How to decorate a Christmas tree: your guide to styling your festive centrepiece
Decorating the Christmas tree is a time-honoured family tradition and brings loved ones closer to share in the festive spirit. We understand that styling your Christmas tree should be joyful and stress-free, so we’re sharing our tips on how to create a festive centrepiece that showcases your style with all of the fun and none of the fuss.
Find the perfect tree placement
Before putting up your tree, get a gauge of what space you have available. For smaller spaces a slimmer tree won’t take up too much room but still have a striking impact. If you’ve got a bigger area to fill, then you could opt for a tree over 7ft with a wider base.
If you’ve chosen a real Christmas tree, make sure it’s away from direct heat sources and top up with fresh water daily to prevent the needles from drying out too quickly.
Choose a theme that showcases your style
How you decorate your home this season is personal to you, so your decorations should reflect your style. We’ve put together five key themes this year to help you create a magical backdrop for your Christmas memories.
North Pole Shop
North Pole Shop captures the excitement of Christmas morning with classic reds and greens, candy-cane stripes, and charming festive characters that bring to life the magic of Santa’s workshop.
Bring this look into your living room with striped cushions, a cosy festive throw, and a collection of playful decorations. A traditional green Christmas tree provides the perfect backdrop for colourful baubles, while a toy train or soft Santa decoration adds a touch of nostalgia.
Classic Noel: timeless festive elegance
For a more traditional look, Classic Noel combines heritage-inspired decorations with rich berry reds, forest greens, and gold accents. It’s an elegant way to decorate your home while keeping the familiar colours of Christmas.
Choose velvet bows, glass baubles, and gold decorative pieces to give your tree a luxurious finish. You can carry the look through to your dining room with festive tableware, too!
A Country Christmas
Inspired by the countryside, this theme celebrates natural textures, woodland wildlife, and the warmth of a cosy lodge.
Start with a real or artificial green tree, then add decorations featuring robins, woodland animals, and rustic motifs. Green and white wooden nutcrackers, fabric bows, and natural-looking foliage complement the look beautifully.
Winter Wonderland
If you prefer a cooler colour palette, Winter Wonderland brings together snowy textures, silver accents, navy blue, and twinkling lights.
A frosted tree makes a striking centrepiece, especially when decorated with silver baubles, delicate feather decorations, and blue velvet bows. Introduce the same colours with cushions or a table runner to create a gentle connection between rooms.
Christmas Carnival: festive fun with personality
Christmas Carnival is all about colour, character, and the magic of a vintage circus. Statement stripes, golden stars, and whimsical decorations give this theme a wonderfully individual feel.
Try mixing red and green striped cushions with a colourful collection of baubles. Circus-inspired ornaments, hot-air-balloon decorations, and a wooden Christmas garland add interest to your tree or mantelpiece.
Fluff, shape, and prepare
Once you’ve chosen your tree and planned your theme, it’s time to put it all together! Whether you’ve chosen a real or artificial tree, how you structure it is essential. For an artificial tree, take a bit of extra time shaping each branch to create a natural silhouette, and for real trees gently trim any uneven sections and ensure the stand holds the tree upright and secure.
Add lights to your tree
Now here comes the fun part – the decorating! Lights provide the perfect base for any tree, and our top tip is to wrap them around the branches instead of draping them on the surface, as this creates depth and allows ornaments to take centre-stage. Start from the bottom and work your way upwards, weaving lights from the inside of the branches outwards.
Layer your decorations
Hanging your favourite decorations from the tree is a treasured Christmas memory for everyone. Whichever theme you’ve chosen, be sure to include decorations that are personal to you such as family keepsakes or handmade ornaments.
For a fuller looking tree, we suggest starting with larger and statement baubles placed deeper within the branches, working outwards with medium sized pieces, and finishing with smaller, delicate decorations towards the outer edges.
If you’re using garlands, ribbons, or beads, then hang them in a spiral pattern around the tree from top to bottom for a fun sense of movement.
Finish the look with a statement topper – a classic star or angel never goes amiss – and a decorative tree skirt or basket to conceal and protect the stand.
The final touches
Once you’ve finished decorating your tree, you can extend the Christmas spirit into the rest of your home. Decorate with matching wreaths and garlands or create festive motifs for the dining room table. You can also add reed diffusers or scented candles to capture Christmas for all the senses.
Creating a magical looking Christmas tree doesn’t have to be complicated, and the most important thing is that you have fun with it.
Discover styling inspiration with our Christmas collections, and don’t forget to drop by your local Dobbies store to explore our ranges in-person and say hello to Santa in his grotto in the process!