Family Decorating A Christmas Tree

100 Incredible Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Get ready to decorate your Christmas tree. Check out these 100 ideas for Christmas tree decorations and get in the holiday spirit.

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Grinch Christmas Tree Decorations

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Simple Christmas Tree Decorations: Ugly Christmas Sweater

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Yuletide Yarn Tree

If you have leftover yarn from knit, crochet or other projects, wrap it around a foam cone to create cozy Christmas trees which are fun holiday projects. And use tacky glue or a low-temperature glue gun to secure the yarn. For added fun, repeat the process with coordinating metallic yarn or other color, wrapping lightly enough to reveal some of the base yarn underneath. Bright Idea:Want more options for trimming your yarn trees? Attach buttons, yarn or ribbon bows, beads, small silk flowers or pinecones, silver or gold charms, tiny tree ornaments or even costume jewelry.

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Shiny Pine

Ball ornaments don't have to be tree trims. They can be the tree! This one hangs in a frame with a 10- x 13-in. opening. For each row of the tree, lay a piece of wire horizontally across the back of the opening. Use a staple gun to tack one wire end to the frame, string on the ornaments and staple the other end. Secure the staples with a mallet and bend the wire ends over the staples. Add a bow as a topper. If you're looking for tips and hacks for your real or faux tree, don't miss this collection.

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Simple Christmas Tree Decorations: Salt Dough Cookie Ornaments

The smell of baking bread is a sure indicator of happy holidays. Mix up a batch of salt dough and use your favorite cutters and paints to make a set of colorful and durable ornaments with a DIY flair. If you can't bear to throw out those old cookie sheets, then repurpose them by doing this.

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Simple Christmas Tree Decorations: Bit of Birch Ornaments

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Simple Christmas Decorations: Victorian Image Transfer Ornaments

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Simple Christmas Tree Decorations: Translucent Painted Christmas Bulbs

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Simple Christmas Tree Decorations: Fun Faux Leather Ornaments

Faux leather is a strong material that can endure through multiple craft processes. Cut, glue, sew, and stamp it into an interesting conversation piece that could become a family tradition.

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Simple Christmas Tree Decorations: Advent Treasure Hunt

Children will love this treasure hunt idea for Advent. For each day, write a clue to the location of a treat, roll the paper into a scroll and tie it with a ribbon, leaving one end long. Put the scroll into a clear shatterproof ball ornament and glue the long end inside the ornament top, making the scroll hang inside. Number the balls with stickers and cover the tops of the ornaments with ribbon.

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Green Thumb

Put your extra terra-cotta pots to good use—turn them into a Christmas tree! Paint three pots of descending sizes with red spray paint and let them dry. Then use round sponges of various sizes to add dots of green acrylic craft paint. When the pots are dry, stack them to form a tree shape and tape a coordinating bow on top. Another terrific gift for a gardener is this cedar potting bench. You don't need any special woodworking skills to build it.

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Up a Wall

Have a sofa-size painting or other large wall accent? For the holidays, remove it and use that wall space to hang small picture frames in the shape of a Christmas tree. You'll create a heartwarming family tree of memories to enjoy all season long. Bright Idea: This wall-hung "tree" is a real space-saver for apartment dwellers.

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A Fast Clip

This card holder is a snap to make with wire coat hangers. Twist and bend two hangers together to form a tree, creating a short trunk and a heart-shaped loop at the top for hanging. And paint about 60 wooden clip-on clothespins green and about four more brown. When the clothespins are dry, clip them to the wire, making a green tree with a brown trunk. Tie small strips of red fabric to the wire between the clothespins for added color. All that's left to do is hang your holiday projects on the wall, attach Christmas cards and enjoy.

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Light-Up Porch Presents

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Simple Christmas Tree Decorations: Wood Slice Ornaments

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Pallet Christmas Tree

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Simple Christmas Tree Decorations: Broken Furniture Piece Ornaments

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Rustic Wood Tree

This rustic tree is made from reclaimed wood for a one-of-a-kind design that can be used in the corner of the living room or on a tabletop, depending on how big you make it. And find some wood and grab a saw, hammer and nails to create these primitive christmas tree alternatives.

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Christmas Tree Alternatives: Book Tree

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Craft Project Tree

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Reclaimed Wood Tree

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Decorated Branch Tree

Christmas decorating doesn't get much easier than this. Go outside and find a branch (or you could purchase a plastic one from a craft store), place it in a vase or pot, or hang it from the ceiling or a chandelier and decorate it with your favorite ornaments. This would work great as a centerpiece or atop a living room table.

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Christmas Tree Art

If you have a fireplace and no room for a traditional tree, try decorating the mantel with some DIY tree art. Find a piece of reclaimed wood or even canvas for a backdrop, use wire to form a tree shape or simple zigzag and decorate with ribbon or strips of fabric tied to the wire. This ombre effect is on trend!

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Wine Cork Tree

For the wine drinker, try using all those corks to create DIY alternative Christmas trees. And there are several ideas on Pinterest to provide inspiration.

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Ladder Tree

An eye-catching ladder tree spotted on Pinterest may not save any space, but it is certainly a new take on a traditional Christmas tree. Try decorating with sparkly ornaments, some strands of lights and a star or angel on top.

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Plywood Tree

This tree is made from sheets of birch plywood with stars cut out for modern Christmas tree alternatives. Search for "plywood Christmas tree patterns" online for dozens of additional options. And a scroll saw works best for cutting the large pieces of plywood for a tree this size.

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Felt Tree

This felt tree is a great project to get kids started in DIY. And not only do these types of Christmas tree alternatives work great in small spaces, they also work in a child's bedroom.

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Chalkboard Tree Maglara/Shutterstock

Chalkboard Tree

If you have a chalkboard painted wall, why not draw a tree on it during the holiday season? You can also use a small chalkboard to draw a Christmas tree and hang it in the living room.

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Pebble Tree Luke SW/Shutterstock

Pebble Tree

This tree uses items found at the beach for a unique take on Christmas tree alternatives. So get your hot glue gun out and try using pebbles, star fish, driftwood, pine cones and other beach finds to recreate this look.

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12 Days of Christmas

Tater Tots & Jello writer Jen Hadfield came up with this advent calendar Christmas tree decorating idea. We can't wait either to count down the days to Christmas with these tree decorating ideas. Getting ready to decorate your tree? Untangle those lights and find out how to replace Christmas lights.

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California Decoratin'

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Christmas Tree Design Ideas: Glittery Neutral Christmas Tree

AKA Design blogger Shannon Acheson incorporated ribbons with black and white ornaments to create a striking Christmas tree. Throw in the goody bags above the fireplace set up for the 12 days of Christmas and you've got a complete space for the holidays. Add a homemade bow to your gifts this holiday season.

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Tree Ideas: Pinecones and Gold Ornaments

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Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas: Snow and Glittered

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Christmas Tree Design Ideas: Black and White Christmas

Some thick black and white ribbon courses around this tree from Just Destiny Mag and the black and white ornaments complement the tree. Mix in the cute sleds and this tree has a lot going for it. Get some holiday decorating tips to get you step up for the holidays.

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Woodland Black and White Christmas

Taryn Whiteaker picked up wooden ornaments to create this beautiful tree. The white ornaments continue the white motif and a strand of black and white ribbon breaks up all that white perfectly. Check your Christmas lights with a Christmas light tester.

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Christmas Tree Design Ideas: Blue and White Christmas

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Christmas Tree Design Ideas: Electric Christmas

Instead of using just two colors, expand it out to create a colorful Christmas tree like this one at the Bauer Power blog. Check out the use of the curled up pipe cleaners, too. Find a quick DIY gift idea to put under that tree this holiday season.

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Christmas Tree Design Ideas: Frosty Christmas

Some times you don't have to go to great length to find the right accent for your Christmas tree. This tree at Just Destiny Mag used socks to create garland. If you plan to pick up your own tree, learn how to cut down a tree safely.

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Christmas Tree Design Ideas: Plaid Ribbon

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Christmas Tree Design Ideas: Sweet, Sweet Christmas

Want to sweeten up Christmas even more? Try out this Candy Land-inspired tree. Check out the faux gummy bear tree topper, along with the lollipops, candy canes and popsicle ornaments. Save some cash this holiday season with Christmas cost cutting tips.

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Gold Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas: White and Gold

The Crafting Chicks tucked in some gold snowflakes to break up the white of this tree to make it sparkle. Gold garland added in gives it an additional glimmer in the right light. Get some shopping ideas if you have a hard time finding the perfect DIY gift for the handy person in your home.

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Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas: Pastel Power

If you don't want to overwhelm a room with color, find some lighter pastel colors like this tree from Cuckoo 4 Design. Add a pop of magenta to keep it from getting too dull. This tree also features a foldable star tree topper that can make it stand out. Get some inspiring ideas for holiday wreaths outside.

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Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas: A Picture of a Peacock

If you ever wanted to anthropomorphize a Christmas tree, this would be the first place to start. Your tree will surely stand out with this peacock-inspired tree. Keep your home clean during the holidays with some hints.

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Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas: Classic Christmas

Amy at Atta Girl Says opted for a classic look with this Christmas tree. She made sure to include a lot of family ornaments and found a way to balance it out so it doesn't look cluttered. Find what your fixer-upper needs in their toolbox this Christmas.

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Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas: Christmas at the Cabin

Create a rustic look that will make it feel like you're having Christmas at the cabin. Using plenty of brown and gold colors, this tree incorporates cork tags, decorative potpourri, grapevine balls and silk flowers for a classic look. Find the right DIY gift for under $50 this season.

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Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas: Cardinal Christmas

At DIY Showoff they introduced some cardinals throughout the decorations of this tree. It creates more of a natural effect and works in well with the green and red plaid throughout the tree. Build a backyard birdhouse for those real cardinals.

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Brandishing Burlap

A beautiful burlap bow atop this Christmas tree decorating from Love Grows Wild ties things together perfect. The light colored brown burlap highlights the wood of the tree and basks in the glow of the Christmas tree lights. Use some extra burlap for wreath ideas.

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Nature's Own

The animal kingdom gets pretty well represented with this tree from Decor Asylum. From owls cut from wood and reindeer on burlap ribbon, there area lot of characters cropping up in this tree. If you've got some unwanted guests in your backyard, learn how to get rid of pests.

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Jeweled Forest

This Jeweled Forest tree design from Design Dazzle is a reminder that you're tree topper can really be anything you want. This tree uses a silver birdcage to top it. The tree added several shades of green: sage, jade, apple and mint. The ornaments add some glitter and the moss gives a bit of a habitat for the birds. Give the birds of your backyard a clean bath by learning how to clean a bird bath.

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Tundra Tree

Dollar store dusters dressed up this tree from Craftberry Bush to give it the look of a fresh, heavy snow. The dusters were arranged perfectly into the gaps and crevices of the tree. Find out how to transform ordinary items into the extraordinary.

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Rustic Farmhouse

A distressed rooster weathervane, burlap and farm-related ornaments give this tree from Ashley Hackshaw at Lil Blue Boo the quintessential rustic farmhouse charm she sought. Want a weathervane of your own at home? Learn how to build a cupola for a weathervane.

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Ski Down the Tree

What's better than having a pair of old skis around for Christmas decorating? They're a perfect antique feature in any home and as a tree topper for this tree from Love the Day it works, too. The antique wagon adds charm to the flocked tree and check out the tiny cottages that hang from the branches. Find out how to refinish furniture if you have some antique items that need some work.

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The Weary Traveler

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Do You See What I See?

Keep your eyes peeled for certain creatures with this deer-themed Christmas tree from Lia Griffith. This big buck is a pretty neat touch to a Christmas tree and gives people something to marvel at that is out of the ordinary. Build a maintenance-free fence to keep the real deer from chewing up your garden.

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Point to Antlers

You might not think it but antlers on this tree from U Create make it really pop. The faux snow surrounding the antlers and a distressed deer head ornament create a rustic charm few others have thought to design.

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Succulents and Spruce Tree

Succulent garland, pinecones, pheasant feathers and burlap poinsettias make this tree a cornucopia of Christmas tree decorating. Potted succulents line the burlap tree skirt to further the theme of this tree. Add some succulents to your garden in the spring.

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Cable Knit and Cocktails

From A Thoughtful Place this tree uses textured ribbon to add to the cable knit theme. A cable knit throw pillow sits on the chair and a cable knit blanket sits on the stairs. The color scheme of the tree remains simple with shades of white and cream. The cocktail part of this tree comes from a salted caramel apple cider cocktail served around the tree. Get some ideas for a home bar or liquor cabinet for your home.

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Merry and Bright Christmas

Make It & Love It blogger Ashley Johnston went big and bright with this design. She mixed in big silver stars along with silver letters to spell out "merry" and "bright" on her tree. She sprinkled in some frosted pinecones to complement the silver color scheme as well for a tree that sparkles.

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Winter Wonderland Tree

Blogger Jade Harrington created her own deer antler ornament by combining different elements to create a unique glittery feature. She glued antlers to an ornament ball and added a block of wood with yuletide sayings. She also added in interesting ribbon that resembles tinsel in a way.

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Baby It's Cold Outside

It might be cold out but this tree is sprouting magnolia flowers as part of its decorations. This tree from A Thoughtful Place brilliantly breaks up the white of the flowers and snowflakes with bright red Christmas bulbs.

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Berry Garland Christmas

This tree from Clean and Scentsible used white artificial berries like ribbon to wrap around the tree to create a new look. The red tree topper and little ornaments break up the white well.

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Floral Christmas

Sugar Bee Crafts blogger Mandy Beyeler went away from traditional looks to create a floral design for her Christmas tree. The spiral garland layout of the faux flowers keeps your eye moving without getting districted by loads of ornaments. Find out how to take care of plants in winter.

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Glam Metallic Farmhouse Christmas Tree

Some birch on the fireplace mantle is just one of the subtle features of this tree from Giggles Galore blogger Mariah Leeson. She blended rustic farmhouse charm with metallic ornaments for an eye-catching design.

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Coastal Christmas Tree

Lots of gold with some powder blue and white berry garland make this tree from Sand & Sisal glow. Also scattered throughout the tree are seahorses and sand dollars to provide the coastal motif.

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Home Sweet Home

Gingerbread men come alive with this fantastically sweet Christmas tree from A Thoughtful Place. Candy cane ornaments and popcorn garland will have you hankering for Christmas dinner with this design.

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Pine-scented Christmas

Pinecones and twig balls make for a classic, rustic feel with this tree. It mixes in a gold ribbon and gold ornaments for a glowing effect.

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Memorable Christmas Tree

Hanging pictures of favorite memories on the Christmas tree is a cute way to get nostalgic with family. This tree from the Aunt Peaches blog does just that while incorporating cascading ribbon. This tree even used old ties as a tree skirt.

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Spin the Color Wheel

This tree featured at Inspired by Charm doesn't shy away from color in its design. It spirals down the tree as you imagine the different color combinations that exist.

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Cheering for Christmas

White House Black Shutters blogger Ann Marie Heasley served as head cheerleader on this pompom infused Christmas tree. Heasley built a gradient pyramid of bright colors with the pompoms and led cheers for the family with pictures as ornaments.

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Sliver Bells

This tree at Just Destiny Mag takes a classic look and twists it a little with its ornaments. It prominently features silver bells but adds lanterns and flags to its flocked picks.

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Little Drummer Boy

Silhouettes of a little drummer boy take the old favorite holiday song and brings it to life on this tree from Kara's Party Ideas. The silhouettes stand out but the drum and drum stick ornaments make this a complete tree that carries out its theme perfectly.

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Wooden Treasure Tree

Natural willow and twine went into the design of the ornaments for this impressive tree from Lia Griffith. Wooden baubles were built from wooden balls and felt garland drapes the tree for a smooth white and gold look.

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Pretty and Plaid

Classic plaid is pretty with some textured golden ornaments and frosted branches. The DIY Playbook did it right with a timeless decoration.

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Billowing Ribbon

This tree from Giggles Galore glams up the traditional role of ribbon with a billowing, flowing decorating idea. The light brown works with the burlap bow atop and running reindeer ornaments.

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Home Tweet Home

A little robin's egg blue accentuates this bird-themed tree from Sugar Bee Crafts beautifully. Mini birdhouses dot the branches and a crate is used as part of a tree skirt to complete the design.

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Marquee Star Tree

A Rustic wood marquee star adorns the top of this tree from BabySavers which makes the glow of the tree that much brighter. Ornaments also include old style skeleton keys and a faux snow globe as the alternating ribbons fit snugly around the tree.

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Bunting Banner

This Christmas Tree from Lil Luna says something with its bunting banner that spells out merry, joy and peace. It makes the large picture ornaments fit in perfectly.

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Forever Plaid

If you love Christmas for the plaid, then you'll fall for this tree from Craftberry Bush. This tree adds blue and white plaid designs for a special look.The ornate mirrors add charm to the tree as well.

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Simply Stated

Less is more, especially with this Scandinavian-inspired tree of silver and black ornaments. There's no need for a tree topper in this modest tree, that would be too much jazz for a toned-down tree.

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Alternative Tree Stand

A tisket, a tasket why not a basket for a tree stand? That's the thought the people at The Merry Thought had with there Christmas tree. It helps set a pretty picture when the tree is allowed to stand out.

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Mrs Claus Cottage Christmas Tree

Sure, old St. Nick gets all the attention during Christmas time but behind every great man is a great woman and Design Dazzle gives Mrs. Claus her due with this tree. This one uses red and white check ribbon for the tree and plenty of cute ornaments. Photo: Courtesy of Design Dazzle

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No Lights, No Problem

A tree with no lights might have you thinking what kind of Ebenezer Scrooge decorated such a tree but this tree from Love The Day has got so much going on, it doesn't need any lights to shine.

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Outdoor Adventure

Let the lanterns of this Christmas tree from As Simple as That light your way to an outdoor adventure-themed tree. The ornaments are faux wood that was burned without any special tools.

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A Touch of Flowers

Pink, gold and white provide a pretty backdrop for this tree from Classy Clutter. The pink poinsettias, white hydrangeas and large pink rose stems balance the white of the paper maché deer statues and white papered gifts.

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Grounded Floral Design

This tree from Craftaholics Anonymous brings in pink decorations but adds an earthier touch with pinecones. The pink peonies get balanced out with some antler picks as well.

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Glittery Glam Tree

The tree from The Clueless Girl squeezes in so many ornaments it's astonishing. But it all comes together and makes it feel like this tree is ready to walk the red carpet with all of its glitz.

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Over the Rainbow

It looks like a rainbow shot across this tree from A Line Across and maybe there's a pot of gold in one of those presents underneath it. Be bold with your Christmas tree decorating and take a hint from this rainbow-colored fantastic forest creation.

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Up in Lights

Announce your Christmas tree with marquee lettering like this one from Craftaholics Anonymous. It's a neat idea though it may move a little too far away from the rustic intentions of the antler and snowflake ornaments.

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Gray and White Christmas Tree

Gray's a color that gets a bad rap. When it's gray outside, it's lousy weather, but gray is a color nonetheless and it works exceedingly well with this tree from Taryn Whiteaker. After spray painting the tree, she added wooden tags painted in various shades of gray and the gray-ish snowflake tree topper brings it home.

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Rustic Plaid Cabin

Kara Allen of Kara's Party Ideas has got a Christmas tree bursting with greens and red plaid. Vintage items like snowshoes and a sled complete the rustic look while the marquee letters don't overwhelm the tree. Pinecones are sprinkled with some faux snow and tiny sleds hang from the limbs. These are vintage Christmas decorations we'd like to come back into style.

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Gold and Silver Winter Wonderland Tree

Crystal Owens at A Pumpkin and a Princess has got the precious metals covered with her tree. The garland weaves both gold and silver together while she mixes in gold and silver ornament balls around the tree. Beaded mercury glass ornaments class up this tree and burlap poinsettias match the color theme seamlessly.

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Santa North Pole Christmas Tree

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Simply Stunning

Simple doesn't mean thoughtless and there was plenty of consideration giving to decorating this tree from Simple as That. From silhouette balls to paper doily garland this tree is something special. The white pictures frames continue the theme and their contents give it meaning.

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Sunburst Mirror Christmas Tree

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Traditional Red Tartan Plaid Christmas Tree

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Winter White Family Photo Christmas Tree

Tatertos & Jello took on tree stand options by putting this tree is a bin. The flowing fancy frames highlight the tree and the silver balls play off the black and white photos. Photo: Courtesy of Tatertots & Jello

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Gee, I'm a Tree

This geometry-fueled tree design from The Project Girl allows the tree to fill in the space between the open design of the geometric ornaments. Add in some white ornaments and cottonball garland and the white light from the Christmas lights make this a bright tree. It's one of those Christmas tree ideas that will make you think a little. These are 12 stunning Christmas light displays you've got to see.

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Traditional Plaid Christmas Tree

A tree like this by Positively Splendid will harken back to the childhood of many who grew up in a home with a tree that had decorations galore. In a way it resembles the chaotic balance of family with so many items but that's what makes it perfect. It could inspire some more Christmas tree ideas and Christmas tree decorations ideas for your next celebration.

Originally Published: December 02, 2019