The New Year 2024 is right around the corner! Astrologers claim that the upcoming year’s representation, the Green Wooden Dragon, prefers wooden toys, soft felt figurines, and golden boho-style embroidered baubles. These are just a few options: setting up your Christmas tree is nothing less than a design mission accomplished in many ways. To do this, let’s find out elegant Christmas tree decorating ideas and what shades are best.
We have done all the hard work for you and gathered the most exciting Christmas tree decorating ideas. However, don’t forget: decorations are not just about following the horoscope but, most importantly, aligning with your personal preferences.
When Can You Decorate the Tree for the New Year?
For most of us, it may be difficult to resist the urge and unpack all the ornaments once the first snowflake hits the ground. However, setting up your Christmas tree too early may lead to even the most creative and original decor losing its magic before it's time to farewell the Rabbit, the emblem of 2023.
Nevertheless, December 25 is a tad too late to begin the search for an original and beautiful solution. The optimal period falls on December 1-2: this gives you enough time to renew the decorations that went out of style and place the first surprises under the fir branches.
Why Do People Decorate the Christmas Tree Before New Year?
It is believed that this tradition came from medieval Germany. During this time, the Germanic people had a tradition of making a deal with evil spirits at the end of each year. The forest was believed to be the source of all magic and the unknown, while the spruce connected the worlds of the living and the dead. Therefore, the Germans had a tradition of bringing something valuable to these trees and placing it under them (or hanging it up). Food, treats, and even weapons could be offered. Then, the decorated tree tradition has gradually been transported inside our homes.
What Colour Should You Decorate the Tree for New Year 2024?
In 2024, ideal hues will be the stylish classics – vivid gold, red, and green. The decor can range from restrained to extravagantly lush, aligning with these timeless and festive hues. However, avoid cool and dark shades.
Celebration of Greenery
Above all, the Green Wooden Dragon appreciates fir branches with their lively, textured needles. This year, you don't even have to decorate the Christmas tree: simply preserve its pristine beauty by placing just a few minimalistic baubles.
Full Red
The Dragon is a fire sign, so it likes everything red. Moreover, Chinese New Year traditions see this hue as the most essential part of the celebration. When combined with green, a luxurious combination emerges, perfect for both the tree and the wreathes, usually hung on the door or window.
More Gold
The Dragon signifies the return of the most traditional colours — gold and yellow. This trend works reliably and consistently every year. Want to make your tree look expensive and festive? Just dress it in gold!
However, some designer Christmas tree decorating ideas suggest going even further and opting for an entirely golden tree!
Trends for 2024: How to Stylishly Decorate the Christmas Tree
We have gathered five solutions to approaching this task to inspire your best choice based on personal taste.
Rustic Naivete
Even though natural, muted shades of dark brown, beige, and sandy are not the favourite colours of the upcoming year’s symbol, they still very well demonstrate the essence of its "wooden" material. As such, felt toys in warm, natural shades reminiscent of various wood colours are expected to trend.
The motto of rustic decor is simplicity, so homemade Christmas tree toys and tabletop figurines from untreated logs are especially appropriate here.
The only downside to this naturalistic approach is its paleness. If you feel like your space lacks something, consider wreaths made of natural materials: pine cones, nuts, and branches.
Boho-Style Tree
The mighty emblem of 2024 is a fan of luxury, sparkle, and glamour, with its scales shining and dazzling in the spotlight. This symbol is easily enticed by the brilliance of treasures (everyone knows that flying lizards adore anything shiny). The most suitable here, therefore, is boho: beads, beads, feathers, embroidery, golden threads — and plenty of it.
Charming Vintage
For several years now, there has been nothing more relevant in interior design than naive figurines wrapped in fluffy half-coats, rolling down the hills or hurrying home with small sacks behind their backs. Among vintage toys, you can also find stunningly realistic figures of birds and angels with feathered wings. Another beautiful idea is to hang delicate narrative paintings.
Bold Avant-Garde
When looking for contemporary Christmas tree decorating ideas, a live tree adorned with golden baubles and lanterns may be an irrelevant choice. Consider particularly bold, intriguing solutions — they should be expressive and environmentally friendly. Fitting such a tree inside a home is not a simple task – the sign of 2024 is bound to appreciate your design courage!
How to Decorate the Christmas Tree at Home and Outside
How to Decorate an Outdoor Christmas Tree?
The primary mistake is going with paper or cardboard items. They appear beautiful only for the first 15 minutes until the damp air turns them into a tattered mess. It's better to choose old-fashioned weather-proof plastic. Another intriguing solution is homemade ice decor. To create it, place the coloured paper into large semi-circular moulds in the bauble shapes of baubles and pour water with water-soluble paint into ice moulds. Once it solidifies, you'll have a terrific ice garland.
How to Decorate a Live Tree Inside?
When it comes to living trees, there is one rule: natural decorations will definitely appear stylish. Cones, wood, glass, and metal are all excellent choices.
How to Decorate an Artificial Tree?
Natural materials might seem awkwardly out of place here, while high-quality plastic can perfectly complement the branches. Flowers made of craft foam also look fascinating and unusual; look for roses, poinsettias, and large lilies adorned with colourful glitter.
How to Decorate a Small Tree?
Consider small ornaments, as they are less likely to overpower your tree and appear bulky. A great idea is to wrap a bright white electric garland close to the stem. This alone will make it appear very festive, and for the top, a simple ribbon tied in a neat bow will suffice.
Decorating a Wooden Christmas Tree
A wooden Christmas tree is one of the trends from recent years: it's not about an actual tree but a symbolic representation of it. Go for slats, boards, or wooden shelves shaped in a triangle. No other ornaments are needed, only LED lights and a few bright red details.
How can I Easily Decorate a Christmas Tree before New Year?
The first step is finding the right colour palette. We wouldn’t recommend simply distributing everything you own across the branches. Follow the golden ratio: central, secondary, and accent (the brightest) colours should be in proportion roughly 8:5:3.
The second step is to skillfully place the decor. Starting with the largest ornaments, hang them as low as possible, circling the tree from all sides and spacing out the decorations evenly. After that, complement the composition with smaller decorations. Artificial flowers and ribbon bows should be hung at the last moment.
New Year's Ornaments
Let's find out what exactly to decorate your tree with.
Garlands
Lighting is one of the most stylish and beautiful ways to decorate anything. We recommend choosing minimalistic LED garlands with white or yellow light, powerful yet elegant.
Tinsel
Lately, this piece of decoration has been unwelcome — but unjustly. Quality matte tinsel looks great on windows and doors, although it might look too bulky on a live tree.
Flowers
The trend in recent years has been to use plastic containers with charming dried flowers inside. Another idea is to incorporate flowers made of a soft artificial material clipped to the green branches.
Figurines Made of Epoxy Resin
A trendy decoration that meets several practical requirements: the figurines are durable, attractive, and lightweight, each having a unique pattern. Getting a set of these handmade items creates a splendid pattern.
Ribbons
This element can pose many problems. Firstly, paper and plastic ribbons sometimes look cheap. Secondly, satin and silk are capricious; they need constant smoothing, constantly checking that the ends do not fray. Finally, choosing the colour is demanding because not every shade of green, blue, yellow, or any other will suit the interior.
How to Decorate a Christmas Tree Without Ornaments?
Find a colour and a material, then locate everything in the house that fits these conditions. For example, let’s use metal and red. The solution is to place silver brooches or pendants, baubles made of culinary foil, pom-poms made of red wool, or everyday items (gloves, ties, bowties, bracelets, or scarves). Don’t be afraid to experiment and come up with unique Christmas tree decorating ideas, such as creating your own homemade decorations!
