“Christmas fireplace decor” is one of the top home searches on Pinterest this month, which is a bit unkind to the many of us who live in apartments without one. A fireplace gives a room a focus: somewhere for stockings, garland and a glow.

You can build most of that feeling without a real fireplace. Here are the options, from the biggest to the smallest.

An electric fireplace with a mantel

The full version. An electric fireplace with a mantel surround (on Amazon) is a piece of furniture with a heater and a fake flame in the middle. It plugs into a normal outlet. You get a real mantel to decorate, a flickering glow, and some heat on cold evenings.

Place it against a wall the seating faces, ideally centered. Check the size against your wall and outlet position before buying.

A candle “firebox”

If you have an old fireplace that doesn’t work, or an empty mantel surround, put a log candle holder (on Amazon) inside and fill it with flameless pillar candles (on Amazon). From across the room, it reads as a low fire.

The same trick works without a fireplace: group pillar candles in different heights on a low tray on the floor or a bench against a wall, and frame them with greenery.

A mantel without a fireplace

What you really want at Christmas is the mantel. Mount one long floating shelf (on Amazon) at about 48 to 54 inches high on a wall. It works as a mantel: garland, candles, a small wreath above. Underneath, a candle arrangement on the floor, or a basket of logs, finishes the look.

Garland

A pre-lit garland (on Amazon) along your mantel or shelf, hanging slightly over the ends. Battery powered is easier when there’s no outlet nearby.

Stockings

With an electric fireplace mantel, use stocking holders on top. Without one, a floor-standing stocking holder (on Amazon) can stand on either side of your candle firebox. More ideas in how to hang stockings without a mantel.

Skip the TV fireplace video?

The fireplace video on the TV is cozy, honestly, and it’s free. If you have a TV on a stand, put garland along the stand and candles on either side, and play it in the evenings. Nobody will mind.