12 creative Christmas tree decorating ideas
on September 14, 2017
Christmas gives us lots of opportunities to express ourselves, but taking advantage of them sometimes requires a little inspiration. So to help you into that holiday headspace, we asked 12 creative folks here at Hallmark to get personal—in Christmas-tree form. The results were just delightful. Flip through the slideshow below to see what we mean…and to get excited about the possibilities of your own holiday decorating.
Inspired? Create and share with #MyHallmark.
Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas & Themes
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Sweet Gingerbread
“I’ve been baking gingerbread houses since I was a child—for me, nothing signals the start of the holiday season like the smell of freshly baked gingerbread. Inspired by the houses I’ve made every year, I decided to decorate my tree in gingerbread, too. I constructed a gingerbread box around the base of my tree, and then I adorned the branches with fondant snowflakes covered with festive dragées. Even the garland is made of fondant.” —Bernard Shondell 
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Happy Halloweenidays!
“My favorite day of the year is Halloween, so if I can stretch it throughout the year I’ll do it! I have an 8½-foot-tall Christmas tree at home that is completely decked out in Halloween ornaments that I’ve been collecting since I was a teenager.” —Andrea Ring
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A Scandinavian Christmas
“My Grandma Betty was Swedish, and my Grandpa Rube was Norwegian, so I have always had a Scandinavian association with Christmas. My dad has kept up the traditions of our heritage—making a big batch of lefse (Norwegian flatbread) every Christmas Eve, which we all take turns flipping. Birchwood, cozy sweaters (or knitting), cold Iowa snow, reindeer bells, Norwegian recipes…these were all elements of a ‘God Jul’ (Merry Christmas) in my family.” —Amber Goodvin
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Woodland Scene
“I have been collecting antique Christmas ornaments for years and have a special interest in finding old mushrooms, whether they are German glass or spun cotton. In the spirit of the early Christmas lore of mystical mushrooms and woodland traditions, I was inspired to make my own. I love to fill my Christmas tree with little mushrooms I made from felt, sparkly cotton snowballs, Lapland reindeer and forest gnomes.” —Betsy Gantt
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Snow Day!
“Everyone loves a snow day, no matter what age they are. For me, some of my favorite childhood memories are the ones we spent outside in the snow. Sledding was practically a sport! Not to mention snowball fights with my sister, and snow slushies afterwards. I still go jump around in the snow whenever we get a good snowfall here—and just like that, I feel like a kid again.” —Em Bronson
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Royal Splendor
“I am all about my hometown, Kansas City. And one thing KC is all about is sports. Especially baseball…especially Royals baseball. I grew up with the Royals as part of our family. We were always going to games, or there was always a game on TV or the radio. My dad even tried out for the team. Baseball is a very important part of our family, and it’s still one of my loves to this day—Go Royals!” —Sara Werner
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Holidays Merry and Bright
“For many years, I’ve been making tiny embroidered wool felt gifts I like to call ‘day brighteners.’ Some have little pockets where I can put tiny messages. I like to mail or hand deliver them (sometimes secretly) to friends and family to brighten their day or give them support and comfort. This year I decorated my tree with them—so as guests visit through the season, they will be able to choose one from the tree to take home and brighten their holiday.” —Susan Crilley
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A Himmeli Christmas
“My husband and I got married this year, and I wanted to celebrate our first Christmas with a tree that represented our very own ‘best day ever.’ I love succulents (they are all over our home), and last year I learned to make himmeli (traditional Finnish Christmas decorations made from straw or similar material). The airiness and geometric feel of the himmeli with the clean lines and cool colors of the succulents really complemented each other. So naturally, those two elements were a part of our wedding, and now are a part of our Christmas tree, too.” —Lindsay Stanley
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Snowflake Frivolité
“I was inspired by my grandma to learn how to make tatted lace. Although she didn’t tat herself, she had a tatted butterfly framed on her wall for as long as I can remember. I grew up admiring that butterfly—how delicate it was and how amazing it was to me that somebody created it. Now it hangs on my wall! Now that I tat, I like to use a fine thread to create snowflake ornaments—they look so airy and fragile, like real snowflakes. I share them with family and friends, but I keep some to decorate my Christmas tree—it’s like bringing a gentle snowstorm indoors, but without the melting.” —Alyssa Dienhart
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Quilted Traditions
“Quilting has been an important part of my life, especially since I joined the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild. The art of quilting has been passed down many generations in my family, all the way down to my mom teaching me to quilt and sew when I was a child. I liked creating these little quilt ornaments because they’re a mix of old and new. I incorporated fabrics passed down from my Grandma Sienknecht with fabrics from my own stash—including some from my wedding! Then I added in a bit of hand quilting to represent my Grandma Larson. I even added pockets on the back of some of them so we can write little wishes or hopes for the holiday and upcoming year. Next year, we can pull out the ornaments and read over what we’d written this year. It will be fun tradition to start.” —Katie Larson
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Native American
“I designed a Native American tree in honor of my cultural background. My mother was a full-blooded Muscogee Creek Native American. I was brought up around a rich heritage of language, food, music and art. On my tree are ‘God’s Eyes’—which can have different meanings from different tribes, but to me they stand for the power to see and understand things unknown. I also have ‘Dream Catchers’ which symbolize magical webs hung above a bed to catch all bad dreams and allow only good dreams to enter as we sleep.” —Cindy Moody
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Homespun Holiday
“When my kids were born, I began making one ornament for them each year so they’d have a box full for their first Christmas on their own. Due to my poor planning skills, I always seem to finish the ornaments at the last minute, and some don’t get finished until the tree is headed back down to the basement. But every year I’m still determined. The kids enjoy getting them out and seeing their hobbies and phases from past years played out on the tree, so I’m really happy I started this tradition—and have managed to keep it up!” —Jeanne Field
