How to Decorate A Christmas Tree

I know I’m not the only one who finds the Christmas season to be the coziest time of year. And decorating the Christmas tree is one of the most popular and time-honored traditions! Whether you’re decorating with your friends or family it’s always the coziest and sentimental memories of the season. The Christmas tree is the most important Christmas decoration because you can display family ornaments or set the theme for your home’s holiday season. It’s also a great way to create a festive vibe in your home.

How to Decorate A Christmas Tree Step by Step

Decorating your Christmas tree can sometimes be an overwhelming process! So I’ve come up with a guide to break down from picking your Christmas tree to decorating and storing!

Step 1 – Pick Your Tree

Artificial Christmas trees have become a much more popular option over the years. Real trees are absolutely beautiful and smell amazing, however, they’ve become quite expensive. Their pine needles are also quite toxic to pets – most of the time. If you’re still wanting a real Christmas tree, and have a pet, you should consider a Douglas Fir, White Pine or Fraser Fir for the least toxic option.

An artificial tree is much more affordable considering you can use it every year and you can buy a pre-lit tree to avoid the hassle of evenly placing lights on the tree every year!

Shop Amazon Christmas trees:

More Christmas trees:

Step 2 – Pick a Theme

There are so many new themes to choose from every year when decorating your tree! Whether it’s colorful, neutral, or traditional – it always turns out beautiful if you give it enough effort!

This year, I chose a traditional theme with deep red, evergreen, ivory and a touch of beige. And once I had that all chosen, I began the hunt for ornaments!

Step 3 – Gather Tree Decor

Ornaments

More ornaments from Amazon:

More ornaments:

Making bows is such a great way to fill space on your Christmas tree if you don’t have a big ornament collection yet! I’d recommend using 3/4 inch (or bigger) ribbon.

Shop ribbon and bows:

Lights

I didn’t need lights for my pre-lit tree but I’ve included some options in case you need them; nostalgic rainbow and twinkling white! These light gadgets are also wonderful for your Christmas tree or decorations! So much better than crawling under your tree to plug it in or having to walk around and turn a bunch of things on everyday! The remote and wall-mount switch work so great, or you can buy the timer option to not even think about it.

Shop lights & gadgets:

Skirt

Shop more skirts:

Topper

My tree is too tall to add a topper! So I didn’t go for one this year, but they had so many cute options this year.

Shop tree toppers:

Tinsel and Garlands

I didn’t add any tinsel or garland this year, but they have so many cute choices.

Shop tinsel and garland:

Step 4 – Decorate the Tree

These easy hook options are a must because so often ornament sets don’t come with hooks – or they’re hard to use. The gold ones are so pretty but the green hooks are also great because they can bend and close – which can come in handy when ornaments fall and lose their hooks. I love buying scentsicles for my artificial tree because it more it smell so yummy and real.

Shop hooks & scents:

Step 5 – Put Presents Under the Tree!

My Christmas Trees from the Past

Christmas 2023:

Last year I made bows using ribbon from Amazon and Anthropologie and attached them with green wire! My artificial tree was pre lit but I also attached a couple sets of clip-on candles that I could control with a remote! I think it looked so cute and nostalgic.

Shop my Christmas tree & decor:

Christmas Storage

Storing a an artificial tree and ornaments can be quite a headache. However, instead of keeping a raggedy cardboard box for your tree every year, a sturdy storage bag is so much easier to pack at the end of every season (for 7.5 foot or 9 foot). In order to keep your ornaments safe and for ease of use, a storage box is so worth it.

Tree and ornament storage:

When to Decorate a Christmas Tree

I love this debate! I typically decorate the week before Thanksgiving – which I know is way too soon for some people! If you’re getting a real tree then you’ll definitely want to wait so it lasts until the 25th. However, because my tree is an artificial tree, I can put it up whenever my heart desires. I love to be festive this time of the year, so I was eager to jump right into Christmas this year. No matter how early or late you decorate a tree, the timing will be magical!