40+ Best Alternative Christmas Trees to Decorate Any Space in Your Home
How fun is a balloon tree?!
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Don’t get the wrong idea: We’ll always love a traditional cedar or pine Christmas tree—there’s nothing like picking out the one that will shine in your front hallway or living room. All twirled up with sparkling lights, homemade Christmas garlands, crochet Christmas ornaments passed down through generations, and topped off with a shiny Christmas tree topper. But we're also not opposed to mixing up the holiday decor with an alternative Christmas tree. Especially when you realize that planned trip to the Christmas tree farm just isn’t going to happen this year and you also don't want to spend all of January vacuuming up needles. For those reasons, we’ve done some digging and rounded up our all-time favorite non-traditional Christmas trees to spark some creativity for your counter, wall or small space décor.
There are a few reasons why you might try a “non-tree Christmas tree". For starters, space constraints can cause you to think outside the box. Maybe the traditional holiday hues clash with your home’s hues (rainbow Christmas trees anyone?), or you just want to add a little more holiday to other rooms without breaking the bank.
Alternative Christmas trees provide a unique way to put your own creative spin on tried and true customs, inspiring friends and family to ask, "How did you do that?!" From flower frogs to paper to even live plants, here are all the ways you can go about creating an alternative Christmas tree. You’ll die over the warm woolen mittens and pom-pom ornaments!
Fringed Sheet Music Trees
A few simple materials is all it takes to create these frilly yet sophisticated holiday display. Get the instructions here.
Doily Display
With their snowflake-like appearance, this ladies’ luncheon staple lends wintry whimsy to a wall. Use double-sided tape to attach paper doilies in a triangular shape, then group smaller ones to create the square trunk.
Bingo Forest
Decorate the mantel, buffet, or kitchen island with a slew of paper trees made from vintage bingo cards.
To make: Cut three to five half-tree-shaped pieces from matching bingo cards (with one edge flat and the other jagged). Hot-glue the flat edges to a 3/8-inch dowel, fanning them out to create a 3D tree shape. Finish with a bingo tile topper using hot-glue. Place dowels in tall wooden spools for easy display.
Prize “Pine”
Green horse show ribbons (usually awarded for sixth place) arranged in the shape of a tree add country charm to a cabin or cottage.
Blanket Statement
For a striking display, start with a green quilt (we scored ours on Etsy). Cut a 1/2-inch-thick piece of foam core to the desired triangle size.Wrap your quilt tightly around the foam core and secure in place with straight pins (no cutting needed!). Set on a picnic basket “tree trunk.”
Terra-Cotta Tannenbaum
Stacked in descending size andwrapped with felt garland, weathered flowerpots make for a pretty garden-themed decoration ona porch or in a potting shed.
Ornament Christmas Tree
Create ornament covered trees using either vintage or new ornaments. Add garland or lights for a little extra sparkle. The best part is, you can save these trees for many years to come!
Tart Tin Christmas Tree
Need a tabletop tree for your kitchen island? Round up a collection of vintage tart pans in varying sizes! Top with a vintage star-shaped baking mold and accent with a charming snow scene.
Pumpkin Stack Christmas Tree
We know this might be a stretch, but if you're anything like us and save your pumpkins long after Halloween has passed, this might be for you. Try for shades of green and add garland or even small ornaments to take it from fall to winter.
Garland Christmas Tree
You can create this in many different shapes and sizes, but we like this small nod to a Christmas tree by hanging ornaments directly from the greens. You can simply create this on a mantel or even against a wall, with a little peak at the top to create the shape of a tree.
Flower Frog Tree
You may not have a green thumb, but this is a sure fire way to keep your "evergreen" christmas tree thriving all year round! Stacked flower frogs trimmed with small bauble ornaments add a dash of horticulture to the holiday season.
Suitcase Christmas Tree
If you're a jetsetter during the holidays, then this is an easy alternative Christmas tree for you! Give trunks and suitcases–often found in varying shades of green—new life. Create a garland of old tickets, ski passes, and luggage tags.
Funnel Tree
A tree that can even give the Tin Man heart palpitations! Nestle galvanized funnels (the rustier the better) in assorted sizes to merry up a counter or open shelving. String wooden beads on bakers twin for a fun garland.
Hanging Mittens Tree
The perfect use for mittens that have lost their matches: A triangular wall display that's right at home in a mudroom or other "bundle up" zone. Pin pom-pom ornaments in pastel shades to the "branches."
Jadeite Plate Tree
A wall set for 10 or more! Hang dinner plates in a pyramid shape—on your kitchen or dining wall, perhaps?—using adhesive plate hangers. Add saucers for dimension if you'd like, and top it off with your collection of vintage silver demitasse spoons in a starburst using wire and tiny nails.
Christmas Card Tree
What to do with all your Christmas cards? Turn them into a tree, of course! A pile of gifts placed in a galvanized bucket makes the perfect tree trunk.
Bookshelf Christmas Tree
Gather your green books and create a tiered tree by layering the books on three different shelves with pretty accents placed throughout. Get creative with the "tree topper" with any hangable item.
DIY Print Christmas Tree
You might just want to keep this Christmas tree wall art up from Thanksgiving until New Year's!
Get the tutorial at Almost Makes Perfect.
Hay Bales Alternative Christmas Tree
Show off your country pride with this eye-catching tree made of hay bales. It's sure to get the attention of your neighbors!
Chalkboard Alternative Christmas Tree
With a chalkboard Christmas tree, you can change the trimmings whenever you like! Simply use chalkboard paint to create a triangle shape on a piece of plywood and use chalk to decorate your tree.
Get the tutorial at Jaymee Srp.
Shelby Deering is a freelance lifestyle writer who frequently covers home design and decor for national publications. She has worked as a full-time freelance writer for over a decade, and has worked in the industry for nearly 20 years, writing home tours, interviewing top designers, and beautifying her own home. She holds a master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and when she's not writing, you can find her at thrift stores and flea markets, running, or exploring local trails in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband and corgi, Dolly.
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