64 Christmas Tree Decoration Ideas For A Dazzling Holiday

Use Homemade Wrapping Paper

Matching your ornaments to your wrapping paper is a great way to add cohesion to your Christmas tree setup. In this room, the tree is adorned with vibrant colors like pink, blue, and orange that match the presents beneath it.

Create a Vintage-Inspired Tree

Feeling nostalgic this season? Skip the star, and top your tree with a vintage tree topper. Give your tree a retro feel with red, green, and gold trimmings—including ornaments, ribbon, garland, and more.

Be Playful with Your Theme

Don't be afraid to try out a new theme this year. The designer of this tree chose a little drummer boy theme, using a drum body for the base, and drummer boy ornaments throughout the tree. However, instead of sticking with red and gold, they opted for bright colors, that complement the flocked tree beautifully.

Add Candles For a Vintage Touch

“We’ve had some Christmases when we didn’t use a single ornament,” says designer Nicklaus Williams-Heath. But when he and his partner moved into their house and had more space for storing decorations, they embraced heirlooms, specifically the collection of Lenox ornaments that Nicklaus’ grandmother has been gifting him since birth. He says that this year, they also borrowed her classic white candles for another “layer of nostalgia” on the tree.

Choose Wrapping Paper that Complements Your Tree

Icy white and pale pink filler ornaments set a backdrop for statement-making metallic textured balls and geometric spindles. Modern-day steel magnolias will flip for blush-and-bashful accents like mauve plastic foam flowers. Beneath the tree, blue floral wrapping paper completes the wintry scene.

Display Homemade Ornaments

This 12-foot Fraser fir displays ornaments made by the homeowner's children. Glittery gold, light pink, and rose gold baubles with a sumptuous 4-inch gold ribbon polish off the look while also carefully camouflaging any gaps between the branches. The train circling the tree skirt is led by the engine from The Polar Express.

Make it Jewel Toned

In this house, the living room features jewel-toned decor in the furniture, pillows, and more. The decor of the room inspires the decor of the tree; with bright reddish pink florals to match the pillows and vibrant blue bows on the presents, the overall look of the living room is cozy and coordinated.

Make it Tiny But Mighty

While many rooms tend to have Christmas trees that are larger-than-life, you don't need a ladder for a great tree this season. In this living room, a short Christmas tree stands in the corner of the room to add an understated yet festive look to the space.

Look to Nature for Ideas

A rust planter takes this gumdrop-shaped cypress to new heights. A strand of flameless candles nestled in adds an old-school effect while clove-studded oranges, dried-orange slices, and pinecones give the tree an authentic, woodsy look.

Go Jewel-Toned

The warmth of jewel-tone tree decorations is only amplified more by the deep tree green. Think amethyst purple, ruby red, sapphire blue, citrine yellow, and emerald green. Not only will this color palette bring color to your tree, but it will also give the tree a refined and opulent look.

Create a Color Scheme That Works for You

So you want to stray away from the typical red and green Christmas this year? We're all for it. Pick a color scheme that brings you cheer this year. If blue or yellow is your color, go for it! You'll be surprised to find how beautifully it all goes together. Use ribbons in the shade of your choice to create a garland that ties all the other decorations together.

Select Sentimental Decorations

Texans Sara and Billy Jack adorn their Christmas tree with mostly handmade and sentimental decorations. Each year, they present each of their children with a new ornament specifically chosen for them and share the backstory of why it was picked.

Utilize Antiques

Spread Christmas cheer in any room with this tabletop setup. Keep your eye open when antique shopping for the perfect piece for your tree. To achieve this look, use a small blue spruce with battery-operated light in a chinoiserie cachepot.

Think in Multiples

Instead of placing one large Christmas tree in the living room of this Baton Rouge home, designer Colleen Waguespack gathered a trio of smaller ones, adding visual interest. Then, she accented them with flocks of white dove ornaments from her décor line, Fig & Dove. The simple tree design lends itself to an effortless elegance.

Go Floral with Paper Flowers

Colorful paper flowers are a great addition if you are running low on ornaments. Homeowner Cristina Lynch also added light all the way around the top of this extra-tall tree for added emphasis. Plus, this idea can be a fun Christmastime activity for the kids.

Top the Tree With Feathers for a Outdoors Theme

If you have an outdoorsy, rustic, or boho theme to your house, use feathers to top the tree. It's a unique alternative to a traditional tree topper, that will surely bring attention. Place additional feathers throughout the tree to carry the theme.

Add Plaid for a Traditional Tree

Looking to create a classic Christmas tree? Just add some wide, wired plaid ribbon. This tree incorporated details like antlers and bits of greenery to provide contrast to the traditional plaid and red ribbon garland.

Match the Room's Décor with Your Gift Wrap

Shades of purple and green found in the living room's fabrics inspired this homeowner's gift-wrapping color scheme. This incorporation of color is a great tie-in to the rest of the space. Your tree does not have to continue the color scheme, but if you want it to, try adding some ribbon or ornaments of the same colors.

Base Your Tree's Theme Off Your Area's Landscape

Take inspiration from the surrounding landscape to infuse your tree with festive spirit and local flavor. The setting for this tree is Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, and that proudly displays a profusion of palm fronds, oyster shell accents, and a palette of gold, burnt orange, and chartreuse to match the interiors. Tweak the look to suit your own home with local touches.

Create a Modern Tree With Shades of Silver, White, and Gold

If a red-and-green palette isn't your style, here's an alternative. This tree full of subtle shades of silver, white, and gold lends a sophisticated look to any interior. The pop of color on the ribbon topper really allows this tree to shine.

Take Some Inspiration from The Greenbrier

This glorious tree takes shape at The Greenbrier in West Virginia every December. You can easily incorporate the wide ribbon garland and sparkle into your own tree. Wrapping your Christmas tree in garland can seem intimidating, but if you take your time it will look great.

Make It Classic With Red and White

When decorating a smaller tree, keep things simple with limited colors. For this cheery tree, we chose bright red and white. You can never go wrong with this staple Christmastime color palette.

Use Ribbon to Tie in All the Colors

Stick with a pretty palette of teal and pink to really enhance the pastel hues against the flocked tree. Use a cascading ribbon topper in the color you want to highlight. Here, the homeowner used pink to tie in the tree colors with the already-established room colors.

Wrap It in Magnolia

Wrap your tree in a garland formed from magnolia leaves stapled together with their backs facing out. It's a great way to add a natural and neutral color to your tree without overpowering your ornaments. Keep the rest of your decorations simple with silver or gold.

Branch Out When Hanging Lights

Birmingham designer Iris Thorpe has tried all manner of light-stringing techniques and has determined that nothing compares to wrapping individual branches from trunk to tip. "It's time-consuming," she said, "but when I've taken shortcuts and used nets, someone in the family is inevitably disappointed with the way it looks."

Give Your Tree Some Golden Touches

The classic red-and-green holiday color scheme gets a fresh update with a heavy dose of gold in this tree. These gleaming accents—in the form of ornaments, gift wrap, and a do-it-yourself garland—help make everything old seem new again. Continue the theme into the rest of the room for the ultimate golden Christmas theme.

Coordinate the Whole Room

"Once, I painted my living room pink to match my pink-and-red tree," said Lindsey. "This year, I let the white walls direct my motif. I found a tree that looks like it's been dusted with fresh snow." To coordinate with the peachy pink curtains, she used candy-colored ornaments and garlands that looked like jewelry. In lieu of a traditional skirt or stand, the tree is placed in a sculptural garden urn.

Embrace Glamour With an Ornament Garland

If you love the glitz and glamour of the holidays, this look is for you. Make a statement with the shimmer of an ornament garland in a palette of silver and green, including all shades from chartreuse to moss. Well-placed pops of red add energy to this punchy, can't-miss-it-scheme.

Bring in the Blue

Many of us love to decorate with blue, so why not incorporate it into a holiday palette? "The gorgeous shade of this wallpaper inspired this shimmery tree," said the homeowner. "To offset the rich colors with plenty of sparkle, I piled on the silver—glass ornaments, disco ball-esque garlands, and a quirky topper."

Embellish a Tinsel Tree

If you're not afraid of a little sparkle, go for a super fun tinsel tree and some shiny pink and silver ornaments. Throw in a few mini pineapples (or an unexpected touch) for an extra splash of joy. This tree idea can be super inexpensive, and since it is smaller than most, it can fit nearly anywhere in your home.

Create a Coastal Tree

Shades of aqua, turquoise, and white create a crisp, festive holiday vibe for this beach-side tree. Glass pinecone ornaments reflect the area's indigenous conifers and bring a traditional holiday motif to the decor. The unconventional color scheme extends to the gift wrap papers, none of which are Christmas patterns but were chosen to reflect the cottage's fresh palette.

Use Paper Butterflies as Ornaments

When it came to decorating a tree for this formal living room, interior designer Charlotte Lucas, chose colors in rich jewel tones that complimented the room. With turquoise, lime green, and a hint of coral, Lucas was able to achieve a sophisticated tree. She added a whimsical touch with her ornament choices, including feathered birds and paper butterflies to adorn the tree. Instead of a traditional star, Lucas found two gold starbursts that she wired together.

Get a Tree Perfect for Your Porch

This "Hillside Upright" Norway spruce—with lights, pinecones, burlap, and feathers—grows up to 20 feet tall and is suited to the Upper and Middle South. Here, the tabletop size is the finishing touch for a festive porch. You can always stick with one, but having one on each side of your front door will surely welcome in the holiday spirit.

Choose the Right Shade of Green

The trick to keeping this graphic look punchy, not ho-hum, is choosing the right shade of green. "This crisp apple hue pops perfectly—anything darker or lighter would fade into the tree," the designer said. To keep the holiday look fresh and bright, she chose all-white ornaments for their modern feel and bold contrast. A playful paper lantern tops the tree, and the trailing garland and ribbons echo the colors of the rug's chevron stripes.

Make it Metallic

Create an opulent feel without overwhelming the space by decorating your Christmas tree with a limited color scheme of silver, gold, and bronze. This easy-to-put-together theme is sure to glisten with lights that reflect off the metallic surfaces. A simple golden star tops this tree.

Draw Inspiration From the Woods

If you think a woodland-themed tree has to be dark, think again. We've covered this small Christmas tree in just enough sparkle to keep things lively. Feather and bird ornaments bring the outdoors inside, while the turquoise and silver bulbs create a color theme. Continue the rustic concept by planting this tabletop tree into a metal pot.

Achieve a Rustic Look Easily with Burlap

The grasscloth wallpaper and cool slate fireplace in this living room dictated a natural holiday palette with warm colors and nubby textures. Burlap unifies the look, with homespun stockings on the mantel, an oversized bow topping the tree, and gifts wrapped in the woven material. Cool mercury glass ornaments add a touch of shimmer.

Choose a Tabletop Display if Your Low on Space

If you're tight on space, try a tabletop tree planted in a sculptural garden urn. Dripping with antique glass ornaments and beaded garland, it's a festive way to display your treasures. Drape the tree with beads and candy canes for some added cheer.

String Patio Lights on Your Tree

Strands of large, clear glass bulbs, usually used to light a patio, give this tree an ethereal glow at night. A Fraser fir, with its symmetrical shape, coordinates nicely with this room's classic architecture. A Southern magnolia wreath hangs in the window by strips of fabric that are used throughout the room, and the red and gold ornaments play up traditional bells and holly themes.

Be Bold with Bright Colors

Dancing in lively green and robust red ribbons, this larger-than-life tree doesn't shy away from bringing holiday cheer to the living room. Big eye-catching bulbs are used throughout the tree to continue its striking visuals. Gifts are wrapped with gorgeous bows in the same variety of colors that are on the tree.

Keep It Simple

This simple Christmas tree complements the casual and chic decor of the living room in a beautiful way. Adding greenery is one of the best ways to create an earthy, warm feel to your home. Let the tree do the talking.

Cascade Ribbon Down Your Tree

Decorate your Christmas tree with long, cascading tendrils of colorful ribbon, rickrack, and pom-pom fringe. Search the remnants section of a fabric-and-trim store for good deals on pieces that are at the end of a roll or odd-sized, and collect throughout the year. Attach the ribbon directly to an embroidery hoop and then simply slide it over the top of your tree.

Use a Simple Red Beaded Garland

Red beads mimic a classic cranberry garland without the mess and white bulbs cast a calming glow. The common color of old and new silver ornaments makes this Fraser fir elegant while different shapes and sheens keep it interesting. Continue the touches of red into your tree skirt to tie it all together.

Go for Gold

Complement a colorful living room with an all-gold tree. Pair antique ornaments with modern ones for a more collected and less "designed" look. Continue the gold scheme throughout your gift wrap for the ultimate golden effect.

Swap Out the Metal Stand for an Interesting Container

Skip the ubiquitous metal tree stand, and give your tree a unique base by anchoring it in a large container. Here a half barrel makes the perfect fit. Adjust the vessel to your style: fancy urns for an elegant look and rustic baskets for a casual one.

Skip the Tree Skirt for a Sleek Look

The theme of this tree radiates the shine of silver and gold, almost neutral but with a little bling. Glittered ornaments and mercury glass balls lend a glimmering, glamorous feeling. Skip the tree skirt for a clean and simple look, and let the lower limbs of the tree brush the floor. Place packages around the outside of the tree to make it look larger.

Wrap Branches with Bright White Lights

For the ultimate twinkling tree, dress each branch with white lights. It can be tedious, but the glow is worth it. Minimal ornaments in a limited color scheme let the tree really shine.

Use Only Red and Gold Ornaments for a Lavish Tree

Nothing is more traditional than a red and green holiday palette. Give it a twist by using only red and gold ornaments on the tree, so that the pine needles, gift ribbons, and threads of green in the tartan blanket are the only green elements. This look proves that a nostalgic color scheme can be updated for a fresh, modern look.

Collect Seashells During the Summer to Make Ornaments

Sand dollars, sea stars, and shells make ideal ornaments if you live by the coast. Simply attach a ribbon loop to them with hot glue. Collect them all summer to bring a warm smile to the holidays.

Opt for a Tabletop Tree if You Have Little Kiddos

If you have small kids, try a tabletop tree to keep fragile ornaments and alluring packages out of reach. A wide burlap ribbon sits at the top of this tree, cascading down the branches with casual elegance. This tree design has a limited color scheme that is seen throughout the gift wrap.

Add Texture with Cascading Velvet Ribbons

Add a pop of color and texture to your Christmas décor with vertical, velvet ribbons. Here, the vibrant look pairs with a family ornament collection that grows each year. The mirror placed behind the tree adds the illusion of additional glow.

Create a Poinsettia Tree

A smaller poinsettia tree can easily transform a space into a cheery holiday wonderland. You can easily create this tree yourself with these steps:

1. Get a mixture of large, medium, and small poinsettia blooms for this project.
2. Start with the larger blooms. With a sharp pair of scissors, cut them down leaving about six inches of stem.
3. Next, use a flame to sear them quickly to stop sap from dripping out of the stem where you cut them. When searing, the sap will bubble. The ends of the stems will turn black. If you cut off big leaves from the stems, you may also need to sear those points as well.
4. Each seared stem will then need to be placed into a water-filled florist tube.
5. Place the stems into the base of the ivy topiary.
6. Repeat this process with first the medium-size and then the smaller poinsettia blooms. With these stems, you will cut them leaving about four inches long. You will place the flowers into the topiary, starting with the bigger flowers at the base, and working your way up to the smaller flowers at the top.
7. Once your tree is made, all you will need to do to maintain it is to refill the florist tubes with water as needed.

Use Your Favorite Books

If you love reading, this is the tree for you! Just gather a few books, and get to stacking. You can choose books with a similar color scheme or branch out with a variety of colors for a colorful display. If you are an avid reader, do this annually with your favorite books you read during the year. Or you can gather Christmas books for a holiday twist. You will need about 20 books to pull this look off!

Play with Pom Poms

Pom poms bring a youthful and colorful element to any tree design. Pom pom garland is incredibly easy to make. All you'll need is some pom poms, a large needle, and some thread. Then just simply thread the pom poms. If you want to get the kids on the fun, you can purchase a pom pom maker. The whole family will have fun with this activity.

Infuse Your Home With a Bright Citrus Smell with an Pomander Tree

This easy-to-assemble pomander tree brings brightness to your space while also infusing your room with a pleasing citrus aroma. To make this tree, just follow these simple steps:

1. Poke holes into your array of oranges using a toothpick. You can do this in any design you prefer, so get creative!
2. Push the whole cloves into the holes you created
3. Place the pomanders aside to dry.
4. Then, glue the bottom of a foam cone to a cardboard circle that is about two inches wider than the cone.
5. Poke each pomander with a toothpick until half goes in, then stick it into the foam cone with the other half, starting at the base.
6. Use hot glue to make sure each orange stays in place.
7. Fill in empty spaces with greenery, hot glued into place.

Make it Sparkle

To really get your tree shining, select ornaments that are going to reflect light well. Transparent bulbs and glittery ornaments will glisten amongst the light, and sparkle even at night. Ornaments with a matte finish will not illuminate as well.

Let it Glow

Nothing says Christmas magic like a well-lit Christmas tree. Let your tree's lights be the star of the show this year. Wrap every single branch compactly for the ultimate glowing tree. No need to go overboard with the ornaments or garland with this idea, just let the lights do the work.

Bring On the Disco Ball

Bring out your inner dancing queen with a disco ball topper this year. Not only do they reflect light so well, but they lend themselves to such a groovy theme. Try hanging additional disco ball ornaments on the tree. Create this topper by connecting some ribbon of your choice to your disco ball and hanging it directly above the tree.

Craft Your Own Tree Topper

This is an idea you can get the whole family involved in to make the best sentimental tree topper you can reuse year and year again. Just follow these steps to create this tree topper:

1. Cut out a cardboard star.
2. Cut out two pieces of fabric in the same star shape, tracing around the cardboard on the backside of the fabric to create the two stars.
3. Hot glue the both pieces of fabric, one on the front and one on the back of the star.
4. Then, take some ribbon and hot glue it to create a trim around the exposed edges of the star.
5. Finally, add whatever your heart desires to the faces of the star! Here, the designer chose to adhere fun buttons and bells to the star.

Move Towards a Monochromatic Theme for Simplicity

If you are having trouble deciding on a theme for your tree, try keeping it simple with a monochromatic look. All you need to do is pick a color you like, then shop for decorations in that color. You can add a pop of color to the topper, or you can keep it within your one-color scheme.

Put the Christmas Bells on Top

If you'd like to amp up your tree topper this year, try changing it up with an arrangement of gorgeous brass or silver Christmas bells. While you may have to search for bells like these in antique and thrift stores, that just makes it all the more fun. Add holly or other holiday greenery to fill in the gaps and tie it all together.

Bring the Tree Up Off The Floor By Choosing the Right Vessel

As an alternative to a tabletop tree, another way to get your Christmas tree off the floor, and more importantly, out of the reach of pets and children, is by planting your tree in a tall vessel. If you still find a few branches sinking low, just trim it up until it is to your liking. Or if you have a faux tree, try angling the branches up as much as possible. Presents can still be placed below the tree, or on a table beside it to prevent anyone from getting into them.

Incorporate Vintage Ornaments for a Warm Feel

Vintage ornaments create an old-fashioned, nostalgic, warm tree. Whether you have some passed down from family, or you find them at an antique shop, they are perfect for designing a traditional tree. If you'd like to really go retro, bring out the tinsel trend from the 1950s!

Look to Your Home's Style for Inspiration

When it comes to decorating her tree, Natasha Lawler looks to her sunroom for inspiration. She chose yellows, greens, and navy for her tree to complement her sofa's fabric, which is covered in Schumacher's Citrus Garden print. With an abundance of decorative lemons, sparkly sliced citrus, and a yellow ribbon topper, this tree stands out. She had a tree skirt made to match her sofa and even filled holes in the tree with styrofoam balls covered in the same fabric.