There are few traditions more festive than decorating one's Christmas tree. With hot chocolate in one hand and a strands of spangle in the other, how one decorates their freshly-chopped fir (or artificial tree, for that matter) is endless. While there are timeless traditions for tree decoration, trends, too, take centre stage each year. Whether it's swathed in twinkly lights and lanyards of homemade popcorn-and-cranberry tinsel or covered star-to-stump in homemade gingerbread biscuits, we've rounded up the this year's trendiest Christmas trees.
Decorating a 16 foot Christmas tree – sourced from York Christmas Trees – is no mean feat, but the real challenge is getting the tree upright in the first place. It took a long time, a lot of friends helping and a scaffold to get the tree in place in House & Garden Editor Hatta Byng's house, and then the decorating could begin. Warm white lights and pretty bows create a charming, country house tree, topped with a star.
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In her brilliantly clever shepherd's huts at Aller Dorset, Cat Wickins has added festive touches for Christmas guests, including little trees festooned with colourful streamers, delightful illustrated baubles and lovely striped bows – which you can buy giant versions of from the online shop. We particularly love the gingham paper chains too.
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“I love a full Christmas tree! I use ribbons, fabric remnants and our Stripey Candy Cane Ties to add colour and pattern onto the tree. I nestle tinsel in close to the tree trunk to reflect the fairy lights and give the tree more sparkle, along with tinsel lametta dripping off the branches. Topping it all off with lots of our Striped Tangier Wonky Star decorations.”
"Our tiny tree lives outside in a terracotta pot for most of the year and we bring him in for Christmas. We usually have friends around to decorate it with a load of canapés and the weekend papers to mark the start of the festive season. I prefer natural materials in the same bright jolly colours that feature throughout our home: olives, oranges, chocolate browns and fiery reds. I start with the lights and tiny patterned paper chains. Most of our decorations are from the first Christmas tree my partner and I bought together about a decade ago, there are some slightly frazzled feathered robins and pheasants that perch on the branches, straw stars that tie on with red string and the occasional dried orange. Every year I usually make one handmade decoration for somewhere in the house, this year I made a little metal cut out of our elderly terrier Willy who passed away in the spring, now he can join us for Christmas every year as the angel on top of the tree.”
“This year I have a living outdoor tree and am keeping it simple with dried allium heads teamed with hand-cut brass and plaster hanging leaves on red ribbon from my Christmas collection. My life and work are deep rooted in the beauty of nature so it feels natural to decorate my tree in the same way. I love foraging for the perfect flora and foliage to use and their pared back raw beauty provides a gorgeous contrast to the jewel-like quality of my brass leaves which twinkle in the candlelight - a bit of Christmas sparkle.”
Interior designer Marie-Louise Sjögren has created a romantic, nostalgic tree using a very unconventional decoration: baby's breath. The white buds are like a snow dusting on the fir, topped with pastel ribbons to heighten to prettiness of this lovely tree.
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“My Grandfather always said ‘Why gild the lily?’ I love the natural beauty of a tree, lit very simply with warm twinkly fairy lights, and decorated with black ivy berries and beautiful Acer leaves - it reminds me of Aubrey Beardsley’s illustrations for The Twelve Dancing Princesses. The leaves will dry out but they keep their shape and colour. Nature is the greatest artist of all.”
“Paul and I started building our Christmas decorations 19 years ago – each individual decoration or collection of decorations tell a story of place and time from joint travels and especially my travels with work as I was often abroad in November and December, so I have collected little pieces from Milan, Kiev, Stockholm, New York etc. Each year we slowly build and add more – last year was a beautiful porcelain quince from Unpolished Space, this year, a heavenly brass holly leaf from artist Jess Wheeler. We always have ribbons and usually get these from the fabulous VV Rouleaux in Marylebone. We always try and forage lots of old man’s beard, which is our answer to tinsel – it has a wonderful ethereal quality to it – for 2023 we are still on the hunt! Dried fennel heads are great too if we can muster, the smell is divine! Feather birds are also a permanent feature on our tree – the more camp the better. We don't have an overall theme for our tree but a slow evolution of decoration.”
“We’ve got two Christmas trees at home this year. One of which is more stylised using monochrome decorations, and disco balls, with pink tinsel and warm white fairy lights, and the other of which has been decorated entirely by our two children and includes lots of homemade decorations. The fairy at the top of the tree, who has two pet Dalmatians, catches the morning light which appears very ethereal!”
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“I went for a rust and burnt orange colour scheme this year, tying long velvet ribbons and our Sharland England rattan bells to the tree. My daughters love helping make pomander oranges which make the room smell delicious, and I love a real log fire too. Dark and cosy early mornings with a cup of tea feel a bit magical in this room!”
“This year we decided to make the tree all about our daughter Dolly. It’s the sweetest little Dolly size and we decorated it with pom-poms that we made together, teamed with ribbons and topped with her favourite tiny teddy and an oversized bow made from my favourite Cabbages & Roses faded stripe fabric."
Former content director at Mr Porter, Jeremy Langmead has created a brilliant kitsch Christmas tree for 2023. Proudly artificial, he's covered his faux snow covered, pre lit tree in the ‘least festive baubles’ going.
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Interior designer Beata Heuman shared a few festive snaps on her Instagram, including her Christmas tree in slide 4. The photos show her new showroom, 188 Hammersmith Road, decorated with with Kitten Grayson florals and Jess Wheeler brass decorations. Her tree has been frosted with lengths of velvet ribbons, cut from her own fabric collection.
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This year, the freelance editor and founder of @aconsideredspace opted for a charmingly bauble-saturated look. Using decorations she's been collecting since she was 16, her tree is bustling with adornments of all shapes and sizes.
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Creative consultant Lucy Williams has decked out her tree with lengths of ribbon tied in bows, paper baubles and pressed tin decorations. The resulting tree is coordinated without feeling overdone.
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Jewellery designer Jessica McCormack shared a picture of her extravagant Christmas tree, complete with a working train set chugging around the branches.
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Artist and designer Robin Lucas shared a picture of his Christmas tree on Instagram. As per his traditions, the tree is lit only with real candles and lametta. The latter is hung to look like icicles.
