Anything in a child’s room will be touched, moved and, with toddlers, possibly tasted. So the rules here are simple: nothing glass at any height (kids climb), no real flames, things on the wall hang from damage-free strips, and anything on the dresser sits well back from the edge.

Within that, let it be their room. If your four-year-old wants everything red plus dinosaurs, that’s the color scheme.

A tree of their own

A felt tree. A 3-foot felt tree (on Amazon) with stick-on felt ornaments is probably the best thing you can buy for a kid’s room in December. They’ll rearrange it every day, which is the point. Hang it at their eye level, not yours. It folds into a drawer afterward.

A small real-looking tree. A pre-lit tabletop tree (on Amazon) with plastic ornaments (on Amazon), on the dresser and pushed back from the edge. Let them decorate it, and resist the urge to fix it.

A paper garland. Construction paper, kid scissors, a hole punch, stickers, crayons and twine. Cut stars and trees, decorate them, string them across the headboard. It fills a rainy afternoon and goes in the recycling in January.

Counting down

A felt advent calendar. Twenty-four pockets with a small treat or a slip of paper with something to do (“watch a Christmas movie,” “call Grandma”). Felt survives impatient hands much better than cardboard. Save the best activities for school nights.

A paper chain. Twenty-five loops of construction paper, one torn off each night before bed. Seeing the chain get shorter makes the wait real for little kids, and “one link, then teeth, then bed” is a useful bedtime routine.

A Santa mailbox. A small tin, wooden or decorated shoebox mailbox for letters and wish lists. You collect the letters (and read them, which helps with shopping) and Santa leaves a short reply on Christmas Eve. Keep the letters; you’ll want them in a few years.

Lights that double as night lights

Fairy lights in a jar. A plastic jar for younger kids, with a 10-foot battery strand inside. Choose one with a timer that turns off after six hours. Warm white, not cool.

A Christmas-shaped night light. A little glowing tree, snowman or star. LED plug-ins stay cool to the touch, which is what matters. Keep the regular night light too, for after the holidays.

Glow-in-the-dark stars (on Amazon) on the ceiling. A hundred peel-and-stick stars, scattered or arranged into a real constellation (Orion is easy). They need daylight to charge, so leave the curtains open during the day. They peel off cleanly, though many families just leave them up.

Bedding

Flannel sheets (on Amazon). Plaid, trees or snowflakes. Warm enough that the comforter doesn’t end up on the floor. Wash them once before using; new flannel sheds.

A soft throw. About 50 by 60 inches, fleece or sherpa, in dark red or green, which hides cocoa and marker. It will end up in a couch fort and the car. For kids under six, skip pom-poms; they get chewed.

Doors and windows

Window clings (on Amazon). Static-cling snowflakes and Santas stick to glass with nothing and peel off clean. Let the kids put them up wherever they like. They work on mirrors too, but not on painted walls.

A felt banner on the door. Felt letters on a ribbon spelling JOY, MERRY or their name, on one damage-free hook. Let them choose the word, within reason.