Decorating
Seasonal Decorating
By
Kristin Hohenadel
Kristin Hohenadel
Kristin Hohenadel has written on design for publications including the New York Times, Interior Design, Slate, Fast Company, and the international editions of Elle Decor.
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Published on 11/16/22
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Choosing a theme for your Christmas tree decorations can help you cut down on holiday decision fatigue if you’re feeling overwhelmed by choices. Embracing a lighthearted theme that doesn’t take itself too seriously is one way to curb the urge toward perfectionism and to avoid holiday burnout. For those who take their Christmas decorating seriously, choosing a theme can give you an organizing principle that will streamline your game plan and help you to achieve a stylish and pulled together look.
A Christmas tree theme can be as simple or elaborate as you wish. It can be obvious or subtle, something that is clear at first glance to any outside observer, or a more personal concept that is known only to you. You can base your Christmas tree decor on a memory, a dream, a color, or a mood. Your Christmas tree decorations can honor a loved one, memorialize a favorite place, or just be an expression of the style of your home, be it farmhouse, traditional, midcentury modern, coastal, boho style, or anything in between.
If you’re out of ideas or simply looking for inspiration, check out these Christmas tree themes in a range of styles and moods to help you jump start your holiday decorating in style.
The 23 Best Christmas Ornaments of 2023
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Gingerbread
A gingerbread-themed dining room Christmas tree from Inspired By Charm includes gingerbread stars and snowflakes, burgundy and gold ornaments, and presents wrapped in red plaid paper tied with white bows to create a homey, vintage holiday look and feel.
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Handmade
This simple tree from The Merrythought features handmade wood bead garlands and DIY etched oven-bake clay ornaments for an easy, minimal take on Christmas tree decorating with homespun appeal.
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Vintage
This vintage-inspired, maximalist take on holiday decor from blogger Liz Marie sticks to warm shades of off-white that complement her farmhouse decor. The tree is decorated with an eclectic mix of decorations that includes ribbons, remote-powered, clip-on candle effect lights, mercury glass balls, and quirky mini alpaca ornaments.
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Gradient Rainbow
This home office Christmas tree from Inspired By Charm is a multicolored ode to joy with its blend of shiny, matte, and glittered ball ornaments of varying sizes and hues that wrap the branches in a gradient rainbow effect.
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Black and White
This tree from Craftberry Bush has a black and white palette that is softened with delicate ornaments, a fluffy DIY feather garland, and touches of gold.
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Favorite Foods
This irreverent glowing pink Christmas tree from blogger Elsie Larson at A Beautiful Mess started with a crush on a croissant-shaped ornament, and ended up as a tribute to favorite foods. Larson enlisted her five-year-old daughter to help pick out a selection of food-themed baubles that immortalize pretzels, avocado halves, soy sauce bottles, cheeseburgers, and pizza.
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Moody
Interior designer Bria Hammel of Bria Hammel Interiors calls her most recent collection for Brooke & Lou "moody." This textural tree includes soft metallic tones and decorative odes to nature, including oversized antique copper balls in matte and shiny finishes, acorn velvet ornaments, bronze metallic fern sprays, and soft camel-colored stockings that create a soothing neutral Christmas scene with plenty of warmth and detail.
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High Contrast
Designer Annie Sloan created a chic minimalist Christmas tree that features bright red Christmas ball ornaments on a fresh green tree positioned against a navy blue wall that adds depth. A chalk paint makeover on the side table topped with a white vase with white branches adds balance and contrast.
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Scandinavian
This minimalist Scandinavian living room has a tall tree sparsely decorated with silver ornaments that stretches to the ceiling and floats in the middle of the airy open plan space, an effortless take on holiday decorating that epitomizes the less-is-more school of Scandi-style design.
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Old World Elegance
Interior designer Jeremiah Young of Kibler & Kirch transformed a Montana dining room into an over-the-top tribute to Old World Christmas style. The artificial tree is draped with glass bead garlands, colored glass ball ornaments, golden twinkle lights, and green ribbons for a rich and layered look that evokes the opulence of bygone eras. Nestled in the bay windows, the faux tree is filled out with fresh boughs of greenery—one of the designer's favorite holiday tricks to achieve a lush, full look.
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Midcentury Modern
John McClain Design decorated a Christmas tree in unconventional shades of green, blue, and orange that evoke the midcentury modern style of the living room and create a bright, shiny, party-ready vibe.
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Heightened Nature
Interior designer Bria Hammel of Bria Hammel Interiors calls her most recent collection for Brooke & Lou "natural," with its embellished take on natural elements that includes oversized rattan acorn ornaments, blue berry branches, glittery pine cones, and distressed gold scalloped metal bell ornaments.
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Charlie Brown
Interior designer Ginger Curtis of Urbanology Designs chose a Charlie Brown tree for this modern farmhouse living room that is set in a basket that is stuffed with a cozy blanket, a whimsical ode to simplicity that makes a big statement without making a fuss.
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Romantic
This romantic Christmas living room from Maison de Cinq is embellished with a tall artificial flocked fir tree decorated with hints of blush pink, creating a snow-capped appearance that sets off the room full of French-inspired decor.
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Alpine Forest
Instead of opting for one big tree, Finding Lovely gave this Christmas family room an alpine feel with a trio of trees that were harvested on a family trip, thanks to a $5 National Park permit, and displayed in vintage crocks for an effortless, forest-inspired look.
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Woodland Glam
Inspired By Charm decorated the front entryway with a woodland glam-themed Christmas tree decked with pheasant, owl, deer, squirrel, and other woodland creatures. The tree is wrapped with ribbons and pine cones, and a mix of matte and shiny teal, silver, and gold ball ornaments adds color and shine.
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Storybook
Sandra Foster's Victorian tiny house in the Catskills of New York is decorated with a diminutive Christmas tree lit with real candles like an enchanting Christmas scene from another century. It goes without saying, be sure to keep a close watch on open flames to avoid a fire hazard.
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Candlelight
If the thought of using real candles is too intimidating, The House That Lars Built decorated this Christmas tree with glittery DIY paper candle ornaments that celebrate the pure beauty of light, no safety precautions required.
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Ski Chalet
Emily Henderson Design decorated this mountain living room with a tall tree dolled up for Christmas in shades of white, soft textures, and a streamlined palette of green and white gives the room a cozy, ski chalet feel.
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Botanical
Casa Watkins Living created a botanical-themed Christmas tree decorated with faux ivy, spider plants, palm leaves, pink ball ornaments, and orchids.
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Black Notes
Lindye Galloway Studio+ Shop added pops of black to this neutral-toned Christmas living room, adding definition and a graphic touch to the tree and mantel that feels fresh and modern.
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Muted Tones
Designer Annie Sloan chose a sophisticated take on traditional Christmas red and green for this tree decorated in shades of deep salmon and pistachio that look understated and elegant against rich rust-colored walls.
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All-White Farmhouse
This farmhouse living room from blogger Liz Marie is decked out in creamy shades of white, including a pair of flocked Christmas trees that fit seamlessly with the monochromatic decor.
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Traditional
Marie Flanigan Interiors added Christmas flair to a traditional living room with a large tree decorated in shades of blush and silver. A long silver ribbon on the asymmetrical fireplace garland ties it all up in a bow.
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Santa
Courtney St. John Studio decorated a towering tree in an East Vail, CO townhome with an army of colorful vintage-style Santa ornaments that blends in with holiday decor focused on collectibles and antiques and a classic red, green and plaid color scheme carried throughout the home.
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Snowy Pine Cones
This Christmas tree from Inspired By Charm is a stylized celebration of the simple beauty of a snowy pine cone. The tree is festooned with a mix of oversized snowy natural pine cones and pine cone-shaped ornaments in many shapes and sizes. The tree is filled out with white beaded garlands, a sprinkling of snowflake ornaments, and gold, silver, and green Christmas ball ornaments to add color and shine.
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Scandi Inspired
Lindye Galloway Studio+ Shop decorated this Christmas tree with seasonal greens and wood bead garlands that complement the natural tones and soft neutrals of the Scandi style-inspired living room.
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Coastal
Finding Silver Pennies decorated the Christmas tree in this Christmas living room in a quiet mix of silver and gold ornaments that complement the white and blue tones of the relaxed coastal decor of the historic home located on the harbor in Scituate, MA.
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Solid Gold
Sugar and Charm added a solid gold Christmas tree to an all-white holiday table setting that adds warmth and bling and could work in any setting that needs a 24-carat lift.
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Cool Metallic
Navy, emerald green, and cool metallic accents decorate this Christmas apartment living room from Inspired By Charm.
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Preserved Florals
This Cornwall, U,K. living room from Unique Homestays is decorated with preserved foliage garlands and tree decorations that are lit with golden twinkle lights to add warmth and contrast with the concrete finishes of the interior and cool ocean views.
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Blue and White
This blue-and-white Christmas tree from Thistlewood Farms proves that this popular color combo doesn't just work in coastal interiors. A fresh eucalyptus topper adds a natural element and a pleasing scent.
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White Flowers
Finding Lovely added a paper garland of oversized white flowers to add a soft touch to her light and natural holiday living room decor. The garland says Christmas while draped on the tree branches, but is neutral enough to be repurposed throughout the year for birthdays or other celebrations.
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White Berries
This pale-toned living room Christmas tree from Casa Watkins Living is decorated with a mix of faux white berry branches and blue hydrangeas to add volume. Alphabet-shaped and DIY painted tribal driftwood ornaments fill out the branches and complement the boho style decor.
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Upside Down
If you have a big house and enjoy putting up more than one tree, keep it from feeling repetitive by using trees of different shapes and sizes, displayed in different ways. Thistlewood Farms hung an upside down mini Christmas tree from a ceiling hook in a window by the back door and decorated it with mostly white ornaments to create a surprising twist on holiday decor.
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Sunflowers
This sunflower Christmas tree from Sara Toufali is a surprising and unconventional take on holiday decor that looks at home in the laid back, bohemian style living room.
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Ombre
This DIY painted ornament ombre tree from Lovely Indeed is a celebration of a favorite shade that is personal and eye-catching.
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Bright and Punchy
This modern Christmas living room from Emily Henderson Design has an all-white tree that allows ornaments in primary shades of red and green to pop. Blue accents on throw pillows and upholstery add another dimension to the upbeat seasonal vibes.
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Cozy Knit
This modern farmhouse Christmas tree from blogger Liz Marie is as cozy as a winter sweater, with a chunky knit garland and golden twinkle lights that complement the snowy flocked branches.
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Kids
This kid-friendly Christmas tree from Emily Henderson Design is a celebration of childhood, with playful decorations that include personalized framed photo ornaments that will make kids feel special and create cherished keepsakes as they grow up too fast.
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Cozy Lodge
This family room Christmas tree from Inspired By Charm was built around the concept of a cozy winter ski lodge, decked with red knit sweater-themed ribbon, and ornaments in the shape of mini skis and plaid hot cocoa mugs. Candy canes and red, white, and green beaded garlands fill out the branches.
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Snowflakes
Thistlewood Farms decorated a Christmas tree with snowflake ornaments carried onto a chalkboard wall to reinforce the theme. Vintage and DIY decorations complement the snowflakes to create a cozy modern farmhouse look.
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Classic
A tree adorned with red, green, and gold accents is a Christmas classic that never goes out of style, like this one from Emily Henderson Design.
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Icy
This teen bedroom Christmas tree designed by Shavonda Garnder for Emily Henderson Design is decorated with icy shades of pale blue and silver that are contrasted with bright yellow accents.
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Sepia Toned
This Christmas living room from Brexton Cole Interiors includes a small Christmas tree decked with brown ribbons that tie into the sepia-toned color palette and decor of the room filled with antiques and formal furnishings.
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Global
This "colorful global boho" tree from Casa Watkins Living includes Indian garlands made of handmade fabric elephants; light-up Moroccan lantern ornaments; a DIY shibori wreath ornament; and faux palm leaves andtangerines.
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Naked
Located north of Copenhagen, this Danish home perched above the sea and backed by a forest has a covered porch decked out with a minimalist Christmas tree that adds a festive feel while blending in with the outdoor setting. Even if you don't live on the Scandinavian coast, consider adding a simple Christmas tree to an outdoor space to make it as magical as the inside. Or add some simple, natural decor to an existing tree outside to dress it up for the holidays without cutting anything down.