"I don't really like the traditional colors for pretty much any holiday, so I like to go beyond the green and red," says Burt, who shares her vibrant holiday decorating—including year-round themed trees—on her Instagram page.

David Land

On November 1, Monica's Chicago-area home sees a complete transformation. As soon as the Halloween trees come down, Christmas trees take their place. "I figure out where each tree is going and decorate it, then I can design the rest of the room around the tree," Burt shares. "I've moved fully decorated Christmas trees before, and it's not fun." She dedicates about a month to perfecting her Christmas decorations, continuously adding, rearranging, and refining them until they're just right.

Burt assigns a different theme to every tree and room, yet one element remains constant across her decor: bold, rainbow gradients. In the dining room, her table settings showcase colorful stacks of Fiestaware. Her daughter's room features a vibrant array of nutcracker toys, and the living room displays a striking ombré collection of bottlebrush trees along the mantel.

David Land

"If you don't want to use Christmas colors, don't use them," Burt advises. Traditional reds and greens seldom appear together in her home, yet it's filled with joyful, holiday spirit. Burt masterfully combines everyday and traditional items in cohesive color palettes to create her fun, festive displays.

Complementing her vibrant displays, Burt incorporates numerous secondhand pieces into each room. "Their imperfections make a place feel more like a home," she shares. Her packed shelves and surfaces, home to vintage Pyrex and colorful books year-round, also host her diverse Christmas collections, including Santa mugs, figurines, holiday village houses, and both glass and ceramic bottlebrush trees.

Burt’s most cherished collection is a set of her grandmother's ornaments displayed safely on a shelf. "I don't want to hang them on a tree because it's too risky," she explains. "Our Christmas tree fell over when I was younger, so these are all that's left."

David Land

Burt's beautiful shelves are an ever-changing visual feast, much like an I Spy game. Each glance reveals a fun, new treasure, with vintage Pyrex, books, and art forming a year-round foundation. For the holidays, she layers on color-coordinated trees, ornaments, ceramic houses, and figurines.

Monica’s husband, Brandon, and their two daughters get in on the festivities too. Brandon loves to prepare the big Christmas Eve feast, and the girls decorate trees in each of their rooms, the playroom, and the basement. It gives the kids a place to let their creativity out and do whatever they want, Monica says. After all, they’re why she decorates for the holidays. “My kids are always so excited for Christmas Day, and they love all the decorations,” she says. “To see their faces and watch them get excited is just so special.”

Credit: David Land

Credit: David Land

Christmas comes in December, but Monica thinks about it year-round. She's always on the lookout for decorations she can add to her bright and bold holiday repertoire. In February, she may find a hot pink wreath, in June, a teal garland. In September, she puts pen to paper and plans a decorating theme for each room.

Monica transformed her brass light fixture into a holiday version of a crystal chandelier shimmering with Shiny Brite ornaments and hot pink satin bows. The holiday touches make the fixture an instant hit—and focal point—as you walk through the door. She uses upholstery thread to tie the ornaments to the chandelier because it's strong but thin enough to not distract from the display.

David Land

One of Monica’s collections is her ceramic Christmas trees. Some are vintage pieces found at thrift and antiques stores; others are new from Walmart or Target. “It’s always hard for me to put them away,” she says, so the pink ones stay out a little longer and make the transition into her Valentine’s decor.

Credit: David Land

Credit: David Land

Monica uses pink and light-blue ornaments to decorate the white trees in her dining room. She used to sell vintage ornaments on Etsy and has been collecting Shiny Brites and antique pieces from thrift stores and estate sales for years. Guests call dibs on their place at the table based on their favorite-color dishes.

David Land

Monica’s daughters’ rooms each get their own layer of holiday decor. The two girls take after Mom, wanting to fill the rooms with special things, like the pink tree and rainbow nutcrackers proudly on display.

Credit: David Land

Credit: David Land

Monica’s advice for layering hues is to pick a focal point: It could be artwork, a throw pillow, a Christmas tree, or often in her house, wallpaper. She then uses it to inform the palette for the rest of the room. If each room has complementary colors, the quantity won’t feel as overwhelming. The green paint on the cabinets is pulled from the splashes of the same shade in the wallpaper. The powder room also receives a few holiday notes with a felt garland and red metallic reindeer.

David Land

If there's one thing Monica doesn't shy away from, it's Christmas trees. Twelve fully trimmed trees go up each year in the Burt home. Forty ceramic and glass trees glimmer on display. More than 250 bottlebrush trees are scattered throughout, and 117 of them form the seamless rainbow on her mantel.

To create the floating bubble effect, Monica clusters three to five same-color ornaments together with silver pipe cleaners. The key to making the colors blend more naturally is to combine ornaments with variations of finish (glossy, matte) and size. To get the ombré just right, Monica laid out the clusters of ornaments on the floor before attaching them to the tree.