21 Creative Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas to Try This Season

Turn Your Tree Into a Bouquet

Flower Tree — Ashley Baumgartner; Styling: Party Crush Studio; Rentals: Lux Event Rentals; Model: Poptarts & Peonies

For a truly unique tree, stick some stems in between the branches, like how floral designer Bellevue Floral Co. did here. These are real (and would be nice for a big holiday party where you want to wow guests for the evening), but you can totally opt to do faux flowers so it lasts all season.

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Go for Pampas

Here, CeCe Olisa worked with 1800Flowers to execute the floral Christmas tree of her dreams—this pampas grass tree is filled with all kinds of symbolic dried flowers. For example, it features sage to banish negativity, eucalyptus for healing, and the star, pampas, which represents resilience and creativity. You can make a pampas tree using styrofoam core and branches, but you can also buy one from Etsy. Note that real pampas grass is considered an invasive species in some states, like California, so do your homework before taking up this project.

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Swirl Flowers Around Your Tree

Wrapped Tree — Stephanie Watkins of Casa Watkins Living

This tree is a twist on traditional Christmas tree decorations—literally! Stephanie Watkins, the creator of Casa Watkins Living, used floral wire to form ornament clusters she adhered to this artificial tree in her daughter's room. She added faux ivy leaves for a touch more green and to pay homage to the Girl Scouts, which her daughter joined this year. You can watch Stephanie's decorating technique here.

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Light Some (Electric) Candles

Christmas Tree Lights — Ashley Stringfellow of Modern Glam Home

When string lights aren't enough to illuminate your tree, you can always turn to candles—electric candles, that is. They impart a very classic, elegant Christmas vibe. We love how Ashley of Modern Glam Home incorporated candle lights to her tree here. She says, "The look gives this tree an old world feel. The lights are realistic and have a vintage look to them with the melted wax."

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Create a Rainbow Effect

A mini rainbow tree will give all the happy vibes this holiday season! This one by Chelsea Foy of Lovely Indeed has a gradient color scheme and because she chose a white tree as the base, those colors really stand out.

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Add Citrus Fruits

Dried citrus fruits are a hallmark of the holidays—oranges are actually in season in the winter! We love how Cami of Tidbits & Company worked in some dehydrated orange slices into her tree, along with a dehydrated cranberry garland, for a more vintage, old-world look. The nice thing about decorating with dried fruits is that you can compost them at the end of the season!

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Make It All Ribbons

Ribbon tree — Andrea Ahedo for Chris Loves Julia

A sweet, simple way to deck out the tree is to tie a bunch of ribbons to it, like how Julia Marcum did here on her tree in the family room.

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Embrace a Sparse Tree

Who says you need a big ol' tree? A tree that's light on greenery can actually be a good thing and help your ornaments shine even more. Case in point: Cassandra LaValle's beautiful farmhouse-meets-Scandi tree shown above.

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Ditch the Traditional Tree

If you really want to push your creative boundaries, consider this alternative tree designed by Smor Home. This DIY dowel tree is wrapped in garland and is easy to put up and disassemble and looks oh-so-sweet!

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Festoon Your Plants

Cactus Christmas Tree — knape/Getty images

With a smaller footprint than a standard spruce, a potted plant is a great alternative for small-space dwellers—and it also requires fewer decorations. Keep the embellishments consistent, using primarily brass and gold charms, then soften the overall look with a pom-pom garland or plush patterned fabric around the base.

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Put a Feather (Or a Few!) On It

Feather tree — Casey Brodley, styling by Julia Wester, crafting by Jess Hong.

Colorful feathers adorn this tree created by Joy Cho and her team! They're incredibly easy to adhere—according to Joy, because of their texture, you can just stick 'em on!

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Make Your Tree Monochromatic

Silver Christmas tree — Mark Lund; Styling: Ed Gallagher

If you're sticking with a certain color scheme, have fun with the ornaments. Work in unexpected charmers like letters, fun shapes, and unusual objects like glittery insects or shells.

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Decorate with Pom Poms

Orange ornaments — Mark Lund; Styling: Ed Gallagher

Consider soft balls and pom-poms, which are sturdy enough to stand up to pets and kids (yet still look stylish on your Christmas tree). As for color palettes: Red and green will always be the season’s signature colors, but it's okay to experiment with a new scheme—like, say, tangerine and charcoal grey.

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Make Your Tree Kid-Friendly

Kid Christmas tree — Mark Lund; Styling: Ed Gallagher

For a playful approach, call on the kids to trim the tree. Choose super sturdy ornaments, and a decorating theme kids might love—like this tree decked out with tiny stuffed animal ornaments. The bird tree topper is the perfect addition to this tree decorating idea.

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Dream Up a Sophisticated Tree

Blue and gold Christmas tree — Mark Lund; Styling: Ed Gallagher

For a sophisticated style—even with a Christmas tree meant for a small space—limit your color palette. Focus on a color scheme that's bold and bright, like gold, royal blue, and yellow. And don't be limited by the traditional Christmas colors—strands of faux berries and baubles can add a festive touch to a small Christmas tree.

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Pick a Tiny Tree

Feather Christmas tree — Mark Lund; Styling: Ed Gallagher

While petite in size, this tree is bursting with loads of color and holiday cheer. Choose a bold color for the tree itself, and a limited color scheme for the garland and other ornaments.

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Decorate With Garland

Garland Tree — Nicole Hill Gerulat; Styling: Lauren Shields

A garland instantly adds pops of color and rich texture to trees, banisters, and even mantels. These festive strands can also hide those inevitable bare spots you swore weren't there when you picked out the tree. Start by committing to one color palette. Choose something with depth, like a deep crimson, and soften it up with complementary tones in pale pink, charcoal grey, and creamy ivory. When it comes to the technique, it's all in the wrist: Softly drape (note: avoid firmly stuffing) the strands along the branches.

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Mix the Old With the New

Color Palette Tree — Nicole Hill Gerulat; Styling: Lauren Shields

Your favorite vintage ornaments can hang in harmony with some newer picks. To look just right, decide which favorites complement (i.e., don't compete with) one another. Take it slow and go through your selection one by one. Start with a vintage pick like a beautiful golden owl, and work in a modern find like a hot pink finial for balance. Continue this process until your tree is complete.

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Decorate a Pet-Friendly Tree

Kids and Babies Tree — Nicole Hill Gerulat; Styling: Lauren Shields

A pet-friendly decorating scheme may require some concessions, but it can be just as festive. Consider a tabletop tree that can stand out of harm's way. (For the record, tabletop trees can be just as beautiful as their 7–foot siblings.) Shop for shatter–resistant, non-toxic ornaments (cotton, felt, wool), because there's no telling when someone will go in for a licking. If one small tabletop tree isn't enough for you, group a few together on a console table or mantel.

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Pick a Daring Palette

Mix and Match Tree — Nicole Hill Gerulat; Styling: Lauren Shields

Find a palette that speaks to you. And it's OK if it isn't red or green. Dare to be a little different with something like a shocking lime green paired with shimmery neutrals. Focus on scale: Choose larger ornaments or ones with more unique shapes to hang first. Not only will these picks add more depth to the tree, they'll also take up more space, which means fewer ornaments will be required.

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Make Everything Mini

White Tree — Nicole Hill Gerulat; Styling: Lauren Shields

Here's a trick: Skip the classic evergreen and pick a tree in an unexpected color—like a winter white. The less traditional the color, the bigger the impact, which gives you the flexibility to go a little smaller on the size. For the ornaments, stick to one bold color (like red, magenta, or turquoise) so it really pops.

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