How To Decorate An All White Christmas Tree

Looking for some decorating ideas for an all 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.

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 was doing a silver and white winter wonderland dinner party for a friend of mine, 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 it to look the way I wanted it to.

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

And finally figured it out!

Keep reading to find the tips I came up with for decorating an all white Christmas tree.

The First Attempt

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. 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 minimalism 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 finally figured out how to make it look better.

1 | Use feathers to look like snow

If you had read any of my other Christmas decorating posts (like this one for easy Christmas decorating ideas), 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!

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?

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.

2 | Vary the textures

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.

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, my cat loves the faux fur!  She’ll be making an appearance in a lot of the pictures.  I couldn’t get her to move once she found this spot.

3 | Use different shades of white

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.

4 | Include metals

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. (Yes, you can mix metals on a Christmas tree).

Silver pine cones add that outdoor winter feeling to the tree. If you already have some pine cones, they are easy to make by spraying with silver spray paint*.

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

5 | Reflect Light

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.

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

6 | Add Interesting Shapes

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

I finally did it!

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

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

Shop the tree

Here are the ornaments I used on the tree. Some are no longer available so I have tried to find similar replacements. Click the pictures to go to the source.

Other Christmas tree ideas

• Creative Christmas tree themes
• Elegant Christmas tree color ideas
• Wintry blue, white and silver Christmas tree

Or browse all of our Christmas tree ideas.

Have comments or questions on how to decorate an all white Christmas tree?  Tell us in the section below.