Christmas tree decorating trends: What’s your style?

When it comes to design articles on the internet there is a formula emerging that signifies the growing takeover of AI generated content (and if that isn’t the case then writers have gotten very lazy with ideas). This was evident to me the other day as I clicked on a story about the new trend in Christmas trees.

It was actually just a picture of a celebrity in front of their tree from their own Instagram post that a “journalist” grabbed to prove another new trend of minimalist decorating style.

It was an un-decorated tree.

Just a tree with lights and no ornaments. Instantly, five other articles popped up all claiming the same headline with a different celebrity featured in each one.

Now, I have actually participated in this un-decorated tree trend many times (never on purpose) when I simply ran out of time for ornaments.

And look, I am not about to knock minimalism. Simplicity has its place. For some, it is a more natural and peaceful approach, often more classic and timeless. But lately I can’t help feeling like minimalism is being weaponized as “better.” Hence the sudden generation of multiple articles promoting the idea with celebrity endorsement. It sometimes feels like the minimalist look is pushed as clean and tidy and therefore superior to the more maximized look, which often becomes aligned with the term cluttered (messy).

And while it is certainly a matter of opinion and I am not here to tell anyone what they should like- I feel that the one holiday that lends itself to enjoying a little excess, a little “mess” and going all out- is Christmas. Even if you’re entire vibe is Nordic bare bones Scandi- I feel like you can still have a tree with bows and pine cones and little wreaths.

Even if you reject the commercialism of the season and want to emulate a traditional approach, there is a way to give it the look and feel of home-made, with tags and treasured heirloom ornaments.

Even if you are a true nature lover and you want to honor the beauty of the tree and the outdoors, you can scoop up everything the season has cast off and fill the boughs with it.

There is a style and look for everyone- even the vintage auto lovers- to put you in the holiday spirit.

For me, I look forward to the decorations as a design opportunity. How do I make it look different? What did I recently see that I would like to try? Can I use something I have and re-purpose it for this reason?

But I also have these super fond memories of the trees of my childhood that are rooted in nostalgia. The whole process of cutting one down and bringing it in and then opening up the boxes of ornaments I only saw once a year.

There was a holiday magic in those moments Those trees were my mom’s creation and they were the best! But part of what made them so special was that you could feel the love- the love my Mom had for Christmas.

The love she still has for this holiday.

There is nothing minimal or un-decorated about the room we spend Christmas in every year. A room that drips with warmth and traditional holiday cabin vibes. The type of room you see in a TV movie and wish you could spend the holidays snuggled up there by a fire.

So if you are admiring the simple “tree with lights” look that supposedly all these celebrities are embracing this year- I say try it. Find out for yourself if it is a fit for you and how you imagine your holiday. But don’t do it because of a trend. Don’t do it because it’s easier or because you’re trying to make a statement.

And if you have kids- think about how it’s their Christmas memories too. Most kids do not care about decorating, or trends or minimalism.

They usually choose more over less.

Color over coordinated.

Joy over restraint.

The years to build these memories for a child are so short. You only get a brief window and then they inevitably outgrown that childlike wonder of the season.

So give yourself a pass if your decorations don’t resemble a perfect Instagram post of a celebrity’s house. Don’t worry if your holidays inevitably deviate to a bit of a “mess.” As long as you can smile, as long as your rooms are full of love…that’s when memories are happening.

And there is no reason to minimize that.

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