How To Decorate A Winter Wonderland White Christmas Tree

Looking for some decorating ideas for your winter wonderland white Christmas tree? These tips that will help make sure it looks beautiful when you’re done.

Because I’m a color-loving person, I usually decorate my Christmas trees with lots of color, like my Kate Spade inspired black, white and pink Christmas tree or my peacock Christmas tree. So this all white Christmas tree is something new for me.

Tips for decorating an all white Christmas tree

First, I have to start by saying that decorating anything all in white is a challenge for me…I’m definitely a color person.

But since I’m doing a silver and white winter wonderland dinner party for a friend of mine this weekend, I decided I wanted to do an all white Christmas tree in the living room to go with the decor.

Not to mention that I own a white Christmas tree…so it SHOULD be an easy thing to do…

But if I’m totally honest, I have always had trouble getting this Christmas tree to look the way I wanted it to.

I bought it a few years back because I was afraid my two 10+ pound cats would climb (and knock over) a real tree (I always had a real tree before that!)  I didn’t really like the artificial trees that were trying to look like real trees (unsuccessfully in my opinion), so I bought one that was obviously not real.

And have had challenges with it ever since.

So this year I was determined to figure out how to decorate it so that I actually like it.

Keep reading to find the tips I came up with for decorating a winter wonderland white Christmas tree.

The First Attempt

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The first attempt failed
The first attempt failed

In the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit that I had to decorate the tree twice.  This was my first attempt, and it ended up pretty much the same way as it has all of the other times I have tried to decorate it.

It’s not horrible but it just didn’t look that interesting to me…it was just missing something.  The white lights reflecting off the white branches just seems too bright.

And the decorations seem to stand out too much against the white which makes me notice all the spaces between them.  Now if you’re someone who likes a sparsely decorated Christmas tree, you might like this…but that is not my style.

So after looking at the tree for a few days (and not liking it) I took all of the decorations off and started over…and that’s when I had the brain wave that fixed it!

The Secret of “Snow”

Weave white feather boas between the branches of the all white Christmas tree
Weave white feather boas between the branches

If you had read any of my other Christmas decorating posts (like this one for easy Christmas decorating ideas, or this one for decorating a fireplace mantel), then you have probably noticed that I like to use white feather boas* as part of my Christmas decorations.  They are an easy way to add some softness to white lights and Christmas decor. And they look like snow!

White feather boas*

So I finally had an idea (and I’m not sure why it took me so long to think of this)…why not add some of that snowy feeling to my Christmas tree by weaving feather boas between the branches?

The feather boas add softness to the all white Christmas tree
The feather boas add softness to the tree

And guess what? It worked!

The boas aren’t that obvious on the finished tree, but they help to diffuse the light and fill in the spaces between the branches. And give that soft look of fluffy white snow.

Once I solved that problem, decorating the rest of the tree was easy! Just follow the same principals as I would if were decorating a white room.

Vary The Textures

Metal ornaments reflect light to soften an all white Christmas tree
Use ornaments that reflect light to soften all the white

Adding different textures keeps the tree from looking boring.

Obviously, the boas add a soft, fluffy element.

I also used different ribbons, some that were matte and some that were translucent.

Glass icicle ornaments*

Different types of Christmas ornaments, like these glass icicles*, add smoothness and shine. These also help give the winter feel to the tree.

Cat sitting on white faux fur tree skirt under all white Christmas tree
The white faux fur tree skirt is cat-approved

The faux fur tree skirt is another addition that adds texture and adds the look of snow…it’s actually just 2 yards of faux fur fabric* that I arranged around the bottom of the tree.

As an added bonus…Chanel loves the faux fur!  Finally a place that you can’t see all the white cat hair!  She’ll be making an appearance in a lot of the pictures.  I couldn’t get her to move once she found this spot.

Use Different Shades of White

The cream ribbon adds a little contrast with the white tree
The cream ribbon adds a little contrast with the white tree

Add decorations in different shades of white to introduce some subtle contrast.

Musical notes ribbon*

That’s what makes the cream colored musical notes wired ribbon* on the tree stand out.

Include Metals

gold and silver ornaments add extra depth to an all white Christmas tree
Add gold and silver for some extra depth

Okay, so some people might say that adding silver or gold means it’s not really an all white Christmas tree…but the metals add some depth to the scheme which is hard to achieve with white by itself.
I used both gold and silver decorations on my tree.

Silver pine cone ornaments*

Silver pine cones* add that outdoor winter feeling to the tree.

If you happen to have access to some pine cones, they are easy to make by spraying with silver spray paint*.

Snowflake Christmas ornaments*

And of course, you can’t have a winter wonderland Christmas tree without some snowflakes!

Reflect Light

Chandelier ornaments reflect light on an all white Christmas tree
Ornaments that reflect light help soften the light from the bulbs

To soften all that white light, add some crystal shaped ornaments.

They will reflect the light in different directions diffusing it a little in the process.

 

I used these chandelier ornaments*.

They hold flameless tealight candles* which add even more sparkle. If you get the ones with the timer, you won’t have to worry about turning them on and off every night.

Cascading tree pick on an all white Christmas tree
Cascading tree pick

Some cascading tree picks look like iced branches, which adds to the winter wonderland feeling.  My new favorite Christmas tree decorations!

Add Interesting Shapes

Ornaments with interesting shapes help make the tree more interesting
Ornaments with interesting shapes help make the tree more interesting

Finally, adding decorations of different shapes will add some more interest to the tree…like these bird cage ornaments*.

I always tie bows on the end of some of the branches with wired ribbon. They help to fill in any gaps as well as adding a different shape and texture to the tree.

The Finished Winter Wonderland White Christmas Tree

The finished all white Christmas tree
The finished tree

I finally did it!

White cat under an all white Christmas tree

A winter wonderland white Christmas tree that I am happy with!

Close up of the all white Christmas tree

Hopefully, these tips will help if you are trying to decorate your own all white Christmas Tree.

The top of an all white Christmas tree

Shop The Tree

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Have comments or questions on how to decorate a winter wonderland white Christmas tree?  Tell us in the section below.



How to decorate a winter wonderland white christmas tree

How to decorate a winter wonderland white christmas tree

How to decorate a winter wonderland white christmas tree

How to decorate a winter wonderland white christmas tree

How to decorate a winter wonderland white christmas tree

How to decorate a winter wonderland white christmas tree

How to decorate a winter wonderland white christmas tree

This post was originally published on December 16, 2016 but was updated with new content on October 25, 2021.


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15 Comments

  1. I absolutely love how your decorated this tree! And I’m thoroughly enjoying all the suggestions for a variety of ways to decorate my Christmas tree. Thanks so much!

    1. Wanda Simone says:

      Thanks, Dawn! I’m glad you like them 🙂

  2. I love the tree very beautiful. However this year I want an all white with no gold or silver just different shades of white. Love the filling with the feathers and the white fur on the bottom. My tree is green with the fake snow on top and frost. Hopefully turns out like whats in my head.

    1. Wanda Simone says:

      Hi John…I think the different shades of white will look beautiful with your flocked tree! The feathers (or anything with texture) will help to add some extra interest.

  3. It looks like something unreal! I totally love it! Great job 👏

  4. I love the white boa idea on the white tree! Please tell me where you got your boa material. I’ve checked locally with no luck. My tree is 7’ but I do t know the diameter.

    1. Wanda Simone says:

      Hi Gerry…The boas are hard to find locally. I ordered mine from Amazon. This is the link for the ones I used. My tree is also 7′ and I think I used about 6 boas to fill it all in. Hope that helps!

  5. I used almost every idea to create this tree and it turned out beautiful. Thank you.

    1. Wanda Simone says:

      I’m so happy it worked for you, Nikole. Have a merry Christmas!

      1. I’m wanting to do a Valentines Day tree. I don’t know if to use a white or green tree? I don’t know where to start on decorations either but the boa idea I liked.

        1. Wanda Simone says:

          Hi Sandra…I think I would do a white tree. With the feather boa and lots of red and pink ornaments, I think it would be stunning! I’m actually thinking of doing one, too 🙂

  6. Beautiful! How many ply is the boa? How thick is it?
    Thanks

    1. Hi Patty…these were the cheapest party boas I could find 🙂 I’m not sure of the exact weight, but they are about 1 1/2″ to 2″ around. Hope that helps!

  7. OMG, gorgeous, fabulous, and adjective like that still can not describe the wonder of this tree. Next year I want a white tree exactly like this. Than you! Season Greetings!

    1. Thanks, Ivory! I am pretty happy with the way it turned out, too 🙂 Happy holidays!