Christmas Wall Murals for a Feature Wall Behind the Tree

Updated October 12, 2026 · By Dipan Patel, co-founder of Giffywalls · 8 min read

A Christmas wall mural is one large festive scene printed across a whole wall, sized to fit it exactly. It does what a garland or a few ornaments can't: it turns the wall itself into the decoration. This guide covers where a Christmas mural works best, how to measure for one, what size to order for common walls, and how to pick a scene that still looks right once the tree goes up.

What is a Christmas wall mural, and how is it different from a pattern?

A Christmas wall mural is a single continuous image, like a snowy forest, a cabin by the fire or a festive street, printed edge to edge across one wall. A repeating pattern tiles the same small motif over and over. A mural is something you look at; a pattern is something you feel around you.

Choose a mural when you want one wall to tell a story. If you want a whole room to feel festive, our room-by-room Christmas ideas cover the pattern options too.

Where should a Christmas wall mural go?

Put a Christmas wall mural on the wall people already look at: behind the tree, around the fireplace, up the stairwell or behind a child's bed. These spots get attention anyway, so a mural there changes the whole room without competing with anything else. One mural per room is plenty.

Behind the Christmas tree

This is the classic spot, and for good reason. The tree lights sit in front of the scene, so the mural reads as a backdrop rather than a second thing to look at. A cozy indoor scene works especially well here, like the Woodland Friends Bears Decorate a Christmas Tree wall mural, which mirrors the real tree in front of it.

Short on floor space for a big tree? A mural with tall evergreens can stand in for one, with a small tabletop tree in front.

The fireplace wall

The fireplace is already the focal point, so a mural around it adds to something that's working. Warm, firelit scenes suit this wall best. The Woodland Friends Bear Fireside Story wall mural and the Winter's Light Cabin wall mural both echo the glow of a real fire. On a chimney breast, measure only the breast itself and let the alcoves stay plain.

Stairwells and hallways

A stairwell is one of the tallest walls in most homes, and guests see it on the way in. A street scene works well because it reads from a distance and up close. The London Festive Street Scene wall mural or the NYC Winter Lights wall mural turns a hallway into a walk through town. For a sloped stairwell wall, measure the longest and tallest points; the mural arrives as a full rectangle and the slope is trimmed when you hang it.

Kids' rooms

Children love a scene they can get lost in. Behind the bed, a story-style mural like the Winter Forest Friends Sleigh Ride wall mural or the Igloo Antics wall mural becomes part of bedtime through December. Choose peel and stick here, so it lifts away in January if the room needs to go back to normal. See more kids' room designs for the rest of the year.

Shop this look: all wall murals →

Measuring for a custom Christmas wall mural

Measure the widest width and the highest height of the wall, then add about 2 inches to each so there's room to trim. Leave out baseboards and crown molding. If there's a window or door, measure the whole wall as if it weren't there; the opening is cut out when the mural goes up.

1. Measure width and height at a few points. Walls are rarely perfectly square. Use the largest figures.
2. Add 2 inches to the width and the height for trimming.
3. Skip baseboards and molding. Measure from the top of the baseboard to the ceiling or molding.
4. Ignore windows and doors in the measurement. Send a photo or rough plan with your order, and we'll mark the opening's position on your proof.
5. Covering two walls? Add the widths together and order one mural at the shared height, so the print matches across both walls.

Order everything for one wall in a single order. Separate orders can print with slight color differences. The full method is in our how to measure guide.

What size Christmas wall mural do you need?

Most Christmas murals go on one of six common walls, from a 6 ft chimney breast to a 16 ft stairwell. The table shows typical sizes and what to order with the 2-inch allowance. Your own wall will differ, so always measure it, but this gives you a sense of scale before you start.

Wide walls suit wide scenes. A tall stairwell needs an image with height, like trees or buildings, or the top of the wall ends up as empty sky.

How do you choose a scene that works with the tree and furniture?

Keep the most important part of the scene above furniture height. Sofas, beds and consoles usually cover the bottom 3 feet of a wall, and the tree covers part of the middle. A mural whose focal point sits in the upper half of the image stays visible once the room is full.

A few rules from our own sizing work:

• Offset the tree. If the scene has a strong center, like a cabin door or a single big tree, place your real tree to one side so it doesn't hide it.
• Match the light. Night scenes and firelit interiors glow under warm string lights. Bright daytime snow scenes look best in rooms with good daylight.
• Mind the horizon. In a landscape mural, a horizon about a third of the way up feels natural behind a sofa. A very low horizon disappears behind furniture.
• One story per room. A mural plus busy patterns on other walls fights for attention. Keep the other walls plain.

Want ideas beyond Christmas scenes? This year's Christmas trends for 2026 cover vintage village scenes, snowy forests and metallic looks in more detail.

Which mural paper should you choose for Christmas?

Choose peel and stick if the mural comes down in January, and a paste-the-wall paper if it's staying up all winter or longer. All of our mural papers are scratch resistant and printed with PVC-free inks, and every order includes glue (for paste papers) and a squeegee (paper types).

For a night scene behind a lit tree, a matte finish avoids glare from the lights. The installation guide shows how to hang each paper type.

Can a Christmas wall mural stay up after the holidays?

Yes, if you pick a winter scene rather than a Santa scene. Snowy forests, cabins and frosty landscapes still look right in January and February, so the mural earns its place for three months instead of three weeks. Character scenes with Santa or elves are the ones to take down after Christmas.

The Misty Pines wall mural is a good example: festive with lights in front of it in December, quietly wintry once they come down. Browse forest scenes and winter designs for more that last the season.

Still deciding between a mural and a pattern, or between finishes? Our guide on how to choose a Christmas design walks through each decision.

Christmas wall mural FAQs

Can I put a Christmas mural on a wall with a window or door?

Yes. Measure the full wall as if the window or door weren't there and order to that size. The opening is cut out as you hang the mural. Send a photo or rough plan with your order, and we'll mark where the opening falls on your proof so nothing important in the scene ends up cut away.

Can one Christmas mural cover two walls?

Yes. Add the two wall widths together and order one mural at the shared height. The scene then wraps around the corner and the print matches on both sides. Order it as a single mural rather than two separate pieces, because separately printed orders can show slight color differences.

Is a Christmas wall mural safe for a rented home?

Choose peel and stick and it usually is. It goes up without paste and lifts off without residue on a smooth, painted, fully cured wall. Test a small corner first if the paint is new or has a chalky finish, and check your lease in case it restricts wall coverings of any kind.

How big should a Christmas mural be compared with the tree?

Cover the whole wall behind the tree, edge to edge, rather than a smaller panel. A full-wall mural looks intentional, while a smaller piece can look like a poster. As a guide, the wall should be at least twice as wide as the tree, so the scene shows on both sides of it.

Can I reuse a peel and stick Christmas mural next year?

Usually not. Once a peel and stick mural has been removed, the adhesive loses much of its grip and rarely goes back up smoothly. Treat it as a one-season piece, or choose a winter scene you'd happily leave up until spring so you get more use from the same order.

Final thoughts

A Christmas wall mural works best on one wall people already look at. Pick the spot, measure it with 2 inches to spare, choose a scene whose focal point sits above the furniture, and pick peel and stick if it's coming down in January. Order by early December and it'll be up long before the first guests arrive.

Browse the Christmas collection →