18 Creative Ways to Decorate Your Christmas Tree This Season

“Bright, nontraditional embellishments add funky flair to your holiday decor.” —Katie Kime, designer in Austin, Texas

Various shapes and textures combine to form a lively and energetic arrangement. Bright yarn tassels offer an unexpected color pop, while metallic, mirrored, and iridescent accents reflect those vibrant shades. Use multiglobe branches to strategically fill out your design for a lush effect.

“Instead of an evergreen, dress up a tall cactus, euphorbia, or other sturdy houseplant for a quirky twist on tradition.” —Justina Blakeney, designer in Los Angeles

With a smaller footprint than a standard spruce, a potted plant is a great alternative for small-space dwellers. It also requires fewer decorations. Keep the embellishments consistent, using primarily brass and gold charms, then soften the overall look with a pom-pom garland or plush patterned fabric around the base.

“Balance sophisticated, artsy, and personal elements to create something that’s both stylish and meaningful.” —Rebecca Atwood, designer in Brooklyn, New York

Start with silver, gold, and blush baubles, then weave in sentimental mementos (Atwood opted for a lobster ornament to recall her New England roots). Finish with a traditional faux-cranberry garland. To tone down the formality of the look, arrange a few yards of indigo-dyed shibori fabric around the tree stand, tucking the hem under to form a rounded edge.

If you've committed to sticking with a metallic, then it is important to make it really shine. Far from the typical silver bells, work in unexpected charmers like letters, fun shapes, and unusual objects.

If you're afraid that a single color might not excite, then invite unexpected elements into your decorating style. Insects can transform into sophisticted accents when they sparkle. Letters coated in glitter (one for every family member) personalizes your tree. As for the topper, make sure it sparkles and shines.

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Red and green will always be the signature colors of the season, but it's okay to experiment with a new palette. Welcome tangerine and charcoal grey.

This fresh, modern combo lends itself to ornaments in unexpected shapes, sizes, and textures. Consider soft balls and pom poms because not all dazzling and eye-catching ornaments need to be fragile.

For a playful approach, call on the kids to trim the tree. Afraid it might get a little over-the-top? Simply encourage them to focus on one theme—like the safari—and then let them go wild.

A theme that is whimsical and untraditional can be totally appropriate. Keep the ornament assortment soft, fluffy, and unbreakable. For the topper, a pretty bird is a natural choice.

Small space dwellers can have just as much creativity when decorating a mini tree. Focus on a palette that's rich and unpredictable like gold, royal blue, and yellow.

Think out of the box when it comes to the ornaments. Beautiful baubles that were made for the mantel or credenza can easily take center stage on the branches.

While petite in size, this tree is bursting with loads of color and holiday cheer.

Dare to do something different on top: Give the angel the year off and choose a classic bow.

A Christmas tree garland instantly adds pops of color and rich texture to trees, banisters, even mantels. These festive strands can also act as miracle workers concealing those inevitable bare spots that you swore weren't there when you picked out the tree. Start by committing to one color palette. Choose something with depth, like a deep crimson, and then soften it up with complementary tones in pale pink, charcoal grey, and creamy ivory. As long as you stick within the same color family, you can play up the fun, unexpected factor like wrapping branches with pom poms, mittens, and mini ornaments. When it comes to the technique, it's all in the wrist: softly drape (note: avoid firmly stuffing) the strands along the branches.

Tree, balsamhill.com.

For starters, remember this is not a competition of old versus new. Thankfully, these ornaments can hang in harmony. In order for this to look just right, you'll need to decide which favorites complement—don’t compete with—one another. Take it slow and go through your selection one by one. Start with a vintage pick like a beautiful golden owl, and then work in a modern find like the hot pink filial to balance it off. Continue with this process until your tree is complete.

Tree, balsamhill.com.

You might have to make a few concessions when you’ve got pets and kids, but that doesn’t mean it’s not going to be as festive. Consider a tabletop tree that can stand out of harm’s way. (For the record, tabletop trees can be just as beautiful as their seven–foot siblings.) Shop for ornaments that are shatter–resistant (cotton, felt, wool) and made of non-toxic materials because there’s no telling when someone—who shall remain nameless—will go in for a licking. If one small tabletop tree isn’t enough for you, group a few together on a console table or mantel.

Here’s a trick: Skip the classic evergreen and pick a tree in an unexpected color like a winter white. The more untraditional the color, the bigger the impact it will make, which gives you the flexibility to go a little smaller on the size. When it comes to the ornaments, your existing collection should more than cover what this tree needs. Stick to one bold color so it really pops like red, magenta, or turquoise.

Start sorting. Empty the boxes and bins and organize the ornaments into categories: must-hang; maybe next year; never again. Once you’ve pared down to the tried–and–true favorites, find the palette that speaks to you. And it’s OK if it isn’t red or green. Dare to be a little different with a shocking lime green paired with shimmery neutrals. Then, focus on scale. Choose larger ornaments or ones with more unique shapes to hang first. Not only will these picks add more depth to the tree, they'll also take up more space, which means fewer ornaments will be required.