How to Decorate Without a Christmas Tree

While a Christmas tree can light up an entire house and make a room look magical, it is possible to make your home look amazing for the season without having one.

There are many reasons people choose not to have a Christmas tree; they can’t afford to buy one; they don’t have the room; their old, artificial tree has seen better days and is missing pieces; or they have pets who like to climb the tree and chew on the branches. But don’t despair; there are lots of ways to decorate over the holidays without a tree.

First of all, take stock of what you have in your home that can be decorated. Great places to decorate are fireplace mantels, stair banisters, bookcases, doors, windows, and shelves. Basically, you can decorate anything that has any surface at all.

I have an old, artificial tree that is crooked and is missing parts. Last year I kept it in the box. Instead, I hung all the Christmas tree decorations that would fit on my living room mirror. This mirror is a piece of modern art; it features a small mirrored area with shoots or arms coming out of it. On these shoots are round reflective bits. I hung all the small ornaments I had on these shoots. You can see the photograph on the right. I was very happy with this and it looked very festive. Extra ornaments that either did not have a hanger or were too large were placed on various surfaces around the apartment.

I have a large collection of nutcrackers that I add to every year. I spread these nutcrackers throughout my apartment, placing them on any available shelves, the bathroom counter, the TV and the artificial fireplace mantel.

I also have several Christmas books which I put on display every year; those include picture books such as How the Grinch Stole Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas and seasonal stories such as A Christmas Carol and A Child’s Christmas in Wales. Also, my cassette tape of Patrick Stewart reading A Christmas Carol is also propped up. I also put a pile of Christmas movie DVDs such as Love, Actually, Jack Frost and A Christmas Story on my coffee table.

All of these items add up to a very Christmassy look. If I am having guests over, I will decorate my coffee table with a wrapping paper top. That adds to the decorations and also helps to protect my coffee table from spills. And of course, I have created a playlist on my iPod with hours of Christmas music that plays in the background.

Lights that you would have strung on your Christmas tree can be placed in a window, wrapped around a banister, or wrapped around your front door.Garlands and wreaths can be hung over the windows or the front door; if you like you can hang tree decorations from them. You can use Christmas stencils to spray designs on your windows or walls.

With all the decorations in every part of the home, you will not miss the tree. Gifts, instead of being piled under the tree, can be piled on a table or the floor, creating a decoration of their own.

So, as you see, you can have a perfectly lovely Christmas without a tree. Just think of how kind you are being to the environment without having to dispose of either a real tree or eventually an artificial one. Mother Nature will be very happy with you.