There’s something about a Charlie Brown tree that just makes me happy! I don’t love clutter and the holidays are definitely the time when our house feels the most full. Keeping the Christmas décor simple makes me feel less stressed and helps me to actually enjoy the season. Here are my best tips on how to decorate a sparse Christmas tree, and bonus… it only costs a few dollars!
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
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Table of Contents
Where to find sparse Christmas trees
There are so many realistic faux Christmas trees to choose from, these are some of my favourite sparse trees! They look minimal and clean and are simple to decorate.
FAUX SPARSE TREES
REAL SPARSE TREES
If you are looking for a real Christmas tree that is sparse, my favourite kind is a Silver Tip Fir! You can see all the different types of Christmas trees below!
How to add lights to a sparse Christmas tree
Most faux trees will come already lit ( I prefer this way, it’s just so much easier to deal with). But if your tree is real or unlit, I like to add twinkle lights or fairy lights instead of more traditional Christmas lights (that usually come on a thicker green cord). It gives a lighter more twinkly look to the tree.
Tip: Find twinkle lights that plugin rather than the battery-operated ones. You will go through A LOT of batteries over the course of a season and it’s a pain to keep changing them. The plugin twinkle light strings are also much brighter than the battery-operated ones.
How to choose decorations for sparse Christmas trees
When you are decorating a sparse tree, you don’t want the ornaments to overwhelm it! Minimal is best. Think of a Scandinavian style Christmas theme with lots of natural elements, neutrals and rustic touches. You also want the ornaments to be lightweight as the branches can be less sturdy than those of a more full tree.
For this tree, I chose vintage brass bells, dried orange slices, wooden cutouts and neutral round glass ornaments to create an understated but festive look.
VINTAGE BELLS
Vintage brass bells add beautiful sparkle to your tree and they are light enough not to weight down the thinner branches.
DRIED ORANGE SLICES
It’s easy to dry orange slices to make garland or hang individual slices on the tree. They act as beautiful, natural ornaments and they smell delicious.
WOODEN CUTOUTS
Simple cutout wooden shapes make a nice contrast to the sparkle of the twinkle lights and the brass bells.
NEUTRAL ROUND ORNAMENTS
I added a few more traditional ornaments to balance the shapes of the bells and wooden cutouts.
I couldn’t find the colours of ornaments that I wanted (white, matte black and muted green) so I took some dollar store ornaments that I already owned and spray painted them to get the desired effect!
I simply taped the tops and spray-painted them outside. It was cold that day!
I love how they turned out!
How to decorate the base of a sparse Christmas tree
I like to keep decorations and gifts at the base of a sparse tree minimal as well! It looks more balanced than a heavy tree collar or a ton of wrapped gifts! (And we traditionally only bring out the presents on Christmas Eve anyway!)
To keep this tree looking natural and Nordic, I found a large white plant pot that would hold the tree stand and then covered the base of the tree with dried moss. It almost looks like it’s still at home out in the forest!
A striped blanket adds some softness, and small gifts wrapped in neutral paper and corralled in baskets keep the base from feeling cluttered.
To see our house decorated for Christmas check out A Neutral Christmas with a Pink Peppermint Twist and Minimal Holiday Home Decor with a Splash of Citrus.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these tips on how to decorate a sparse Christmas tree! What do you think….are you going to try a sparse tree this year?!
For more Christmas tree inspiration, check out these posts from my blogging friends!
Land of Sweets Christmas Tree // A Blue Nest
Red and White Christmas Tree // Happy Happy Nester
Candy Cane Themed Christmas Tree // Tatertots & Jello
Elegant White Christmas Tree // Jennifer Maune
Rose Gold Inspired Christmas Tree // My 100 Year Old Home
Christmas Trees Through the Years // Finding Lovely
White Flocked Christmas Tree With Neutral Wood Accents // The Happy Housie
Scandinavian Inspired Christmas Tree // Modern Glam
How to Decorate a Sparse Christmas Tree // The Ginger Home
Mixed Metals Inspired Christmas Tree // Sanctuary Home Decor
Simple Nordic Christmas Tree // Twelve On Main
Snowy Golden Christmas Tree // Craftberry Bush
DIY Boho Modern Ornament Tree // Jennifer Rizzo
Winter Theme Flocked Christmas Tree // Lolly Jane
I love your natural tree and ornaments. So delicate and beautiful!
This turned out absolutely beautiful! Love your minimal but chic charlie brown tree. Pinned!
your tree is wonderful
Are there any links to the other sparse trees you listed or where you found them?
This looks beautiful! May I ask, where did you find your planter?
I love the colors of your painted ornaments! What brand is the spray paint and what are the colors? Thank you.
We boomers are getting older. I believe that is the reason for the popularity of a sparse tree. It weighs less. I have a Balsam Hill tree that weighs 89 pounds. My husband is disabled, so Iend up putting the tree together myself. We’re in our 70’s, and it’s just too much for just me. This year we have a sparse tree, and I can’t wait.
Your ideas are a lovely inspiration for me Thank you so much.