Christmas Decorating Without A Tree

35 showstopping ways to get festive in your home without a tree

Terrific tree-free decorating ideas

Whether you're short on space or simply don't want the hassle of a real Christmas tree, there are plenty of other ways to dress up your home for the holiday period. From joyful tree-free displays to alternative festive focal points for the living room, check out these inspired decorating ideas that won't droop or shed.

Build a winter village

Set a Christmas scene by putting together a miniature winter village. Look out for tealight holders in house shapes and set them together in amongst miniature tree decorations. Thread through fairy lights and complete the tiny town with a dusting of sparkly fake snow.

Jolly up with pom-poms

Make up for not having a tree by adding plenty of playful colours instead. This turquoise stag head has been transformed into a Christmas reindeer thanks to fillable baubles packed with pom-poms in rainbow shades. Tie in the statement with more – you guessed it – kaleidoscopic pom-pom art and vibrant printables offering fun festive messages.

Add a space-saver

This chic iron Christmas tree makes a compact alternative to the real thing, and is ideal for bedrooms. It's sleek and slender design with metal rings makes it perfect for small spaces where a traditional tree might not fit. The black finish creates a contemporary backdrop to colourful baubles and decorations tied with pretty ribbons. Don't forget the festive bedding to match.

Pop presents in new places

As a Christmas shortcut use your wrapped presents that would otherwise be under the tree as part of your Christmas décor. Smaller gifts make pretty props to display on sideboards when beautifully wrapped and stacked together in odd numbers.

Go mad with real greenery

Bring the outdoors in with plenty of greenery to make your home feel festive and smell lush just like a real Christmas tree would. Choose fragrant evergreens such as fern, eucalyptus and holly and drape branches and cuttings over beams and in doorways. Keep them bare for an organic and rustic vibe or dress the real foliage with fairy lights and hanging baubles to up the Christmas spirit.

Showcase the Christmas table

Highlight the dining area in an open-plan living room with a luxe and extravagant centrepiece suspended from the ceiling. Mix fragrant eucalyptus with flamboyant pink pampas grass to layer up an alternative and dramatic focal point for your Christmas table that will certainly wow.

Layer up a ladder

For those seeking a classic rustic feel this Christmas, an old ladder can make a surprisingly effective alternative to a tree. Ensuring it's safely secured to the wall, adorn with garlands, tree decorations and twinkling fairy lights. Depicting traditional festive scenes, these stunning glass baubles look completely enchanting.

Frame doors with a garland

Drape greenery around doorframes for a natural and traditional welcome. Take plain artificial garlands and hook or stick them up and around the opening, add battery operated lights and decorate with shatterproof decorations. Added dried oranges, cinnamon sticks and pine cones will create a fragrant walk through when guests make their entrance.

Hang handsome bunting

Spell out a festive statement with graphic flags. Get crafty and make your own with felt letters sewn onto alternating backdrops. Hang in a window or above a dressed mantelpiece to spread the Christmas message.

Work in a wonderland

Turn your home into a wonderland with a faux silver birch tree decorated with snowy baubles. The wintery silhouette will offer a sanctuary of calm within the chaos that the holidays can sometimes bring. As night draws in tiny lights twinkling from the branches will add an extra touch of magic to your space.

String up a constellation

Make a large dresser the star of the room by adorning the shelves with a beautiful assortment of twinkling gold stars. Especially effective against a dark backdrop, you can easily make your own constellation garlands at home with gold card. Enhance the look by filling the shelves with metallic accessories and shiny glassware.

Create a bauble wall hanging

There's no need to discard the Christmas tree decorations altogether– there are so many ways to get creative and festive in your home with baubles. Attach twine to a large branch and hang colour coordinated ornaments from it at graduated heights. Combining blue and white baubles with metallic stars, this wall hanging looks simple yet striking against a white wall.

Work with willow

Twisted willow makes an attractive rustic structure for decorating and looks especially enchanting when wound with fairy lights. Add extra impact with long, architectural branches and finish the scene by hanging stars from them to make your own woodland night sky.

Style up a sleigh

Without a Christmas tree, wrapped gifts will need a new home until the 25th of December. A charming wooden sleigh is a great solution for your festive storage needs. Not only will it add a whimsical touch to your living room, but it will keep presents organised too – it's Santa's favourite mode of transport after all!

Go overboard with garlands

Whether they are shop-bought or homemade, Christmas garlands are a timeless way to add instant colour and cheer. String paper chains along the mantel for an easy festive flourish or run wooden garlands from the ceiling for a rustic Nordic touch.

Paint a pegboard

Give your festive scheme a modern twist by creating a Christmas tree pegboard. Paint a green triangle on the front of a perforated board, then pop in some wooden spindles and hang an array of fun decorations. Set the board on a wooden bucket or pot to create the illusion of a tree trunk and place your presents below.

Create a new focal point

Without a Christmas tree, your living room needs an alternative festive focal point. If you have a hearth, why not make it the star feature? To frame your display, mount a wreath and place two mini trees either end of the mantelpiece. Then work inwards, layering white candles and lanterns with fir cones and pine sprigs. If your fireplace isn't functional, you could even string up a hessian banner.

Channel classic Christmas shapes

Who says storage can't be festive? Create a cosy fireside scene by storing fuel for the wood-burner in a tree-shaped log holder this Christmas. Bursting with rustic charm, all this setup is missing is a mug of hot cocoa.

Repurpose tree decorations

With so many quirky tree decorations hitting shops every year, it would be a shame to miss out on the latest designs. In the absence of a tree, why not hang them across banisters or loop them around balustrades? These London-themed tree decorations will offer guests a unique welcome in the hallway.

Wow with wood

If you're still yearning for that traditional Christmas tree silhouette, fear not. For a modern take on a Douglas fir, opt for a rustic wooden tree made from twigs and branches. An architectural festive focal point, you could even dress it up with baubles and garlands or keep it bare for the ultimate minimalist statement.

Get crafty with washi tape

If you're feeling creative and space is at a premium, why not mark out a mini Christmas tree with washi tape? For real impact, opt for a black tree frame and use red and white baker's twine as garlands in amongst some coloured paper stars. Wrap a few matchboxes with brown paper and place below to create an adorable 3D finish.

Stack Christmas crates

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A pyramid of wooden crates can make a great budget-friendly substitute for a conventional tree. Once you've nailed the silhouette, fill the crates with fun festive décor, from presents to wreaths and baubles. Put a twist on tradition and pop a lantern in place of a star or angel at the top. It'll also make a great spot for an Elf on the Shelf!

Style up a sideboard

Fill your house with the scent of Christmas by framing a sideboard with foliage. Hang natural fern and eucalyptus wreaths to introduce a fresh fragrance and decorate the unit with a matching garland and battery-operated candles. Twinkling fairy lights will make your display look especially magical in the evening.

Create a curtain of fairy lights

Don't be afraid to go a little extravagant when it comes to festive lighting. Hang a wall of twinkling fairy lights in your hallway from the ceiling and over the stairwell to create the feeling of a cosy Christmas grotto. If you're feeling adventurous, why not opt for lights in different colours or LED strip lights?

Fall for faux foliage

Reusable and oh so realistic, faux foliage is an easy way to add au naturel festive cheer to your home. Nestle artificial sprigs of ivy, holly and fir amongst candles on the mantelpiece and create easy arrangements in vases that can be moved around and placed anywhere. If the real thing is hard to come by, this beautiful faux garland with pine cones looks super realistic and can be brought out again year after year!

Give wall art a whirl

Put empty wall space to good use by creating your own Christmas tree-inspired wall art. Gather fallen branches in graduating sizes and mount them against a plain backdrop to create a tree shape. Adorn them with pine cones, sprigs of greenery, cute woodland ornaments and fairy lights to finish.

Makeover walls with a mural

Set the scene in your home this year with a full festive backdrop. A woodland-inspired wall mural design will look seasonally chic and subtly transform your interior into a snowy winter wonderland. We love this Scandi-style mural featuring reindeers, Christmas trees and a sprinkling of snow.

Give windows the wow-factor

For an elegant addition this Christmas, dress your windows with an array of glitzy baubles. Choose a plethora of different shapes in coordinating colours and hang them from lengths of ribbon at varied levels. Pop lanterns below to make the ornaments twinkle and glow in the evening.

Dress up doors

For a sprinkling of cheer in every room, don't overlook internal doors and frames – style up these blank canvases with a few choice decorations. Eucalyptus wreaths will stay fresh throughout the holiday period, while garlands of presents tied with string are charming and nostalgic.

Fold a festive napkin

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The festive table is a great place to add seasonal cheer in the absence of a tree. Create a colourful centrepiece using berries and foliage and learn the art of napkin folding to give every guest their very own fabric Christmas tree. A thoughtful touch, this nifty trick won't cost you a penny!

Go wild with wreaths

Outdoor Christmas decorating is all-important, but some might say a wreath is just as festive as a Christmas tree, so why stop at the front door? These festive arrangements make just as charming internal decorations. Bring colour and texture inside by hanging them on doors, above the mantelpiece and in windows. To add real wow-factor to a hallway, you could even hang them horizontally to create a striking halo effect.

Wheel out the console table

All too often relegated to the corner of the living room, now is the time for your console table to shine. Dress up the unit with a heavenly display of white candles, ceramics and presents. Elevate an unassuming console even further by hanging an oversized wreath above it to frame your festive display.

Plump for paper snowflakes

Sometimes it pays to pare things back a bit. Channel Scandi-style minimalism and make a stunning display of oversized paper snowflakes in an array of intricate designs. Hang them from the ceiling above a festive tableau of LED candles, fairy lights, foliage and pine cones. Finish the scene with cute wooden ornaments.

Make it personal

Make your festive scheme unique this year by displaying an array of homemade crafts across the mantelpiece. Decorate your own wreath, create minimalist paper trees and string up personalised stockings. Marry the festive scene together with garden foliage and garlands to create a crafty Christmas wonderland.

String up stockings

Bring in classic Christmas charm with an array of coloured stockings for the whole family. Plush velvet is particularly on-trend at the moment, so hang a row of tactile stockings from the mantel to draw the eye and pay homage to an age-old Christmas tradition.

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