall decor that’s already half Christmas, then change it in small steps.

What stays all season

Some things work from October to January. Leave them out and change what’s around them:

  • Pinecones, in a bowl or along a mantel.
  • Greenery. Eucalyptus (on Amazon), cedar, and olive branches suit both seasons.
  • Neutral candles in cream, white or brass holders.
  • Wood: a dough bowl (on Amazon), cutting boards, a wooden tray.
  • Knit and wool textiles in cream or oatmeal.

If most of your fall decor is built from those, the switch is easy.

Step one: after Halloween

Take away anything spooky and anything orange that’s very bright. Keep softer pumpkins in white, sage or beige, plus wheat, dried leaves and the pinecones. This is your Thanksgiving look.

Step two: the weekend after Thanksgiving

Now trade pumpkins for evergreen. A faux cedar garland (on Amazon) goes where the fall leaf garland was. Pinecones stay. Wheat comes out. White pumpkins can stay a few more days if you like them, but by December they’ll look leftover.

Swap the pillow covers from rust and mustard to plaid (on Amazon), red or deep green. Same inserts, new covers, two minutes per pillow.

Step three: the first week of December

This is when the tree, stockings, ornaments and lights go up. Because the greenery and neutrals are already in place, it’s just the extras.

Colors that bridge both

Some palettes look right in both seasons:

  • Cream, wood and green.
  • Burgundy and gold. Deep red reads as fall in November and Christmas in December.
  • Brown, white and brass.

Bright orange and bright red are the two that don’t cross over. Keep those for their own months.

Storing as you go

Each time you swap, pack what came down properly: pumpkins into a lidded basket (on Amazon) or a bin labeled “fall”, delicate things into an ornament box (on Amazon). In January you’ll be glad you didn’t throw everything into one bag.