A few small trees can do more for a room at Christmas than one big one: on a mantel, down the middle of the holiday table, on a windowsill or a bookshelf. Here’s how we style our hollow Christmas trees and their more playful cousins, the trees with hidden legs.
Plant a little forest, not a row
A line of identical trees looks like a display shelf. A small forest looks like a scene. Group trees in odd numbers (three, five or seven) and vary the heights so the tallest sits toward the back and the smallest spill forward.
Our hollow trees come in two shapes: pointed trees are taller and slimmer, non-pointed trees are shorter and wider. Mixing the two makes a grouping look more natural, and the sizes run from about 2 to 7 inches, so a set of three already gives you three heights.
Choose a palette
- All white reads like fresh snow: quiet and Scandinavian, and lovely with natural wood, linen, brass and greenery.
- White and green is the classic, cheerful choice, and works with red ribbons and plaid as well as with neutrals.
- Something else entirely: we can print the trees in silver, gold, red, blue, pink and other colors at no extra charge. Add a note to your order or get in touch.
Light them from the inside
The trees are hollow, and the large ones fit a regular battery-operated tea light. Lit from inside, they glow softly, which is especially pretty on a windowsill or an entry table at dusk. Our set of nine comes with two flickering tea lights to get you started.
Use battery tea lights only, never a real candle: the trees are printed in plastic.
On the mantel
Two arrangements always work. Gather a cluster of trees at one end of the mantel and balance it at the other end with something tall, such as candlesticks or a vase of branches. Or run a small forest the whole length, tucked into a garland, with the tallest trees at the back and a few small ones stepping forward. Either way, leave some empty space: a mantel looks calmer when it isn’t full edge to edge.
On the holiday table
Down the center of the table, set the trees in little groups of three along a runner or a strip of greenery, with tea lights in between. Even the tallest tree is only about 7 inches high, so everyone can still see each other across the table. For a dinner party, a small tree at each place setting doubles as a take-home favor.
Give it some personality
For a shelf, a kitchen windowsill or a kid’s room, add a Christmas tree with hidden legs. Tuck the legs in and it stands like any other little tree; let them out and it can sit on the edge of a shelf with its feet dangling, or stand on its own two feet. Add the gold star for a classic finish.
Beside a Christmas village
The small trees, 2 to 3 inches tall, are a nice size to tuck between the houses of a Christmas village or along a train set, where a few white ones look like a snowy wood.
Easy to put away
There’s nothing to water and no needles to sweep up. The trees are light and hollow, so they pack away in a shoebox until next year.