How to Decorate Small Christmas Trees

Jennifer Lutz: Hi, I’m Jennifer with Balsam Hill. Today, I’m decorating small trees, three different ways. To create a bit of visual impact, I’ve used three trees, two 30-inch and one 42-inch Balsam for tabletop tree to create a charming display.

I’m going with three different themes. We have cozy neutrals, vintage memories, and finally, the jewel tone Christmas tree theme. Before you start decorating, take time to fluff your tree. Start at the back of the tree and move toward the front of the tree, adjusting branches, bending outward, and lifting upward. Separate each tip to create an even full look.

I love a neutral tree because it coordinates with any home and creates a warm and welcoming space. For a cozy neutral tree, I layered warm creams, whites, wood tones, and pine cones for a natural understated look. I crafted DIY stacked wooden beads and paired those with porcelain star ornaments and finished the tree with a textured ribbon.

To make stacked wooden bead ornaments, you need wooden beads, twine or string, and scissors. First, measure out and cut a piece of twine, then, triple knot it. Next, string beads in a pattern, varying sizes and colors. Finish by creating a loop to hang the ornament.

Honestly, it doesn’t get more simple than these DIY stacked wooden bead ornaments. My daughter and I spent an hour one afternoon listening to Christmas music and stringing beads and created enough for a full tree or three small trees. As you hang ornaments, spread them out evenly throughout the tree to create balance.

Next, add ribbon for texture. With this ribbon, I wrapped it around the tree at a horizontal angle, tucking sections toward the center to give it depth and movement. Finally, I added some pine cones to bring a bit of the outdoors inside.

The beauty of decorating with small trees is that they leave a small footprint and can be grouped together on the hearth, by stairways, front doors, or any place that you want to add a bit of holiday warmth.

Do you love to mark the passing of time and create a bit of nostalgia? This vintage memories tree is a great choice. This tree is a nod to the past with memory tags, classic car ornaments, and traditional Christmas elements like berries and plaid ribbon. I’ve paired simple wooden name tags filled with important dates and memories along with festive ornaments from Balsam Hill.

For memory tags, here’s what you need, wooden tags, permanent marker or pen, twine or ribbon, and scissors. To make memory tags, cut twine or ribbon to desired length, tie onto each wooden tag, write out your favorite memories for the year or Christmas past.

To decorate your memory tree, begin by adding ribbon. For each tree, I started at the top, tucking in wired ribbon in large loops like a cascading waterfall. Next, hang ornaments. I like to balance ornament’s shapes, sizes, and colors, making sure that they’re dispersed throughout the tree and well-balanced. Finally, stand back and enjoy all your holiday memories, both past and present.

This would be a great project for the entire family. Have everyone spend a few minutes jotting down important milestones or memories from the past year. I picture these trees in a family cottage that you often gather in for holidays and special occasions, or it would be a perfect addition to your cozy family room at home, where you can enjoy reminiscing with your loved ones.

If you’re drawn to elegance, this jewel tone tree is for you. These trees remind me of a proper English Christmas, the kind you read about in a Jane Austen novel, filled with elegance and beauty.

Once again, layering is key. From hand-dyed velvet ribbons to glass bulbs filled with pheasant feathers and finished with exquisitely crafted egg ornaments that remind me of the famed Fabergé eggs.

To create your own feather-filled glass bulbs, here’s what you need, craft feathers, glass bulbs, ornament hooks. Take off the top of the glass ornament. Next, insert at least three small feathers into the interior of the bulb, add enough to fully line the glass bulb with feathers.

For a bit of color and texture, take three small feathers, you may need to trim them, and secure to the outside of the glass bulb with a metal ornament topper. You can add some glue from a glue gun if you want to further secure the feathers. Place the metal top back on the ornament, add a hook or ribbon to hang.

I love the texture, color, and warmth that the pheasant feathers bring to this tree. I used smaller feathers to fill the glass bulbs, and then, I used longer pheasant feathers as picks to add depth. Finish decorating the tree with ribbon. In this case, I used a combination of one-inch hand-dyed velvet ribbon along with three-inch wired metallic ribbon.

Varying ornament and ribbon sizes, along with patterns and textures as layers of warmth and visual interest. These trees are rich in both color and charm.

When decorating for the holidays, I like to coordinate colors throughout a room. This includes candles, stockings, and even pillows. For more ideas, check out our Balsam Hill blog. Wishing you the happiest of holidays.