20+ Ideas for How to Decorate a Christmas Tree
Learn how to decorate a Christmas tree with these helpful tips and ideas! Master ribbon, DIY tree toppers, tree fillers, traditional and non-traditional holiday color schemes, and more!
I look forward to decorating for Christmas all year long! And of course, my most favorite decoration is our Christmas tree!
The great thing about decorating the tree is that there are infinite possibilities. I’ve decorated our tree a different way each year for more than a decade, and I still have plenty of new ideas I want to try!
If you could use some inspiration for decorating your own Christmas tree this year, I’ve pulled together some of my favorite tips and tricks in the post below. I hope you’ll leave this post excited to create your own magical holiday tree this season!
The Best Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas for Your Home This Year
1. Take the time to fluff and shape all the branches.
As Marieza from Home with Marieza reminds us, it is SO important to fluff the branches to create fullness if you are using a faux Christmas tree!
It will take some time to spread and shape each branch, but the final result will be more than worth it. You definitely don’t want a sparse-looking tree where you can see all the way into the center, so get fluffing!
See all of Marieza’s tree fuluffing tips here.
2. Hang your Christmas tree lights vertically,
Rather than the more traditional “wrap in circles around the tree” technique, Morgan and Sean from Charleston Crafted recommend adding tree lights in a vertical pattern!
This technique is faster and actually uses less lights so you won’t need to buy as many. You also get a beautiful cascading look that provides a stunning final result for your tree.
Check out all of Morgan and Sean’s tips for hanging lights vertically here.
3. Use ribbon to make your Christmas tree seem fuller.
If you’ve fluffed your tree and added lights and it is still feeling a little sparse, it’s time to add some ribbon!
Christin from My Homier Home recommends ribbon for filling unwanted gaps and giving your tree a fuller look.
For her skinny tree below, Christin worked in a few different types of wide ribbon for a pretty and polished look.
4. Hang big ornaments first, and then fill the empty spots with smaller ornaments.
Let’s talk about ornaments! Jen from Midwest Life and Style recommends hanging larger ornaments first and then filling in with smaller ornaments.
This strategy ensures that the larger ornaments are well spread out and have prominent places on the tree, while still giving a full look when the small ornaments are added.
Check out all of Jen’s tips on how to decorate a flocked Christmas tree here.
5. Use unexpected colors to create a vibrant holiday vibe.
Who says that all Christmas trees have to be red and green?! Amber from Amber Oliver created this fun, brightly colored look with a white tree plus pink, orange, and yellow ornaments.
Whatever your favorite color scheme is, it is totally possible to include it in your holiday decor! The sky is the limit!
6. Warm up a flocked tree with natural, boho items.
The woodland look is always one of my favorites at Christmastime, and Erica from Designing Vibes absolutely nails it!
With shimmery pinecones, fluffy feathers, and neutral metallic ornaments, her gorgeous tree makes the perfect holiday centerpiece.
7. Use scarves as an unexpected beautiful twist.
If you’re looking for a way to dress up your tree other than with ribbon, Julia from Tag and Tibby recommends adding scarves for a playful wintery vibe!
It is easy to find beautiful, inexpensive scarves in many different color schemes at this time of year, so why not put them to work on your tree? I love the plaid look Julia incorporated, but you could easily incorporate other patterns and colors as well.
8. Use a silver, gold, and white theme for an elegant look.
Nothing screams “classy” quite like silver, gold, and white, as Carrie from Lovely Etc. proves with her gorgeous tree!
Silver, gold, and white ornaments are so helpful to have as part of your holiday stash because not only do they look stunning on their own, but they also create a great base for any other color scheme you might want to try.
I have done tons of different color schemes over the years, and almost all of them have used silver, gold, and white ornaments to create a beautiful base. And then I add in the other pops of color of my choice to differentiate each color scheme.
9. Cut ribbon into small sections and create loops for a pretty and professional look.
For years I would ogle the gorgeous, professional-looking trees on Pinterest, wondering just how they made their ribbon look so incredible.
Laura from Inspiration for Moms is removing the mystery with her oh-so-helpful ribbon tutorial! By cutting her wide, wired ribbon into small sections (about 3-4 feet long), Laura was able to loop pieces throughout her tree to create a pretty cascading look.
She used three different types of ribbon on this tree to add texture and interest.
10. Use preserved magnolia leaves for a natural, inviting tree.
Along with ribbon and ornaments, fillers like magnolia leaves can also help add to the fullness of your tree.
Roxanne from The Honeycomb Home demonstrates this beautifully, working in magnolia leaves among the evergreen branches to bring her woodland tree to life.
Check out Roxanne’s full woodland themed Christmas tree here.
11. Get adventurous with a blue flocked Christmas tree.
Michelle from Our Crafty Mom proves that you can use any color scheme your heart desires for your holiday tree this year!
Rather than sticking with a typical green tree or even a traditionally flocked tree, Michelle decided to add some blue to the mix with a bold and unique result!
12. Add floral accents to create more texture.
One of my favorite add-ins for my Christmas tree is florals!
Crissy from First Day of Home demonstrates beautifully how flowers, twigs, and berry picks can add dimension, interest, and fullness to any tree decor.
When added to traditional ornaments and ribbon, florals give the tree an extra pop of pretty that will make you smile every time you look at your holiday decor.
Get Crissy’s styling tips for this classic plaid Christmas tree here.
13. Tell your family story with meaningful ornaments.
I love a Pinterest-perfect Christmas tree, but I absolutely adore a tree full of mementos and special family memories. (We do both types at our house!)
AnnMarie and Anne from Simply 2 Moms pair a real tree with unique and meaningful family ornaments for a homey, welcoming look that creates the perfect backdrop for holiday festivities.
14. Avoid “mummy-style” ribbon wrapping on your tree.
Carrie from Lovely Etc. recommends agains just wrapping ribbon in straight, taut circles around the tree, as in the photo below.
While there are ways to make the wrapped look work well, Carrie also shares some other strategies for utilizing ribbon to create a beautiful, professional-looking tree.
15. Add garland for a fun pop of color.
We have seen so many gorgeous ways to fill a tree so far in this post, and Libbie from A Life Unfolding has one more– add garland!
Whether store-bought or homemade, large or small, sparkly or soft, a beautiful garland can turn a so-so tree into a showstopper in just a few minutes.
16. Splurge on the “good tree” for the prominent area of your home.
How many trees do you put up in your home each year? We usually have at least 3!
Not all faux Christmas trees are created equal. And while adding ribbon and filler to a worn out tree can certainly improve it significantly, Roxanne from The Honeycomb Home reminds us that starting with a solid, full tree can make our decorating so much easier!
If you begin with a beautiful base, you will need to spend less money and put in less work to cover up the parts you don’t want to see!
Get all of Roxanne’s natural Christmas tree decorating tips here.
17. Add ribbon in multiple different ways.
Why just add one style of ribbon to your Christmas tree when you can add multiple?! Leanna from Pretty DIY Home creates holiday perfection by combining the “looped” ribbon method we talked about above with beautiful bows on her tree!
Her unique mix of patterns adds depth and interest to here tree while leaning into the traditional red and green Christmas color scheme.
18. Create a fun rainbow tree.
I love organizing items in rainbow order, so why not arrange your Christmas ornaments in rainbow order as well?!
Amber from Amber Oliver shows us again how a non-traditional color scheme can really bring a pop of fun and joy to our holiday season!
Using only ornaments, Amber created a fun rainbow tree that can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.
19. DIY old ornaments to make a new Christmas tree color scheme.
If you have old Christmas ornaments laying around, maybe don’t throw them out just yet!
Michelle from Our Crafty Mom shows us how to give old ornaments new life and create a beautiful new holiday color scheme at the same time.
20. Use pink and gold to create a romantic Christmas tree.
I did a pink Christmas color scheme a few years ago, and it was one of my all-time favorites, so I just had to include this gorgeous and romantic tree decor from Liberty at B4 and Afters.
I am the only girl in my house, and all my boys were surprisingly supportive when I confessed my pink tree plans, so you never know– your household might embrace it as well!
21. Create your own DIY tree topper with picks.
The most challenging part of decorating a tree for me has always been the topper. It’s tricky to find one that’s just right for the look I’m envisioning.
A few years ago I started making my own tree toppers with holiday picks, and it was a total game changer for me! (And it was much easier than I thought it would be!)
See my full DIY Christmas tree topper tutorial here.
22. Coordinate your wrapping paper.
Okay, so I realize that wrapping paper is not part of the actual tree, but coordinating wrapping paper can really go a long way in adding to the overall aesthetic of your Christmas tree!
I usually start by choosing a “lead” paper that has all of the colors from my holiday scheme in it. (In the photo above, the plaid paper is my lead.)
Then I pick two other coordinating papers that pull from the colors in the lead paper. In the photo above, I chose black kraft paper and a metallic polka dotted paper to coordinate with the plaid.
Wrapping paper is an easy way to add more color and interest to your tree’s decor. And you can even pair it with pretty ribbon that coordinates with the tree’s ribbon as well! So many possibilities!
How to Decorate a Christmas Tree: Final Thoughts
As we have seen in this post, there are tons of different themes, color schemes, ribbon strategies, ornament types, and fillers you can use to create a beautiful, memorable Christmas tree this holiday season!
When it comes down to it, the most important thing is creating the type of tree that you and your loved ones will enjoy. From handcrafted ornaments and popsicle stick DIYS to professional looking masterpieces, you can’t go wrong when you add in a healthy dose of love and joy as you are putting together your tree.
Whatever type of tree you decide to create this year, I hope you and your loved ones will have a blessed holiday season!
More Christmas Decorating Ideas
If these ideas will be helpful as you’re decorating your own Christmas tree, be sure to pin the image below so you can reference this post later!
Thank you for following along! Have a wonderful day!
